Arizona Diamondbacks

May 7, 2015

Transcript:

JOSE CARDENAS: This year the Arizona Diamondbacks launched their Hispanic community focused marketing campaign, with the tagline somos Hispanos, somos D-backs, it translates to we are Hispanic and we are D-backs. It'll be featured in several television, print and radio spots. Here to talk about the campaign is Jerry Romo, Arizona Diamondbacks manager of Hispanic and emerging markets. Thank you for joining us on "Horizonte."

JERRY ROMO: Thank you for having me.

JOSE CARDENAS: This is your second stint with the Diamondbacks.

JERRY ROMO: That's correct. I was originally hired back in 2003. I worked with the team from 2003 to 2008 as a pregame show producer. Then I did a little Spanish radio and Spanish TV. I Left to go work in Texas with the Texas Rangers, now I'm back. I've been back for 4 months and I'm spearheading this initiative now.

JOSE CARDENAS: Almost from the start the Diamondbacks have made an effort to appeal to the Hispanic community. What's different now?

JERRY ROMO: Just the overall structure from an organizational stand point. It all starts from our President/CEO Derek hall and the other executives who are really making the push. We're jumping in with both feet and really trying to connect with the fan base. One of the beauties of working and living here in Arizona is that, you know, we have such a diverse fan base. Over 30% of the population being Hispanic, there really is no excuse. We're making a real effort to connect with these people and send the message that the Arizona Diamondbacks aren't just a professional baseball team in downtown Phoenix. We're part of the community and we want to be involved. That's what we are trying to do.

JOSE CARDENAS: We've got some beautiful pictures we'll be showing of efforts that you were talking about as we talk here. You talk about the family emphasis. Is that something you think is of particular importance to the Hispanic community?

JERRY ROMO: Absolutely, absolutely. It's baseball, It's good clean affordable family fun.

JOSE CARDENAS: Speaking of fun, this is what your luchador?

JERRY ROMO: This is one of our pictures from the exhibition game that we played down in Mexico back on the 29th of March. It was the 10th time that we visited and we had a huge following. Northern Mexico, Sonora, Chihuahua, Sinaloa, there's such a big fan base -- . -- Just being out there once again. You see the images there. There's no doubt in my mind that the Diamondbacks are Sonora's team. It was so nice to have them welcome us once again. There are a lot of people who might not be able to make it to Phoenix and enjoy a D-backs game. We are taking Diamondbacks baseball to them.

JOSE CARDENAS: You're making an effort to get the locals out in the community. Tell us about that.

JERRY ROMO: Yes during our first month of the season in April we have our first fiesta la familia events. They were completely free. These are pregame events. -- We had mariachi, live music, Hispanic food, a beer garden, inflatables for the kids. It was a really big family event. We had one on the 12th of April, one on the 26th. The one on the 26th was a much bigger footprint. We came together with Univision Deportes, and they had a pregame show for a soccer match played down in Mexico for Super Classico. We combined both sports for the first time ever. We were able to come together with Univision Deportes and be on a national level. Having the ability to host them. We understand a lot of people that came out to this event maybe don't follow the Diamondbacks or haven't visited Chase Field. We also understand the importance of soccer, so we wanted to combine those two sports. We had over 5,000 people show up, it was great.

JOSE CARDENAS: Part of the impact is putting on special events, but you're doing other things, special food items and programs in Spanish as well as English.

JERRY ROMO: A little bit of everything. We launched our first Hispanic marketing campaign, instead of just translating what we were doing on the English side, launched somos Hispanos, somos D-backs. Along with that tagline, when we made the launch back in March we also attached a 30-second commercial spot with some of our Hispanic players. The message was, we came here to work, we came here to win, and we came to improve. Those are the three lines. Something not only the players can say but also the fan base as a whole. That truly resonates with our Hispanic community. We came here to this country to make it, and we're here to give it our all. We launched the campaign to really connect with the Hispanic fan base. As far as the food items, everything from the newest churro dogs. That thing went viral. It's basically a glazed doughnut with a warm churro topped with frozen yogurt, whipped cream and caramel. It's delicious. You absolutely have to try it. It's great.

