Citgo's Latin Energy strikes home.

For all the patriotic talk about Citgo's unfortunate relationship to Venezuela's state-owned oil company PdVSA, you gotta be impressed by their marketing strategy. After President Hugo Chavez's recent ill-chosen words about George Bush (he called him "the devil," during a speech at the UN), Citgo has gone on a TV publicity blitz.

Since last week Citgo has been bombarding Spanish-language TV stations in the U.S., with it's own devilishly clever ad featuring that most American of past-times - baseball.

An avid baseball fan myself, I first caught the Citgo ad the other day watching the playoffs on Fox Sports en Espanol.

Cleverly designed to appeal to latinos, the ad opens with a young man in the stadium seats playing a standard rendition of 'Take Me Out To The Ballpark' on an electric keyboard. All of a sudden he switches into a salsa rythm. The fans leap out of their seats and begin to dance.

Then a simple message flashes onto the screen:

"CITGO - Energía Latina"

"Citgo - Latin Energy."

It's a subtle message, suggesting that viewers put their Latin heritage ahead of loyalty to the White House. Forget about politics, let's dance, it seems to be saying. I'm surprised conservatives haven't raised a stink about it.

Citgo spokesman, David McCollum, tells me the  Energía Latina campaign was actually designed  before the now infamous UN speech. The tv ads were "targeted for the playoffs all along," he said.
An English-language marketing campaign designed to show Citgo's American heritage was launched in Washington Monday. Expect to see full page ads in the New York Times, USA Today, Houston Chronicle and Miami Herald on Thursday. The English-language campaign, titled 'Setting the Record Straight,'  IS in direct response to the anti-Citgo campaign, McCollum says.

Citgo's advertising campaign sounds rather more persuasive than this (see below) which I found on the internet at Babalublog.com

(By the way, Citgo's  Energía Latina marketing effort also includes the signing of Florida Marlins slugger, Venezuelan-born Miguel Cabrera as the Florida face of CITGO. Now that's what I call smart! Of course, I'm totally biased on this as I am a longtime Marlins fan and Miggy is my 9-year-old's hero.)

Click here for my Sept 26 story about the Florida response to Chavez's speech.

Click here for today's Miami Herald story on the Citgo controversy from business writer, Jane Bussey.

Click here for Citgo's response to alleged "inaccurate and misleading information" about the company.

- David Adams

Comments

[raimunda]

Citgo is doing a lot of good in the United States with its subsidized home heating oil program. The "stink" that you're hoping conservatives would make over the Venezuelan aid is absent because -- duh -- it makes sense for big oil to give back by helping the poor. Citgo is investing over $100 million in oil donations in the U.S. this winter. And by advertising this point, they're being "misleading"?

[sarah]

Latinos will judge Citgo's efforts for themselves. Citgo has as much right to advertise during baseball games as McDonalds or any other company. Somehow, because they're helping the poor and they're a Venezuelan firm, this is sneaky behavior??? Get real. There are poor people in the United States, and if our government doesn't help them out, I'm glad that big oil does.

[Gustavo Coronel]

Venezuela has a 46% poverty rate,and this poor have an average income of some $1400 PER YEAR. This is ten times lower than the average income of those receiving Venezuelan financial aid through subsidized fuel oil in the U.S. This use of Venezuelan money, needed in Venezuela, would be meaningful if it was a true philantropic initiative but it is not. It is only a political propaganda strategy designed by Chavez to make political inroads in the U.S. He has already recruited Joseph Kennedy Jr. and other politically notorious figures in this scheme.Venezuelans reject this hypocritical strategy that has also given millions in subsidized fuel to "poor" Londoners. Chavez does not give a damn about the poor but he sure can use them to consolidate his political power. Go to Venezuela and take a look at how poor Venezuelans live!