Because let’s be honest, that’s all they are. I’m not going to give the latest McDonald’s World Cup campaign any more credit than it deserves.

For the uninitiated, I’m talking about this:

I stumbled across it on the the page of one of my Flickr contacts in Monterrey, Mexico (thanks, Oscar!). It seems that McDonald’s has found a “creative” way to capitalize on the fever of the World Cup in Mexico. Oscar brings up the question of overbranding. Indeed, this is a bit much for me.

Beyond the ball bun, McDonald’s has also set up a web site for the Mexico market dedicated exclusively to the World Cup: McDonaldsFutbol.com.mx upon which it declares itself the “official hamburger of the Mexican soccer team”. Yawn. As much as a fan I am of la selección mexicana, that’s not going to win me over to Micky D’s. Incidentally, they are also the “Official Restaurant” for the Mexican team? Well, in that case…

In the UK, here’s the brilliant stuff McDonald’s has been dreaming up — a HUGE hamburger (I guess the size of the Cup itself) in honor of the FIFA World Cup:

Fast food chain McDonalds is to launch a special World Cup burger that is bigger than a Big Mac.

The restaurant is to sell the sandwiches, which are 40% bigger than its biggest current burger, over a six-week period.

They will pack a belt-busting 669 calories.

The move has prompted outrage from health campaigners.

Just what the doctor ordered. And stateside? Is McDonald’s trying any World Cup related schemes here? According to the NYT, only to the Latino market:

Like Anheuser-Busch, McDonald’s views the World Cup mainly as an opportunity to sell itself outside the United States. It is heavily promoting its sponsorship in McDonald’s franchises in Europe and Latin America. But it is also running a promotion in restaurants in the United States with a Hispanic clientele.

I wrote about Pizza Patrón on VivirLatino a couple of weeks back, and asked the question:

They are targeting the U.S.’s fastest growing market and only that market. I’m not sure about what their menu features, so I am wondering if they are targeting some of the more particular “local tastes” of Mexicans, like putting ketchup, tabasco or worsterchire (a.k.a. “salsa inglesa”, or all of the above) on their pizzas.

Well, it wasn’t quite Worsterchire (I’m not a psychic after all) but close enough. The following article from PizzaMarketplace.com talks about Pizza Patrón’s introduction of Salsas Herdez — a staple in Mexican households — as condiments to their Latino-targeted pizzas.

All I can say is: SMART.

New Pizza Patron dipping sauces lean on popular Herdez brand

DALLAS — Pizza Patrón has introduced a three-flavor lineup of dipping sauces at its 52 locations.

According to a news release, the new sauces include Ranch, Spicy Ranch and Salsa Ranchera, and cost 50 cents each.

The Salsa Ranchera and Spicy Ranch are made using Herdez products, a well-known and widely respected brand in Mexico. Herdez salsa is the No. 1 brand of imported salsa consumed in the United States.

“At the heart of our brand is our desire to connect with the cultural values and hearts of our Latino customers in everything we do,” said Ernesto Hernandez, Pizza Patrón’s director of operations.

“Using Herdez is another small way for us to reinforce the commitment we have to our core customer.”

PizzaMarketplace.com

Tags: latino marketing, hispanic marketing,pizza