Will hiring Ronda Rousey increase Pantene's sales?

Mixed Martial Arts are big.  How big?  Worldwide the sport has 300 million fans, more than Major League Baseball.  And when New York ended their 19 year ban against the sport last April, Ronda stood next to Governor Cuomo when the announcement was made. (Reinsmith, 2013)

But how many American women actually watch and who are they?  Data shows that ~27% of MMA fans are female.  41% of those are minorities.  Viewers are 18% more likely to be Hispanic and 40% more likely to be African-American.  53% of them are 18-34. (2012)

Does this sound like a good target for Pantene?  Parent company P&G has been shedding brands and cutting costs to restore profitability, but as near as I can tell Pantene sales were flat this year.  Their annual report says they are interested in growing users.

But I can't help thinking that Selena Gomez, their 2015 spokesperson was a better choice since Latinas are more likely than the general population to spend on hair care, and are responsible for 16% of sales.  Oh, and she has 120 million social media followers. (Romero, 2015)

Here's a look at the commercial.  "The tagline is: Don't hate me because I am strong."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TIQBnCSiik

So what do you think?  Are there enough Ronda fans in the US to make this campaign a success?  What about you?  Does it make you want to buy Pantene?

Reinsmith, T. (2013, October 15) Worldwide, MMA is bigger than MLB.  bloodyelbow.com.  retrieved December 18, 2016, from

http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2013/10/15/4841272/ufc-mma-bigger-mlb-ronda-rousey-superstar-anderson-silva-georges-st-pierre-jon-jones

(2012, November 16)  UFC 154 Audience Demographics.  scarborough.com.  Retrieved December 8, 2016, from

http://dialog.scarborough.com/index.php/ufc-154-audience-demographics-spotlight-on-female-ufcmma-tv-viewers/

Romero, A. (2015, June 15)  Selena Gomez Named New Pantene Spokesperson.  billboard.com.  Retrieved December 8, 2016, from

http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6598155/selena-gomez-pantene-spokesperson-endorsement-deal-haircare

Cloudy with a chance of shampoo ads

Have you checked the weather today?  If you did, The Weather Channel knows what you want to buy.  As the company’s Chairman and CEO, David Kenny points out “people generally check the weather because they’re planning to do something.”  And now that the checking is being done on mobile devices they have been able to piece together patterns that allow advertisers to target their best prospects very precisely.  (Rosman, 2013)

For instance, thanks to this data, Pantene was able to place ads for a new anti-frizz shampoo next to weather reports indicating that it would be a humid day.  Wow.  And a bit of digging has indicated that sales for Michaels Stores crafting materials surge when the forecast calls for rain three days in advance, so they are considering sponsoring long range forecasts.  Hmm.  Maybe Xanax should consider that option too.  Clearly the possibilities are endless.  Color me intrigued. 

Rosman, K. (2013, August 15)  Shopping Up A Storm.  The Wall Street Journal.  pD1