Our guests for this episode are Fabio Baracho, vice president of marketing, and Alejandro “Alex” Gershberg, marketing director at Grupo Modelo, part of Anheuser-Busch InBev, the largest brewery in Mexico.

In this episode, Fabio, Alex, and I discuss Grupo Modelo’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico. A huge part of this response was envisioning “The Match of the Ages” which occurred when the world felt most isolated and cultural gatherings came to a halt.

Soccer is a Mexican cultural icon. Despite any division the country faces, soccer is the great unifier. But during the pandemic, all games were canceled for more than 60 days. As a way to reunite the country and give back to the people, Grupo Modelo created a brand new 90-minute soccer game from scratch with the country’s two biggest rivals using 70 years’ worth of historical footage.

The game, which aired at zero cost on all major networks, became the highest earned media in the history of the brand. The initiative, El Classico de la Historia, became the first Mexican brand to win a Titanium Lion in the history of the Cannes Lion International Festival of Creativity for Corona brand.

Listen to the full conversation as they discuss the process behind creating the soccer game and how they used the talent and creativity of their employees to help a nation.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • How data can personalize creativity
  • When creativity can support a nation
  • Why you should reimagine entertainment

Key Highlights

  • [02:02] How Alex ended up in marketing
  • [03:44] Fabio’s path to marketing
  • [05:44] The role of VP of Marketing
  • [07:02] The role of Marketing Director
  • [08:22] Connecting creativity and data
  • [10:54] The essence of Grupo Modelo
  • [13:29] How Grupo Model supported Mexicans during the pandemic
  • [19:33] Envisioning the “Match of the Ages”
  • [22:54] Building the equivalent of a virtual Super Bowl
  • [29:33] Bringing brands together to support a nation
  • [36:01] Creating a sense of pride for the Mexican people
  • [40:31] An experience that makes Fabio who he is today
  • [42:24] An experience that makes Alex who he is today
  • [44:52] A topic marketers should be learning more about
  • [49:31] The threats and opportunities facing marketers

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Alan B. Hart is the creator and host of “Marketing Today with Alan Hart,” a weekly podcast where he interviews leading global marketing professionals and business leaders. Alan advises leading executives and marketing teams on brand, customer experience, innovation, and growth opportunities. He has consulted with Fortune 100 companies, but he is an entrepreneur at his core, having founded or served as an executive for nine companies.