JOSE CARDENAS: Doesn't sound terribly healthy.

JERRY ROMO: You know what, it's baseball. Every now and then I think it's okay. It's only 1100 calories, I think you'll be okay.

JOSE CARDENAS: That got you national attention.

JERRY ROMO: We were getting calls from around the country. Just messages from around the world for that matter. It went viral. The power of social media, that thing spread like wildfire.

JOSE CARDENAS: Has it been a hit with the fan base? The people who go to the games, do they line up to buy this?

JERRY ROMO: Yes, absolutely. This is a testament to our chef, it was created here at Chase Field. It's one of the new items there for our fans to try. We still have our Sonoran hotdogs.

JOSE CARDENAS: We had a segment earlier in the show on what's being done in Tucson.

JERRY ROMO: We've got our own version of the Sonoran hotdog. A lot of different items there at Chase Field so we're happy. Again, it's an overall experience. You're there for a baseball game but -- to be able to hang out with family and friends and really enjoy your time.

JOSE CARDENAS: I understand you have a program for young people, they can get involved in broadcasting or get that kind of experience broadcasting games in Spanish.

JERRY ROMO: Yes. It's El Cronista Fanten kids can go, it's presented by Sanderson Ford. This is the 2nd year we are doing this. We inviolate kids ages 10 to 14 years old to come out and audition. Those selected can come up and call 1 inning of Arizona Diamondbacks baseball in our Spanish radio booth with our broadcasters. It's a good opportunity for these kids to be behind the scenes and actually see what it's like to call a Major League Baseball game. It's a great initiative. We have received great response. Sanderson Ford has done a great job bringing this together.

JOSE CARDENAS: I understand one of the things that makes the Diamondbacks unique is that they are one of only three teams in the league where the Spanish broadcasters travel to the away games.

JERRY ROMO: They broadcast every single game during the regular season 162, but they also travel with the team. There's sometimes breaking news, sometime there's players sent down, some come up. It's very important to have those guys out there to communicate with us right away, send the messages out to our fans that follow us through losdbacks.com and social media. We're extremely proud of having that representation out there.

JOSE CARDENAS: You and I were talking earlier before we got on the set about -- kind of the loyalty of Hispanic fans tends to be more constant than perhaps other fans who are up and down as the team is up and down.

JERRY ROMO: Just talking to people working in the ticketing department, the trends they have seen, it's such a long year and teams sometimes have great years, sometimes they don't. The attendance seems to fluctuate a bit. With Hispanic fans they have seen a steady increase. I don't want to say loyal, but they are definitely out there keeping their eyes out whether their teams winning or losing. That's extremely important for us to know they are watching, no matter what results we're getting from the field.

JOSE CARDENAS: How affordable is it for the typical family?

JERRY ROMO: Extremely affordable. We have the cheapest ticket in all Major League Baseball, the cheapest beer. You have your Sonoran hot dog, a drink, a cookie there, $15 gets you in. That includes your ticket. You can't go to the movies for that price nowadays. Our value pack $19 gives you the option of a hot dog or a Subway sandwich, a soda, a cookie as well. Make it affordable, make it fun, and have the opportunity for people to go out there and really enjoy Diamondbacks baseball and create these great experiences.

JOSE CARDENAS: What can we expect to see coming next? It's going to be hard to top a doughnut with a churro and yogurt on it. I'm sure you got others in the works there -- but just other outreach activities.

JERRY ROMO: We have to leave the food up to our chefs out at Chase Field. As far as from the Hispanic initiatives, a point of view, we're just going to keep moving forward. I've been in this position for 3 and a half months and it's definitely been a group effort. We're all pulling in the same direction and really trying to be connected. We'll send the message, Chase Field is open, we want to welcome you with open arms. The ambience has changed during the games. You got live music. Spanish music, signage, etcetera. So again, just welcoming our fans and letting them know to come out and see us.

JOSE CARDENAS: Thank you so much for joining us.

JERRY ROMO: Thank you.

JOSE CARDENAS: That is our show for tonight. From all of us here at Eight and "Horizonte," thank you for watching. I'm Jose Cardenas, have a good evening.