Major League Soccer (MLS) can no longer be considered a niche football league. With its following around the world it represents a huge opportunity for companies involved in football sponsoring and a possible target for new investors. One football star leads to another 2006 World Cup champion Andrea Pirlo, 2007 Ballon d’Or winner Ricardo Kakà,…
With the retirement of Abby Wambach women’s football is losing a great player. However, especially due to Wambach’s engagement, the sport is as popular as never before and has a bright future ahead. Marketers should not miss out on this big opportunity. A manifesto for women’s football 184 goals in 252 games, 2-time Olympic gold medalist…
Due to a rigorous cost savings approach initiated by its new CEO, Volkswagen’s sponsorship engagement in the Bundesliga could come under scrutiny after the emissions scandal. The emissions scandal The emissions scandal is an unprecedented disaster for automotive giant Volkswagen. More than 11 million vehicles are affected and a so hardly built reputation was shattered in…
Experts argue whether the Bundesliga is going to lose its competitiveness due to the Premier League’s astronomical television deal and the resulting transfer frenzy. The recent transfer period has been an especially disquieting time for Bundesliga coaches as the Premier League bought players from the German league for €206.5mio – a sum greater than the…
Some of the largest sponsors of the top football leagues in the world are alcohol vendors, prompting a debate about the ethical acceptability of alcohol advertising in the sport. Alcohol producers are heavy spenders on advertising Ticket sales are representing only a small portion of total earnings in the world of football and top stars…
Sony, Emirates, Coca-Cola and Adidas spearhead a group of FIFA sponsors dissatisfied with the way football’s governing body is handling the allegations of bribery. Internal investigation regarding corruption in the selection process for the 2018 World Cup (Russia) and especially 2022 World Cup (Qatar) discovered no traces of wrongdoing, but such a report did not…
With a deal in place to replace Budweiser as the official beer of the Major League Soccer (MLS), Heineken hopes to win the hearts of American consumers and improve its market share. Soccer fans love beer and smart companies are capable of milking this connection all the way to the bank. Dutch premium brand Heineken knows…
The position of football as a global sport provides a platform for individuals to operate as a brand. Through advertising endorsements, players lend their name and image to a product. In accordance with McCracken’s (1989) meaning transfer model, characteristics associated with the football player are in turn attributed to the product. Yaya Touré is an…
A new ‘Sponsorship Today’ report shows that Manchester United now earns 11% of all sponsorship income across Europe’s six major leagues. The data, which tracks 1,179 club deals from the Premiership, the Bundesliga, La Liga, Serie A, Ligue 1 and the Eredivisie, shows that the Manchester club earns an estimated €146m from its 2014/15 sponsorships and that…
With the preliminary rounds underway, and the start of the FA Cup Proper (the point at which the professional teams enter the English Football Association’s annual knockout competition) not far away, what is the backstory to sponsoring this famous old competition? The previous deal, with beer company Budweiser, was worth £8 million-a-year and came to…