Carlsberg is probably one of the most experienced sponsors in sports, especially football. For almost 30 years, Carlsberg has supported football in many parts of the world.
The rules on the pitch have hardly changed during the last 150 years, but today’s rules off the pitch are fundamentally different than they were 30 years ago, when Carlsberg signed its first sponsorship agreement with DBU, the Danish Football Association.
It takes two to tango
Professional sponsorships have never been philanthropic in nature. To Carlsberg, sponsorships have always been investments.
On the other hand, some 20 or 30 years ago, a sponsorship was mainly about obtaining exposure to the fans in the stadium and through photos carried in the media. It was advertising in its simplest form: what mattered was shouting out the name of the brand as loudly and noisily as possible. For this reason, players’ jerseys were fitted with a large and clearly visible logo, sometimes complemented by ads carried in the printed media, and that was that.
Today, everyone knows that a sponsorship is more than just a simple transaction with the product being handed across the counter. Sponsorships today are different than they were when Carlsberg first became a football sponsor.
A modern sponsorship is more like a tango. It takes two to make it a good dance: both parties have to get involved, and the partnership evolves over time. That’s the reason why Carlsberg aims for long-term relationships, also in the world of sports.
The very important third party
This is a partnership based on mutual respect, and the two parties to a football partnership must have respect for the very important third party, the fans.
“Of course a sponsorship is business; it’s about winning market share and growing sales. But today, there are many more aspects to consider, especially our relationship with the fans,” says Carsten Buhl, Senior Project Manager at Carlsberg.
In particular, the new Web-based media have made it possible for sponsors to build much closer relationships with fans.
|
Sharing a common interest
Buhl adds: “A modern Carlsberg sponsorship is not just about making a lot of noise. Having the right sponsorship enables us to build a relationship with a large number of fans based on our shared interest in football. We have been involved with international football for so many years that it comes natural for fans to associate Carlsberg with football.”
After seven years as the sponsor of the Danish national football team, the Danish brewery took a big step onto the international sports sponsorship scene, becoming Part of the Game at the UEFA European Football Championships held in Germany in 1988. Carlsberg has been present at every final since then, the UEFA EURO 2008 being the sixth final round with Carlsberg in the spotlight. |
|
The EURO sponsorship has gradually evolved over the years. Previously, during the finals, fans had two ways of watching football: live at the stadium or on the telly. But an official “fan park” set up during the UEFA EURO 2004 in Portugal gave fans a chance to watch a match live on a big screen and to be entertained in many other ways. The fan park drew slightly more fans than the stadiums drew spectators. Switzerland and Austria will have fan parks in all eight host cities, and they are expected to draw at least three times as many fans as the aggregate stadium attendance.
“The fan parks are a way of giving the fans an exciting experience during the UEFA EURO 2008, even if they aren’t lucky enough to get tickets for the actual events. That way, we can meet our ambition of bringing football to even more fans.”
Rewards money can’t buy
Another very important part of a modern Carlsberg sponsorship is offering fans unique opportunities to obtain exclusive “money-can’t-buy” rewards.
During the UEFA EURO 2008, for example, this could be the chance to award the “Carlsberg Man of the Match” trophy at the press meeting to be held after each of the tournament’s 31 matches. At any modern football stadium, anyone can buy the most exclusive seat and the best meal available, but only the 31 football fans that will win Carlsberg’s competition – and no one else in the whole wide world – will get the chance to award this trophy and shake hands with a world-class footballer.
This is a situation in which Carlsberg allows the different media to work closely together. For example, TV commercials announce the competition; then the competition is held at the Carlsberg Web site, and the information needed to answer the competition questions is printed on Carlsberg product labels.
Cross-border relationships
Modern sponsorships also make use of national sponsorships to reach across borders. Liverpool FC of the English league, one of Carlsberg’s longest-standing sponsorships, is one of the world’s best known football clubs and one which many of its fans outside England dream of watching play in a home match. In reality, however, most of them never get the chance. Tickets for Liverpool’s home matches are very hard to come by. Carlsberg holds competitions in several markets outside England that give fans a chance to win tickets for attractive Liverpool home fixtures.
“Football is the perfect match for the Carlsberg brand,” explains the company’s international marketing director, Keld Strudahl. “It has mass international appeal and a high status: it engages our core male target audience, and it suits our brand positioning as the best beer for the best moments. What’s better than watching your favourite team with your best mates while enjoying a cold pint of Carlsberg?”
Clubs and grassroots
Today, Carlsberg is probably the world’s largest and most dedicated football sponsor. In addition to the UEFA EURO 2008, Carlsberg is a national team sponsor for England, Ireland, Serbia-Montenegro and Switzerland and it sponsors the UEFA Cup, the UEFA Super Cup, the FA Cup in England and the Carlsberg Cup in Hong Kong.
As a club sponsor, Carlsberg is not only involved with Liverpool FC but also sponsors Hamburg SV (Germany), Toronto FC (Canada), FC Copenhagen and Odense (Denmark), Vojvodina (Serbia) and many more.
However, Carlsberg is not only involved with professional football. It’s also important for Carlsberg to support football’s grassroots. That’s why the brewery sponsors a lot of small unofficial tournaments in several countries.
The UEFA EURO 2008 is also about the buying situation at the supermarket or the pub
Today, Carlsberg works much more diligently than ever before to capitalise commercially on its sponsorships. For example, the brewery works hard to create a direct link between the sponsorship of the UEFA EURO 2008 and the buying situation of a customer choosing his beer at the supermarket, the corner store or the pub.
In many countries, the national team is at the centre of a huge celebration, with an ever-growing proportion of the population taking part. An exciting national football match, especially during championship rounds, can draw as much as 60–70% of a country’s television audience. However, it is also very much about the party off the pitch and before, during and after the match.
In the “old days” – which was only 10-15 years ago – football sponsorships were not as visible to supermarket customers. Today, Carlsberg uses its sponsorship to maintain a constant dialogue with consumers and to obtain in-shop sponsorship exposure. In a buying situation, consumers should be in no doubt as to Carlsberg’s active role as a sponsor, with the UEFA EURO 2008 as a case in point. When a consumer stands in the supermarket aisle choosing his beer, Carlsberg wants to get his attention by capitalising on all the excitement and hype surrounding the UEFA EURO 2008.
“It’s quite obvious that consumers accept and approve of Carlsberg’s sponsorship activities. In several countries, competition among local beer brands is extremely tough. Based on our experience from the UEFA EURO 2008, we believe that Carlsberg will be the most or the second-most sold beer brand in Europe and Asia in May and June 2008,” said Tobias N. Musaeus, brand activation manager, Carlsberg.
“We 30,000 employees at Carlsberg companies all over the world can feel a certain sense of pride that we are among the major sponsors for the UEFA EURO 2008 finals. Our sponsorship increases awareness and appeal with football fans in many countries. This is an important extra benefit, but the basic issue is that it’s primarily about winning market shares and increasing sales. That’s our investment justification for the considerable resources we allocate to football,” explains Tobias N. Musaeus.