- In his new spot, Gatorade pays tribute to the “greatness” of Lionel Messi in the 21 years that the Argentine was at FC Barcelona
- The farewell to the Argentine is also reason enough for brands or companies to generate significant income
- The spot comes a day before the arrival of Messi to the Parisian team was made official, the signing being a “bomb” in this transfer window
A new Gatorade spot once again puts Lionel Messi, the now PSG France player, as one of the most profitable brands today.
It is no secret to anyone that Lionel Messi is no longer a FC Barcelona player, a club where he spent more than 20 years of his career and from which he said goodbye in the middle of a very dramatic conference.
That was yesterday; Today, however, he has become a new member of one of the richest squads in the world, PSG, and from there he will continue to be, more than a player, a brand that will generate great income for the team in sales of shirts, tickets for matches, French league broadcasting rights, etc. With Messi comes a whole money-making machine, which, in reality, PSG does not need.
The farewell to the Argentine is also reason enough for brands or companies to generate significant income; Messi is a safe business and, therefore, everyone wants a piece of the cake.
This is how, now, Gatorade, one of the official sponsors of the former FC Barcelona figure, launched a new spot highlighting the “greatness” of the Champion’s League champion player.
Basically, this ad portrays the 21 years that the Argentine spent with the Catalan club, where he won all the trophies he wanted and was placed as the best player in the history of Barcelona.
The spot comes a day before the arrival of Messi to the Parisian team was made official, the signing being a “bomb” in this transfer window and one of the most talked about by the environment.
While it is true that Gatorade is the player’s official sponsor, it may also seem like a mere strategy to gain more audience, more consumers, taking advantage of the “momentum” that is experienced today – and throughout the world – with the theme ‘Messi’ .
On the other hand, it is also a vindication of how a soccer player, by becoming a highly profitable brand, is capable of generating all kinds of reactions in his followers and, of course, in the brands he works with.
The brand ‘Messi’ does not stop and will not stop, even once the South American retires from football. After his departure from Barcelona, the Spanish club will be losing around 137 million euros in brand value, that added to everything it has lost previously.
Now, the most important challenge for PSG, which will allow it to increase its brand value, is to win the long-awaited Champion’s League and its project has been developed, year after year, with that goal set.
Yes, it is a sporting achievement, but it is also an achievement as a brand, as a club, and more so when it has never won the European elite trophy. Now, with Messi in his squad, not only will his chances of becoming European champions increase, but they also ensure a great deal in the two or three years that the Argentine signed his contract.
Clearly, Messi’s farewell to FC Barcelona is, yes, a key moment in the history of football, but it is also a key moment in terms of marketing and advertising; it is a win-win business.
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