Posts Tagged ‘FIFA World Cup’

Are Coaches Marketable Enough to Sponsor?

Monday, August 10th, 2009

Someone asked me this the other day and I must admit, I think they are. In fact, I’m surprised there aren’t more coaches with personal sponsors.

Think about it. Along with star players, coaches are often the face and voice of a club or organisation. They have a considerable media profile and represent values such as winning, integrity, discipline, respect, hard work and leadership.

Through years of media experience, they are also well groomed for interviews and appearances and have the nous to promote key messages of a sponsor.

On top of that, 99% are clean skins. So sponsors can sleep easy at night.

If you need another reason why coaches can be a good sponsorship proposition then look no further than budget. They come much cheaper than players.

Before I leave you with this thought, anyone remember Guus Hiddink? The man who took Australia to the last FIFA World Cup?

I’m pretty sure he was an adopted Australian by the end of the World Cup. Everyone loved him. He even had his own chant. I dare say that if Guus had stuck around for another World Cup campaign his face would be on a breakfast cereal. I’m not sure I can say the same for Pim Verbeek, I really like the guy but it would take a unique brand to benefit from his name, image and likeness.

Coaches are already very popular for speaking gigs and are accessible to club sponsors for networking and appearances. But it’s not often an outside sponsor will come knocking for a coach. Maybe its time they did?

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Socceroos

Tuesday, March 24th, 2009

The Socceroos are on the verge of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup. If they beat Uzbekistan next Wednesday (1st April) and other results go their way then South Africa 2010 here we come.

There is no doubting the popularity and strength of the Socceroos brand. How many other brands can unite the nation with as much passion and excitement as this mob? Who else can pack out bars at 3am on weekdays? Who else inspires people to hang flags from their car windows, to wear yellow, and to hug total strangers in the street?

Along with the Olympic Games, the FIFA World Cup is the biggest sporting event on the planet. It only comes around every four years, but when it does, it’s a huge deal. Before the last World Cup, a lot of Australian’s didn’t know the names Mark Bresciano, John Aloisi, Mark Schwarzer and Tim Cahill. Now they do and they are superstars.

So how will Australian brands leverage Australia’s participation in the 2010 World Cup? Well, some will spend all their money with the broadcaster (SBS), some will partner with the FFA and others will align themselves with individual Socceroos and a few will do all of the above.

For those looking to sponsor individual players, keep in mind the category restrictions with FFA partners and also be aware that many Socceroos are based overseas in the lead up to the big event. That means agreements that are heavily appearance based won’t work, rather agreements that use the intellectual property (IP) of the athlete are best (think TVC’s, on pack branding, consumer promotions and print ads). But remember, non FFA partners cannot use Socceroo IP (team uniform, the word Socceroos etc).

If you’re a brand with the budget to be involved with the Socceroos or it’s players then lucky you. Just make sure that you understand what rights you have before you enter into any agreement.

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