Puma gain ground in football sponsorship and endorsement

12/10/2011

It is difficult to speak about endorsement and sponsorship contracts in football (soccer) without naming the two industry giants in sportswear and equipment such as Nike and Adidas.  Both companies invest a large percentage of their annual budgets to promote their brands at an international level via multi-million dollar marketing agreements with the best football players on the planet to act as ¨brand ambassadors¨ for their products. Nike, for example, currently sponsor great players such as Cristian Ronaldo, Andrés Iniesta, Wayne Rooney, Sergio Ramos, Carles Puyol, Gerard Piqué among many others.  Equally, Adidas count on Leo Messi, David Beckham, David Villa, Kaká, and Xavi, just to name a few.  And every year we are witness to the ongoing battle between the two as they aim to become the leaders in their sector. 


This year, however, Puma have made a significant investment in order to increase their market share and compete with Nike and Adidas in the football category. In fact, in the previous month they have announced the signing of three superstars to their brand ambassador line-up including Segio Agüero, Radamel Falcao and Cesc Fàbregas.  These three new arrivals have joined the already existing team that includes Thierry Henry, Nemanja Vidic, Samuel Eto'o and Gianluigi Buffon.  Without a doubt, the brand's latest signings have given Puma a new boost given their higher caché than the rest of the members of their existing ¨football family¨.

Agüero´s presentation with PUMA

Falcao´s official presentation with PUMA

With the arrival of Agüero, Falcao and Fàbregas, there are a few points worth highlighting regarding Puma's corporate marketing and communication strategy:

• All three players share the common denominator of having recently moved to a new club and country.  A considerable strategic risk for Puma, taking into account that it is not always easy for a player to adapt to a new team and league. For now, the company's vision couldn't have been any more more accurate though, as all three have gotten off to outstanding starts with their new clubs (Agüero-8 goals with Man. City, Falcao-5 goals with Atlético Madrid, and Fàbregas-4 goals with FC Barcelona a as well as lifting the Spanish and UEFA Super Cups).

• The brand has signed two players from the Spanish League (Cesc and Falcao) and one from the EPL (Agüero). Both La Liga and the English Premiership are considered the best leagues in the world, a clear indicator tha Puma is looking to gain ground in the two most important markets in the football category to compete with Adidas and Nike.

• It is also captivating to analyze the interest in the players' nationalities. In the case of Fàbregas, he is the first player from Spain's World Cup winning side to join the German brand. Furthermore, he currently plays for the best club in the world: FC Barcelona. Agüero and Falcao, on the other hand are very popular latin american players in their respective home countries. Another decision that indicates that Puma is looking to explore in depth the LATAM market.

• Finally, from a communications perspective, the strategy of using Fàbregas himself to announce his signing for the brand via his mobile phone camera is not only innovative but also very successful. The message quickly reached an international audience via the web and various social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter. Barça's midfielder recorded two videos, one in English and one in Spanish in which he shows his new apparel. Without a doubt it was an inexpensive and effective way to communicate the great news for Puma.

What do you think of Cesc's signing with Puma? Please leave us your comments.  You can do so with your Google profile or as an ¨anonymous¨.

Diego Valdés Rendón

BA, MBA, Master in Sports Management

Founder & Executive Editor

MotivaGoal Sports Media

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La maravilla de Ronaldo en Compostela cumple 15 años

12/10/2011

12 de octubre de 1996. 22.00 horas. El FC Barcelona de Bobby Robson se enfrentaba al Compostela en el estadio Multiusos de San Lázaro. Probablemente no era el partido más atractivo de la jornada, ni ofrecía muchas dudas en las quinielas de los aficionados, que lo veían como un partido de trámite más de aquella Liga. Pero poco podían imaginar que el fútbol, en aquella fría noche de otoño, les brindaría una cita con la historia gracias a una genialidad de un joven brasileño de 20 años: Ronaldo Nazario.

El partido acabó 1-5 para los azulgrana, pero acabó en algo anecdótico. En la retina de los espectadores ha quedado la majestuosa carrera desde el centro el campo del El Fenómeno, durante la cual dejó atrás a Chiba, José Ramón, William y Bellido (y sus intentos de pararle). Todo en 11 segundos y 14 toques de balón. Era su quinto gol con la camiseta del Barça.

Las reacciones no quisieron esperar: Robson, emocionado, miró a la grada y se llevó las manos a la cabeza; José María Caneda, presidente del club gallego, dijo que sus futbolistas actuaron como unas madres, y Nike sacó un anuncio en el que decía "Imagínate que le pides a Dios que te convierta en el mejor jugador del mundo… Y que Dios te escucha".

Los jugadores del Compos, tras ver el anuncio de la multinacional, lo denunciaron al considerar que se trataba de un agravio. Siete jugadores del equipo intentaron recibir algún tipo de compensación económica, aunque, finalmente, los tribunales declinaron la demanda.

Ronaldo deslumbró al mundo con una jugada que aunaba fuerza, regate, desequilibrio y certeza. Pero como una ecuación matemática, su alegría era directamente proporcional a la frustración del guardameta Fernando Peralta, que, tras el partido y en tono distendido, comentó que "pensaba que ya lo había visto todo. El caso es que fui el único del equipo al que no dribló".

