Nortegate Market’s “POR EL FÚTBOL”

Northgate González Market faced the challenge of connecting with its core Hispanic audience during the World Cup. But how do you compete against global brands spending millions on advertising and marketing campaigns for this phenomenon that comes every four years?

Northgate Market’s brand positioning revolves around authentic connections to Mexican culture, whether at the store or on social media. To achieve this, the marketing strategy needed to differentiate itself in a highly competitive media landscape by conveying a genuine, warm, and inviting voice that represented the brand. This led to the birth of the Big Idea: Por El Fútbol (Because of Soccer).

“The campaign drew inspiration from the passionate and over-the-top behavior soccer fans show during the World Cup,” said Northgate Market’s Senior Vice President of Marketing & Sales, Mike Hendry. It featured Mexican soccer stars in humorous situations to capture the cultural moment.

“By bringing together Mexican soccer legends, the campaign built a strong connection between soccer and Northgate Market, while ensuring authenticity, family, togetherness, and hard work remained central to the brand’s values,” he added.

Media Monks with Northgate Market created videos featuring these legends distributed across all social channels. The legends participated in community events and were involved with traditional media (such as OOH), and even branded gear. The three-month campaign delivered remarkable results, with over 9 million impressions, 3.5 million in added value impressions, and 1.3 million engagements.

As a testament to its success, Northgate Market with Media Monks earned a Bronze Award in the Media Connections & Content Strategy Impact category from the Hispanic Marketing Council’s Strategic Excellence Awards.

David Perez, account director at Media Monks, explained that the agency’s insight to land on the big idea was around the Mexican national soccer team as it holds a unifying role for Mexicans and Mexican Americans. Regardless of language or acculturation, supporting the team during the World Cup creates a strong sense of unity. This cultural insight was vital in establishing a connection with the audience and associating brand values.

Perez added that “under normal circumstances, soccer fans go to great lengths to show support for their team. However, the stakes are much higher during the World Cup – a brand-new plasma TV? Hosting a viewing party for ten at 6 am? Not a problem. To our consumers, supporting their national team during the World Cup makes them go over the top!”

The key lesson learned was that Hispanics, especially Mexican and Mexican Americans in Southern California, are eager to stay connected to their roots and culture from Mexico. Northgate Market successfully embraced its cultural roots, demonstrating that cultural insights can establish a deep connection with brands and serve as a vehicle to disseminate and associate brand values.