The EURO 2020 battleground now is not only about football but has become a platform for the brands to flaunt and attract customers. This was proved from a recent incident when Cristiano Ronaldo removed the Coca-Cola bottles from the screen during a press conference, he single-handedly mopped 4 billion dollars from the market value of Coca-Cola.
But the company’s stock had already dropped before Ronaldo removed the bottles from the screen, so he has nothing to do with it. Still, it became an instant social media sensation with several memes. Ronaldo’s massive fan following made it worldwide attention for embarrassing a massive corporation. This showcases how EURO 2020 stage has shifted from just a football tournament into an influential marketing opportunity for global brands.
How EURO 2020 is a battleground for the marketing of the sportswear industry?
EURO 2020 is a big opportunity for the marketing of the sportswear industry. Many sportswear industries like Nike, Adidas, and Puma compete against each other for promoting their brand. While football teams measure success through goals scored and points gained, brands fight their success through increased revenues and healthy profit margins.
One of the easiest ways to promote the brand is to become the kit supplier for a football federation. As we know, each country has a massive built-in fan base that guarantees the sale of millions of shirts. And the star players wearing or using the particular brand attracts the attention of a large number of customers.
How can a brand win the EURO 2020 Battleground?
The main agenda of the brands is to promote and earn profit and the brand which has achieved these two the most is ultimately claimed as the winner. The two main parameters are considered important in which first is to be noticed by the most people which is done by supplying the kit, shirts, shoes, etc. and second is to be associated with the key moments of victory at the tournament, that can be achieved by sponsoring the teams.
Status of Brands in the Battleground of EURO 2020
Nike and Adidas have cornered the market for associations at EURO 2020. Combined they sponsor a large majority of teams, including most of the pre-tournament favorites. As France, Portugal, and the Netherlands were eliminated even before the quarter-finals, England turned out to be the only successful Nike team at the EURO. Things didn’t go much better for Adidas, with two of their bets, Germany and Belgium, failing to make it very far. Puma surprised the market leaders, with three of their total of 4 teams in the quarterfinals.
At least one Adidas team Most was expected in the final of EURO 2020. Nike will feel relieved that England made it through, but it will be Puma who are the happiest. With Italy defeating two high profile Adidas teams, Puma is certainly challenging the traditional Nike/Adidas domination over EURO football.
While Adidas may have lost in the shirt wars, they will find solace when it comes to player boot sponsorship. Combined with Nike, the two brands have more than 80% of players on their roster. Although more than half of the players at the Euros wear Nike Boots, guaranteeing the brand far greater exposure throughout the competition. With almost all goals scored using Nike or Adidas boots, both brands are also dominating when it comes to quality.
How the players have affected EURO 2020 so far?
While losing Ronaldo early on in the tournament and witnessing Mbappe miss that final penalty will have been painful to watch for Nike, they will still be the happiest of the two. More than half of the tournament goals were scored by Nike players. This perfectly reflects Nike’s recent shift of strategy to scale down their player portfolio and focus on strikers and attacking midfielders – who happen to score the most goals.
Advertising and Campaigning of brands in EURO 2020
Both Adidas and Nike must bring out big-budget adverts before every tournament to build on the hype that surrounds it. The minute-long celebration of football contains a glorious mixture of star players, gravity-defying camera angles, and vague motivational messages. While Adidas has the advantage of being the only sportswear company that can mention EURO 2020 in their advertising, all eyes seem to be firmly fixed on the swoosh.
The general reception of these commercials is hard to quantify, but we can look at their respective Youtube views for some guidance. The Nike commercial, which was unable to mention EURO 2020, ranked up over 4.7 million views in its first 3 days on Youtube. The Adidas clip, complete with the algorithm-friendly combination of Paul Pogba and EURO 2020, received a rather dismal 6,600 views after one week. These numbers speak for themselves.
The winning brand of EURO 2020 is…..
So, despite France and Portugal being eliminated early, Nike still played a major role. England saved the tournament for the swoosh, as their performance is likely to sell plenty of jerseys in a market crazy for football. New balance with Raheem Sterling, Puma with Switzerland, and Hammel with Denmark. Underdog brands owned some of the key moments of the tournament and managed to steal some of the attention that is often only reserved for Adidas and Nike.
The success of Puma teams and players hint that the brand is catching up with Adidas and might become a new challenger for Nike. Still, the dominance of Nike and Adidas was strong, especially in terms of players as Ronaldo not only scored five goals but also owned one of the key narratives.