Clint Dempsey deal pays huge dividends for Kent-based Oberto

Kent-based Oberto’s decision to sign up Sounders FC and U.S. soccer star Clint Dempsey as a spokesman for the jerky company is proving to be a shrewd move.

Dempsey was already well known in the soccer world as one of the best American’s to ever play the game. But his record-setting goal less than 40 seconds into Monday’s World Cup opener thrust him into a much bigger national and global spotlight.

As countless numbers of crazed fans tweeted and posted on social media in celebration, many of them referenced Oberto.

“We couldn’t have written a better script,” says Mike Ginal, Oberto’s Director of Marketing.

Oberto signed Dempsey early this year – along with Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman – as the company geared up for a national marketing push.

As a star with Sounders FC and lifelong jerky eater, Ginal says he was a logical addition to the roster.

“We wanted to have an important local aspect to our athletes, but we wanted the athletes that we work with to also be national in appeal as well,” Ginal says.

He admits while they had high hopes for both the MLS season and the World Cup, they knew there were no guarantees the Dempsey deal would pay off.

“When we did our planning at the beginning of the year, we knew what events were going to be coming up. Clint had been captain of the U.S. team. But you never know what’s going to happen. People can get injured or whatever.”

Dempsey appears in several commercials with ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith, along with other ads and displays at retail locations. But in another smart move, Oberto took a shot and produced a fan video that includes Sherman celebrating a Dempsey goal, hoping it would come some time during the tournament. Never in his wildest dreams could Ginal and the rest of the company imagine it would happen in such dramatic fashion.

“We had over 500 retweets and 500 favorites in the first hour alone on that video,” he says. “Really it was millions of impressions that we drove with that.”

And that should translate to significantly increased awareness and sales for Oberto as the longtime Seattle company seeks to compete on a national stage. Ginal says a single moment like that can mean the difference between a consumer buying Oberto or another product when they run into the store.

“It’s ultimately that brand affinity that drives the business forward,” he says. “With the first World Cup game, we got lucky. He was amazing.”

With both Dempsey and Sherman promoting its products, Oberto is proving to be far more savvy than lucky with its recent moves.