Copa Tecate Soccer Tournament.

DVC Worldwide, a marketing and communications firm, announced the launch of its integrated sports marketing program created and developed specifically for Tecate, one of Mexico’s most popular beers and the No. 4 imported beer in the U.S., to further expand brand recognition and U.S. market share.

The program will feature the second annual Copa Tecate soccer tournament, which met with great success last year, reaching Tecate’s target Mexican-American market on a grassroots level to help the brand increase sales 11% versus prior year. A total of 41 leagues and over 25,000 players participated, exceeding goals by as much as 400%.

Tecate’s 2002 sports marketing campaign will include “Play with the Pros” soccer clinics, a national sweepstakes, and a soccer fanatic costume contest to be held in conjunction with ESPNDeportes.com. The soccer theme will be continued in the awarding of prizes – all expense paid trips to the World Championship Soccer Finals in Yokohama, Japan on June 30th, 2002.

Copa Tecate 2002

The second annual Copa Tecate soccer tournament will kick off in April with 54 amateur soccer leagues in 16 markets competing to determine the top adult amateur soccer team in the U.S. Finalists will be flown to Dallas to see a professional match, train with the pros and compete in the Copa Tecate National Championship Game.

As an extension to Copa Tecate, DVC Worldwide developed a “Play with the Pros” (or “Entrena con los futbolistas mas famosos de Mexico”) sweepstakes that will give Tecate and soccer fans the chance to train with legendary Mexican soccer players. These clinics will be held in conjunction with the quarterfinal rounds of Copa Tecate on July 6th and 7th in Chicago, Dallas, Phoenix and Los Angeles. Fans will have the opportunity to win a trip to these quarterfinal games and participate in the clinics through a sweepstakes promotion.

Tecate/ESPNDesportes.com Sweepstakes

In conjunction with ESPNDeportes.com, DVC Worldwide is also creating and executing a national sweepstakes to be promoted both at point of purchase and online. Beginning March 15th and running through May 31st, the sweepstakes can be entered online at ESPNDesportes.com or on-site at any participating Tecate retailer. One winner will be selected to win a trip for two to the World Championship Soccer Finals in Japan.

Soccer Fanatic Contest

A new component of the initiative is the Soccer Fanatic Contest (also known as “El Fanatico Mas Grande De Futbol”) to find the nation’s five biggest soccer fanatics. Costume contests will be held in five of Tecate’s key markets – Houston, Chicago, Phoenix, Los Angeles and San Jose. The winners at each location will also win all-expense paid trips for two to the World Championship Soccer Finals.

“DVC Worldwide’s work with Tecate on initiatives such as Copa Tecate – with nationwide sweepstakes and contests, in-store marketing, sampling, and partnerships and sponsorships – truly illustrates our commitment to providing fully-integrated “OneLine” marketing solutions to our clients,” said Larry Sternbach, Executive Vice President, DVC Worldwide. “Through this strategic blend of online and offline communications, we will help Tecate’s brand recognition and market share grow even more in 2002.”