La diana, considerada por muchos una obra de arte, fue solo un pequeño avance de lo que Ronaldo ofrecería al público culé a lo largo de la temporada. Aquel año, el ariete firmó 34 goles en 37 partidos en Liga, y un total de 47 sumando todas las competiciones. Entonces, el equipo catalán consiguió la Supercopa de España, la Copa del Rey y la Recopa de Europa.

A partir de la jugada de Ronnie ante el equipo de Fernando Vázquez, empezó a respirarse algo diferente en los estadios cada vez que el jugador saltaba al terreno de juego. Todos los partidos en los que jugaba atraían por igual al buen aficionado al fútbol, sin importar la entidad del rival. Los encuentros eran especiales, calientes, coloridos. Y todo gracias a una noche fría en Santiago, donde una noche jugó uno de los mejores delanteros centro de la historia.

Fidel Rubio

Traductor-intérprete y periodista

Carrera en Diario Metro, Diario 20 Minutos, 

Cadena COPE Barcelona, Radio Loca FM, y TV3

Facebook: Fidel Rubio Columé, Twitter: @Fidel_Rubio 

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Rugby World Cup Semifinals - Statistics rule

12/10/2011

 
History says that the champions are not able to repeat the title at the World Cup, that Argentina never beats New Zealand, that Ireland can’t reach the semifinals and that France is one of the contenders in the final every twelve years. All these statistics influenced the results of the matches played during the weekend. The Springboks lost to Australia in a very hard game and won’t defend their crown. Los Pumas were beaten by the All Blacks as everyone expected, and they have not been able to defeat them in fourteen games. The Irish were inferior against Wales and it was the fifth time they fell in the barrier of the quarter finals. And the French went on their way to the final, as in 1987 and 1999, getting rid of England. Thus in the semifinals Wales will face France and New Zealand will battle against Australia.

Wales vs. France

 
The Dragons showed incredible maturity. It is a very young team and most of their players had never been in a situation like this before and for that reason there were doubts about their performance in such important matches. In the starting lineup against Ireland ten of the players were no more than twenty five years old. Even with that, they were able execute a perfect game plan against an extremely experimented Irish team with several of its members facing the last chance to shine in the World Cup. When the result was a draw, early in the second part, the Welsh were able to pin Ireland inside their 22 and score two tries that decided the match. 

Les Bleus defeated a woeful England in a match full of inaccuracies. At half time the French were up 16-0 and in the last forty minutes they simply managed that advantage. The British press attacked the players and called for the resignation of the coach after this fiasco. France did not play a great game, they just took advantage of their opponents’ mistakes.  Compared with the group phase, Les Tricolores have improved but they will need something more to beat the confident Welsh.

Keys of the match:

• The fight of the front rows at the scrums
• Roberts and North, two powerful ball carriers against the weak French defensive line
• Wales’ discipline. Yachvili and Parra are very reliable kicking the penalties
• The breakdown duel between the two captains: Dusatoir and Warburton

Australia vs. New Zealand

 
In a great encounter in Wellington the Wallabies won the game despite being inferior in almost every aspect of the game. They had less possession, they lost the battle of the line-outs and were forced to make three times more tackles than their rivals. However they excelled in defense and in the breakdown where David Pocock cemented his man of the match performance. It was a very hard and physically demanding game that could have been won by either side. The Springboks threw everything they had against the Australian line and played a lot of time in their opponents' half but were unable to materialize their control into points. Credit to Australia because, like Wales, they are a very young team that was able to hold off a very experienced and confident South African team which, midway through the second half, had them against the ropes and was more likely to be victorious. Beating the current champions after so much suffering surely makes them gain confidence. 

 
New Zealand had a more difficult match than originally expected against Argentina. The Argentinians fought bravely and kept the score close until the last ten minutes. They showed that they will be competitive in the Four Nations starting next year. Although Los Pumas failed to reach the semifinals like four years ago they leave the tournament with the satisfaction of seeing the goals achieved. Contepomi, Roncero and Ledesma played their last game at a World Cup and they were overcome with emotion after the final whistle. The All Blacks meanwhile continued their triumphant march and they are the only undefeated team remaining in the championship. Now they face the most difficult match, against an opponent that has beaten them recently. And do not forget that the worst nightmare for local fans is to fall against their neighbors of across the Tasman Sea. The haka promises to be intense.

 
Keys of the match: 

• Check if the Australian front row can withstand the pressure
• The duel between two of the best openside flankers in the rugby world: Pocock and McCaw
• The magic of O’Connor, Beale and Ioane against the raw power of Nonu, Smith and Sonny Bill Williams
• Cooper’s performance. He is not playing very well at the moment

And to end as we started, two more stats. The first one: no team wins the Webb Ellis Cup after losing a match in the group stage. The second: Australia is always the winner when facing New Zealand at the World Cup. Since the All Blacks are the only unbeaten team left in the competition it is impossible for both to be fulfilled this weekend.

Chito Muñiz

BBA Universidad de Cantabria

Carleton University Business Program

Colaborador MotivaGoal

Image borrowed from: www.massey.com.au

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