On November 12, 2014, in the magnificent facilities of the Villa de Madrid Country Club, the leading company in direct sales of nutritional supplements ratified its firm and determined commitment to the world of paddle tennis. After all the experiences accumulated throughout a year, during the Final Master we were able to speak with the General Director of Herbalife Spain, with whom we took stock of everything achieved since that day.
Padel World Press .- You have to look back a total of 14 months to remember the brilliant presentation of the Herbalife Pádel Team, a team made up of great players and players such as Marta Ortega, Patty Llaguno, Seba Nerone, Agustín Gómez Silingo, Curro Soriano and Mario González.
Very satisfied by the performance and commitment of their 'ambassadors, from this important company can boast of having achieved that both the logo and the name of your company has become a' regular 'in both the Professional Circuit and the most diverse amateur tests.
In a long and relaxed talk with Carlos Barroso, General Manager of Herbalife Spain, we wanted to know what it was that made them bet in their day for the paddle: "Well I would say that it is a sport in principle easy to practice, very familiar , unites families, husband, wife and children in this and, in addition, allows most of the fans to play. The other day commented that there is a lot of fans of the 1 Formula, but who has the possibility of driving one of their cars? Or even football. Everyone understands football and has ever played but who really plays football regularly? In the paddle, in addition, people compete, in clubs there is a great atmosphere ... It's fantastic. "
Since you've talked about the social component of paddle tennis, what values do you think this sport shares with Herbalife's philosophy?
First, healthy habits. For us, in Herbalife the most important thing is that the 80% of a person being well is having the correct nutrition and healthy habits. Therefore, the paddle is an instrument, a fantastic tool to promote healthy habits, that is, a couple of times or three a week to play sports ... Then, also the social, is a team sport, couples. Because here more or less everyone is a friend, with whom you face more or less you are a friend, therefore, it is a team sport, it has a lot of social value and also has a lot of family and friends value, which allows you to create communities, I would say very healthy.
The truth is that in Herbalife you have formed a great team ... What guidelines did you follow to choose the players that are part of your Team?
The main thing was to have a couple of male professionals, another couple of female professionals and, the rest, amateurs with projection ... That was the idea and what we want to continue having for the future, to be able to have several generations, if you can call them ' generations'. What I mean is various player age moments. The truth is that we are very happy with all of them.
This year we have seen you with a presence in World Paddle Tour ... What is the role of Herbalife within this Circuit?
For us, the most important thing is to be the drink of the Circuit ... Logically, as we have nutrition products and high performance products for athletes, since being the WPT drink for us is very important. We believe, and it is so, that it is an aid for the best performance of the athletes. Then, have our image associated with the competition, and in this case, the high competition is very healthy at all levels
About a year ago, we attended the presentation of Herbalife Pádel Team ... How would you rate this tour?
Well, to be honest, very positive. It has fulfilled all the objectives we had, with all the requirements we had. Those were what helped us, along with the other sponsorships we have, which as you know are the Herbalife Gran Canaria or Cristiano Ronaldo, as another instrument to improve our brand strength and our brand favourability. Today, after a year, because the results we are getting from both the padel and the entire set of sponsorships we do, show that our brand recognition grows and grows thanks to the aforementioned brand favourability. This is very important. People have a better image of Herbalife than they had, which was already good in itself. We are very happy
The truth is that you have the team members are very active with your brand. How did you get that communion?
That is a good question. I believe that by the affinity of the products. They are athletes and they know the need for good nutrition and, then, they see great support in Herbalife. They asked them at first about Herbalife and they smiled ... It's like they were seeing the possibility of associating with a brand like ours. I think that is the most important part. Then, I think there is a good relationship between our marketing departments and the people with whom we have contact, their coaches, etc ... All that makes, say, a set of common work styles that allows the athletes themselves to love the brand, which is a very favorable brand, and that they feel proud to wear it ... This is important, is not it?
The truth is that nutrition is an aspect that we tend to neglect a lot ... What advice would you give so that we have a little more 'present'?
The vision of the company, of Herbalife, is to change the lives of people thanks to proper nutrition ... And this is not just a vision, this is a reality. I believe that every day the tendency is that people nourish us, we do not feed ourselves. Before it was feed yourself, feed yourself and now it's more 'nuetrete'. The good thing about our drinks is that they have the right nutrients for people to be in perfect condition ... Then, our range of H24, which is special for athletes, is designed for high performance. Therefore, I think that from a point of view of trend, and from a health point of view of the country and the countries in which we are, the granite of sand that Herbalife contributes is very important in all these behaviors towards a good nutrition.
What does an elite athlete who uses Herbalife products note? How does your performance improve, your life ...?
In the end, following the guidelines using high-performance sports supplements such as ours, of high quality, what will allow is that they all have a better performance when competing, that they prepare much better for the competition at all levels, which will help you a lot in training. You already know that for an elite athlete, probably the hardest thing is, on a psychological level, the competition and, on a physical level, the previous training. I mean it costs a lot more, I know from experience, training for a marathon than doing it because you have to hit four months earlier with some bestial sacrifices if you want to finish it. Therefore, in the case of any of our elite athletes, the most important thing is what they provide during training and our products make it much easier. It is much easier to work with products like ours, designed for them, than having to go looking for ingredients.
There may still be some suspicion when talking about supplements. How would you encourage people to try Herbalife products?
Well, I would simply tell my case. I use them, I feel very well, I have 54 years and I'm still finishing ultra-background tests of 100 kms. I will make one in the month of June. Like me, most of our distributors and our team (in which we have several marathoners) also use them. I would say that, above all, they are fantastic products of the highest quality and, really, they make everyday life easier for anyone who is not an athlete or is not a great athlete and for those who want to do sport at a level amateur. It nourishes you better, it hydrates you better ... They are very basic and very simple things that make you feel better and that you can enjoy life and healthy habits better, which is what matters to us
With more than 25 years in the market, what challenges have you set for the rest of the season in your growth dynamics?
We want to continue growing by double digits, which is what we have been growing in Spain for at least the last four years and, internationally, in the last eight if I remember correctly. We want to continue growing by double digits, we want to continue to have more and more happy customers with our products, and try to continue changing the lives of many people thanks to changing their habits towards healthier habits and better nutrition. Basically those are our goals. The truth is that we are happy with the offer we have and with the response we get from our clients, Herbalife members, distributors, etc ... Our message is always to change people's lives thanks to proper nutrition, no more No less. I would say that the union of any sport, but especially paddle tennis, which is so familiar, with Herbalife, gives you happiness.
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