Preparations for Euro 2004 are now in full swing, including the meticulous plans of the tournament’s official sponsors. The preparations need to be thorough — each of the eight sponsors is paying about £15-million for its rights. In addition, some will spend at least the same again in advertising, promotions, PR and experiential marketing activity.
But what benefit can a sponsor receive from an event such as Euro 2004 and how can it prevent its competitors from employing ambush marketing tactics to upstage it? The sponsorship packages and their costs are based on the delivery of media exposure to the eight sponsors, giving them exclusivity in their particular product category, such as beer, mobile communications or soft drinks.
In addition, there will be a number of other benefits that are tailored to meet the specific needs of individual sponsors.
Perimeter advertising in all the stadiums and interview backdrops will provide exposure for the sponsors during the matches, which will be shown in more than 140 countries worldwide.
This level of global coverage attracts sponsors such as JVC, Canon, McDonald’s, Carlsberg, Coca-Cola, Hyundai, MasterCard and T-Mobile. Each of these sponsors enjoys a number of other benefits such as programme advertising, use of the Uefa logo, official designations, exclusive promotional opportunities at matches, top-level hospitality facilities and, of course, tickets — an average of 500 tickets for all 31 matches.
Competitions and promotions incorporating the Euro 2004 logo are essential elements in building campaigns that will maximise the returns on their investments.
Each sponsor also enjoys a specific benefit from Uefa, which they can exploit to their best advantage. McDonald’s, for example, has the right to offer “Player Escorts”, which the fast-food chain has turned into a promotion to offer six- to 11-year-olds the chance to walk out of the tunnel with the players. Carlsberg has naming rights to the Man of the Match Award and JVC has naming rights to the official Player of the Tournament.
Many sponsors have a history of involvement with major football tournaments and have developed their marketing programmes over the years, not only to take advantage of the exposure but also to create business-driving promotions. Coca-Cola is involved at all levels and its promotions feature the likes of England’s Wayne Rooney, Holland’s Ruud van Nistelrooy and Portugal’s Luis Figo.
Uefa’s successful marketing of the Champions League has led to a reduction — from 12 to eight — in the total number of sponsors for Euro 2004. The Champions League has become a recognised model for delivering outstanding levels of coverage during a multi-sponsored event, without giving one sponsor the overall title or naming rights. Uefa has also increased efforts this year to provide added protection for its official sponsors from ambush marketing activity.
Again, following the Champions League model, Uefa has looked to get broadcasters to involve the official sponsors in broadcast sponsorships. In the United Kingdom, four of the official sponsors will share the opening and closing credits for ITV’s coverage.
However, despite Uefa’s best efforts, there will be a huge amount of marketing activity undertaken by non-official sponsors desperate to ride the football bandwagon. UK TV advertising opportunities are limited to ITV but there will be no shortage of advertisers, which will also include the official sponsors eager to reaffirm their status.
Pepsi will be to the fore using David Beckham and other leading players. Renault will be using Thierry Henry while Gary Lineker and friends will advertise Walkers crisps.
Nike, Adidas and Carling will also be underlining their football connections.
However, it is sponsorship’s ability to place itself in the heart of the action that provides the real attraction for brands. While those advertising on TV rely on viewers remaining in their seats during the commercial breaks (and not going to the lavatory, making tea or raiding the fridge), the sponsors can take comfort from the fact that their names are on screen when the audience is at its highest. This is vital for an event such as Euro 2004, which attracts such high viewing figures.
The fact that the European Championships in 2000 provided no fewer than eight European countries with their highest TV-viewing audience of that year has convinced the sponsors to spend such huge amounts of money for a three-week event. — Â