Carlsberg has sponsored one of the world’s largest football events, UEFA EURO, for almost a quarter of a century and the 2012 tournament will be the seventh consecutive tournament with Carlsberg as the official partner. And to UEFA the longstanding relations with Carlsberg is of great value.
“The UEFA European Championship has benefitted from the long standing partnership with Carlsberg for more than two decades, and we are proud to extend this relationship with such a recognised and dedicated brand as Carlsberg,” says David Taylor, Chief Executive of UEFA Events SA, and continues: “The imagery behind the UEFA EURO 2012™ logo represents a plant that grows and grows – the same goes for the relationship between Carlsberg and UEFA EURO”.
Jørgen Buhl Rasmussen, CEO of Carlsberg Group emphasises the dedication of the Carlsberg brand to premium football.
”With EURO 2012 we cement our many years of loyalty to and enthusiasm for premium European football. EURO 2012 is not only a milestone for Carlsberg, being an official sponsor for almost a quarter of a century, but excitingly it is also the first ever UEFA EURO to be hosted in Eastern Europe.”
To underscore the uniqueness of the first UEFA EURO ever to be hosted in Eastern Europe, UEFA has launched the slogan ‘creating history together’.
“The interest and tradition for football in Poland and Ukraine, with a total of over 80 million inhabitants, is enormous and therefore we are thrilled to be part of this exciting tournament,” says Jørgen Buhl Rasmussen. “We are creating history together with UEFA and all our employees in Poland and Ukraine.”
Focus on fans
Carlsberg became a sponsor for the UEFA European Championship back in 1988, and since 1992 Keld Strudahl, International Marketing Director and head of Carlsberg Breweries’ sponsorship activities, has been responsible for maximising the potential benefit of the UEFA EURO. To him concepts that support and underscore a positive fan culture and creates potential for unique fan experiences are central.
Keld Strudahl explains: “Carlsberg is among the most committed football supportive brands in the world. We continuously strive to provide engaging and broad activities and events for the millions of dedicated EURO fans, and the EURO 2012 will be no exception. The UEFA EURO 2008 was Carlsberg’s best tournament ever. The Carlsberg sponsored Fan zones and Fan parks, for public viewing in Austria and Switzerland, were a great success with more than 5 million visitors, superb atmosphere and true football spirit.”
Carlsberg and UEFA are currently developing plans for fan activation up to and during EURO 2012. However Carlsberg has already obtained all rights to the very popular concept ‘ Man of the match’.
Successful brand strategy
“The UEFA European Championship is considered the most successful marketing activity for the Carlsberg brand on a global basis, and Carlsberg’s EURO sponsorships have resulted in significant growth in every UEFA EURO host market since 1992. Further, the sponsorships give all Carlsberg employees a great sense of community across national borders,” Keld Strudahl explains.
The UEFA EURO 2008TM games were attended by 1.1 million spectators, and it is expected that there will be 1.4 million for the tournament in Poland and Ukraine. Several billion TV viewers from more than 200 territories are expected to watch the matches.
EURO 2012 is also a unique opportunity to brand Carlsberg in the relatively new markets of Poland and Ukraine.
“The tournament in 2012 will not only benefit our Eastern European markets where high brand awareness for Carlsberg will be created, but we will make the coming UEFA EURO a joyful and truly international event for all the fans in Ukraine, Poland and around the world. We will be implementing global campaigns which will reach out to all fans and we will welcome all fans to the Fan zones and Fan parks in the eight host cities,” ends Keld Strudahl.
Facts on EURO 2012
- The final tournament of the 14th UEFA EURO will be held in four stadia in Poland and four stadia in Ukraine from 8 June to 1 July 2012.
- For the first time ever the European Championship will be hosted in Eastern Europe.
- EURO 2012 will be the championship with the longest distances ever between the stadia: Up to 2000 km from Gdansk in Poland (West) to Donetsk in Ukraine (East).
- 1.4 million fans is expected at the stadia in Poland and Ukraine.
- The 31 matches will be broadcast live in more than 200 territories around the world.