Claudia Chagüi of Telemundo: “Our World Cup Campaign Reflects the Dreams We Set Two Years Ago”

It has been 32 years since a FIFA World Cup was held in the United States, and for Claudia Chagüi, Executive VP of Marketing at Telemundo, this year’s tournament is “historic.”

“The World Cup is the biggest event in the entire world, except perhaps in the U.S., where other sports take the lead. But for Latinos, it is number one. Bringing the World Cup to the United States will make a significant difference for the sport in this country. From the beginning, we have viewed it as a historic moment,” she told PRODU.

The network’s promotional campaign highlights the advantages Telemundo offers in presenting the tournament.

“No one understands this sport the way we do in this country. We have the experience, the expertise, and culturally it is part of who we are. The major difference is that this is a World Cup in our home, and there is no better home than Telemundo—a Latino home that understands what this sport means,” Chagüi emphasized.

A CAMPAIGN BUILT THROUGH THE LATINO LENS

Chagüi is particularly excited about Telemundo’s campaign because “it is built through the lens of what the World Cup represents for us as Latinos. We conduct extensive research and are constantly studying audiences, what our content means to them, what is happening in their lives, and what the World Cup means to them. We know it truly is the most important event in a Latino’s life.”

Since watching the World Cup is usually a shared experience among friends and family, that concept became another central element of Telemundo’s campaign.

“The moment people hear there’s going to be a World Cup, the first thing they think is, ‘Who am I going to watch it with?’ Our campaign asks: ‘And you, who are you going to watch it with?’ We centered everything around that idea. Everyone remembers where they watched the last World Cup, where they were, who they were with, the person sitting next to them, who they hugged, cried, and shouted with.

“The story focuses on two friends who promised each other as children that they would watch the next World Cup in the U.S. together—Pancho and Tigre, our protagonists. Ana is another key character in the campaign, serving as the driving force behind Tigre’s search for Pancho,” she explained.

The campaign consists of three spots. The first focuses on the search, the second on where you will watch the tournament, and the third—released 30 days before kickoff—shows Pancho and Tigre arriving at a stadium to watch a match together.

“That’s where we ask the audience: ‘And you, who are you going to watch it with?’” she said.

A MAJOR LOGISTICAL CHALLENGE

Asked what this World Cup represents for the network, Chagüi pointed to the enormous operational effort involved.

“For us, from a logistical standpoint, it is a huge challenge because there are 11 host cities in the U.S. Add Mexico and Canada, and it becomes an extremely ambitious project. Our teams in Production, Sports, and Marketing have been working on this for two years. The preparation has been ongoing for a long time to ensure we have the right teams, experts, celebrities, creative resources, travel logistics—everything imaginable. It has required a long-term focus to make sure we are better prepared than anyone else to provide the best coverage and the best World Cup experience for our audience,” she said.

A SPANISH-LANGUAGE HUB ON PEACOCK

The campaign is being deployed across all Telemundo platforms and throughout the NBCUniversal ecosystem. Peacock, Telemundo’s streaming partner, features a dedicated World Cup hub.

“We worked with Peacock to create a Spanish-language interface on the platform, ensuring that Latino audiences can find content in Spanish and enjoy the entire experience in Spanish, just as they want. A tremendous amount of work has gone into making sure the experience is positive both on Telemundo and on Peacock,” she noted.

Chagüi added that the campaign includes a major media buy across television, outdoor advertising, social media, and digital platforms.

“Social media plays a very important role because it’s how we communicate and stay informed today. All digital platforms are critical as well,” she said.

Two weeks before the tournament begins, Telemundo will launch a campaign aimed at Latino audiences who primarily consume media in English. Similar to the Wilson Owen and Sofia Vergara Super Bowl spot, the goal is to encourage them to watch the World Cup in Spanish.

“The idea is to generate interest and excitement about experiencing the World Cup in Spanish. We launched the first version during the Super Bowl with Owen and Sofia, and now version two is coming. It will feature talent from across NBCUniversal, including celebrities from NBC, Bravo, Peacock, our news division, and other platforms. Audiences will see many familiar faces from across our ecosystem,” she explained.

A DREAM REALIZED

For Chagüi, this project ranks among the most important of her career.

“This is truly a historic moment for this country, for the sport, and for Latinos in the United States. We understand the passion and love people have for the World Cup, and being the host of that experience is a tremendous responsibility—one we take very seriously.We have poured our hearts, minds, bodies, souls, and every ounce of energy into making this a dream campaign. Two years ago, we sat down and said, ‘Let’s dream about what we want to achieve with this campaign.’ Today, I can say that every one of those dreams has come true. I continue to be amazed by the creativity, passion, perseverance, and determination behind this effort. That is the essence of who we are as Latinos, and that is why this campaign has been so extraordinary. It began as a dream project, and we worked tirelessly to make it a reality,” she concluded.