What a Bimbo

Truthfully, on witnessing bakery giant Bimbo’s impressive international expansion but particularly in the United States, I always wondered what the venerable company would do about its brand name.

Despite exhaustive research, I have not been able to determine what founder Lorenzo Servitje had in mind back in 1945 when he named his humble bakery shop that went on to become Grupo Bimbo, with 2010 revenues of more than US$8 billion and operations in 17 countries including China, with 7,000 products encompassed in 150 brands.

One theory goes that don Lorenzo, one of Mexico’s most respected conservative entrepreneurs, dreamed up the name Bimbo after considering the Italian word bambino, meaning child, in honor of his then very young children.

He could not have known that in the early part of the 20th century, during the massive wave of Italian immigration into the United States, bimbo, also a degeneration of bambino, came to mean an attractive but empty-headed young woman, especially one with loose morals.

In the film industry, bimbo was an epithet to be avoided like the plague. Jean Harlow, with her overwhelming street smarts, was the farthest you could get from being a bimbo, but Jane Mansfield and Mamie Van Doren fit the description to a T. No, Marilyn Monroe had too much angst to be a bimbo.

Now, in its aggressive push into the U.S. market, Bimbo the company has decided to raise its visibility by several notches, becoming, among other things, the corporate sponsor of the Philadelphia soccer team.

Selling out to a corporate sponsor has become tradition in international soccer, but the Philadelphia Union found a way to make their second season in the Major League Soccer something memorable before it even starts, thanks to the company name –you guessed it, Bimbo-- they will be wearing on their chests.

How manly will it be for a bunch of Bimbos to be running around in PPL Park in Chester, Pennsylvania next season?

Bimbo is the U.S. subsidiary of the Mexican baking company that markets everything from Arnold bread to Boboli to Entenmann’s. The all-caps BIMBO logo will be sprawled across the front of the blue and gold Union jerseys as part of the franchise’s first uniform sponsorship deal.

Putting Bimbo on the chest of stars like Danny Califf and Sebastien Le Toux could seem a bit strange.

But there is no shame in being labeled a Bimbo -- it’s actually quite lucrative. The four-year, 12-million-dollar deal will be having the Union’s star-studded lineup dressing like Bimbos, and that thrills Union brass.

This is yet another defining moment in both Philadelphia Union’s and Major League Soccer’s history, said Philadelphia Union CEO & Operating Partner Nick Sakiewicz. The Union brand is about authenticity and you don’t get more authentic than Bimbo. We’re honored to partner with such a major international company with a rich soccer tradition and longstanding commitment to world class products and outstanding customer service.

Many U.S. sports commentators wondered if Sakiewicz was missing the humor in putting Bimbo on everything. The outrage (and laughter) of some fans who might find Bimbo sexist or just odd was mentioned by ESPNW.com:

Shortly after the sponsorship deal was announced, fans posted angry comments on the Philadelphia Union’s Facebook page and photo albums. They do not like the jerseys, they do not like the name "BIMBO," and, most notably, many of the team’s female fans who commented said they feel the team is alienating them with this name choice. At least one man said he wouldn’t bring his girls’ soccer team to a game now that the jerseys have "BIMBO" on them.

But any backlash doesn’t seem to bother the Union:

Finding the right partner to place on the Union jersey took some time, but we wanted to make sure we partnered with an authentic company that shares our core values and commitment to the sport, fans and customers, Sakiewicz said. We are proud to say that we have found that partner in Bimbo.

It all may turn out to be a tempest in a teapot, but if nothing else, the case serves well to illustrate the cultural differences a company can run into unexpectedly when it goes global.

rmena@eleconomista.com.mx