Juventus aims to score in China and APAC amid intense competition
China contributed $835m in extra ad spend, or 1.0% of the entire ad market during the 2018 World Cup. The Drum finds out from Italian side Juventus how it is aiming to capture the market in China and around Asia Pacific.
Italian football club Juventus wants to be more than a soccer brand. Instead, the ’Old Lady’ of Turin wants to be seen as a lifestyle brand going beyond football to create new experiences for its fans in a growing variety of categories, including music, fashion and arts.
It wants to do this especially in Asia Pacific, where Juventus is not the only European football club trying to engage and enlist sports fans. In China, English clubs like Manchester United and Manchester City are extremely popular, while German clubs like Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich are also well received.
However, it is Spanish football team Real Madrid which is the most popular European football club in China, according to Statista. As of 2019, Real Madrid had about 127 million fans in China, followed by Manchester United FC and Inter Milan.
Juventus recently entered a partnership with Chinese television maker Skyworth, which Federico Palomba, the managing director for APAC at Juventus, describes as “a natural choice for us and a critical step for the continuous growth of Juventus”.
“We both share the same brand values, being committed to achieving excellence in everything we do and paving the way for a bright future,” explains Palomba.
“With a partner in China, it will help the club on spreading more awareness in the market. Skyworth also has a track record of success and is well-known in South East Asian markets, while the club has a dominating influence in the region – particularly in Indonesia ranking number one for fan base among all European clubs.”
For Skyworth, it is keen to expand global footprint further and take its brand to the next level. Leo Tang, chief brand officer, Skyworth TV, believes it is the right time to form a strategic partnership with another internationally renowned brand like Juventus, to synergize its marketing efforts and stride forward together.
“We chose to partner with Juventus because we both share similar brand propositions – ’Lead the Future’ for Skyworth and ’Live Ahead’ for Juventus. Striving for the best, we are leading players in our respective fields,” he explains.
“Through this partnership, we aim to enhance our high-end brand image, gain more awareness and recognition internationally and differentiate ourselves from our competitors, in doing so building trust with our consumers and channel partners.”
As a Juventus’ official partner, Skyworth will be working closely with Juventus over the next 12 months to promote the club’s upcoming football matches, helping to bring its customers closer to all the action on the pitch.
Skyworth has rolled out campaigns across various markets to celebrate the Juventus players’ performance during Uefa Euro 2020.
It will also organize multiple giveaway campaigns across Skyworth’s official social platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Weibo and WeChat, where fans will get the chance to win official Juventus jerseys, scarves, hats, and players signed merchandise.
Four lucky winners will also get a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to watch Juventus in action at the Allianz Stadium in Italy, and enjoy a special match-day tour, which includes visiting the Juventus first team’s locker room before the opening, walking down the players pathway, watching the warm-up session on the sidelines, and taking part in the post-match players gathering.
In addition, Skyworth has the rights to develop customized products with Juventus and are actively discussing the launch of joint products in the future.
“Sports, and especially football, brings people closer together and sports marketing has evolved from brand endorsements and product placement into several new and exciting formats in recent years,” explains Tang.
“Through our partnership, we look forward to connecting with over 440 million Juventus fans and engage with the fans across Juventus’ social media platforms, bringing our customers exclusive access to the club.”
He adds: “We want to bring our customers even closer to the game, at the same time highlighting how our leading TV features can optimize the audiovisual experience of football matches for an immersive entertainment experience.”