The Tecate brand "is center stage this week in Las Vegas" after it outbid Corona to be the official beer and presenting sponsor of the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Manny Pacquiao bout, according to a front-page piece by Alan Snel of the LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL. Tecate "has its name on the center of the ring, the right to use the fight in its advertising promotions at retail stores and its brand in MGM Resorts fight signage." Tecate Brand Dir Gustavo Guerra said that in addition to their name and logo being on "every fight-related sign and piece of collateral, Tecate is using the fight to interact with customers by inviting boxing fans to post social media comments" through their #myboldopinion campaign. He added that promotional materials "are also in liquor stores and supermarkets, which has sparked sales to increase" by 20% this month. Zimmerman Advertising Chief Integration Officer & Exec VP Scott Becher yesterday said, "Tecate is a longtime sponsor of Pacquiao, so they couldn’t miss the biggest fight of his career." Snel notes Tecate's $5.6M sponsorship "might sound like a stunning amount of money," but it is only $1.1M "more than a Super Bowl 30-second TV commercial." Hutt Sports Marketing & Digital Media President Harry Hutt said, "It’s an incredible sponsorship capture. As a longtime sponsor of Pacquaio, they could hardly afford to not be there, so it doesn’t seem like it was a tough negotiation -- basically give the promoter a blank check and walk away, it’s that good a deal for them." Snel notes it was a "clear two-brand battle for the beer category and presenting sponsorship," because Corona "is in Mayweather’s corner" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 4/30).
