The Mexican LigaMX can be a much better soccer marketing vehicle to engage U.S. Hispanics than the MLS, Nick Kelly, Head of U.S. Sports Marketing at Anheuser -Busch, said during last week’s Portada New York.
Kelly, a member of Portada’s Sports Marketing Board, said that his company partners with the LigaMX particularly for soccer activations in the Southwestern U.S. which has a very large Hispanic population. In particular, he mentioned Texas, Arizona and Nevada as well as cities like Houston, Dallas and, surprisingly Nashville. “All our world cup campaigns were about the Mexican National Team” (not the U.S. National Team), he told Portada’s Janet Grynberg during the keynote interview at Portada New York in the Westin Times Square last Thursday.
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Chicharito Soccer Activation
Mexican soccer player Javier Hernandez (“Chicharrito”) has also been sponsored by Anheuser-Busch In-Bev brands. “The Chicharrito sponsorship worked very well and showed lift in the markets that mattered most”.”We don’t need brand awareness lift, what we have seen is retail lift in markets such as San Antonio and El Paso,” Kelly noted. “We activate 100% retail”, he added..
Anheuser Busch also activates jersey sponsorships of LigaMX teams through Corona (which is a Grupo Modelo brand; Grupo Modelo was acquired by Anheuser Busch InBev in 2012). LigaMX Club America recently switched its jersey sponsorship from Corona to Bud Light.
One of our objectives is to find out how to activate on a hyperlocal level.
Asked by an audience member at Portada New York whether it makes sense to bring a LigaMX team to play in the U.S, Kelly said that while this type of soccer activation would be popular in the region the match is played, beer wholesalers in other regions would not necessarily like it.
However, Bud Light recently gave soccer fans in Las Vegas a chance to virtually experience a game 1,500 miles away with immersive technology. The four “Seats of Glory” were featured at Beerhaus, a beer hall on the Las Vegas Strip, for a Liga MX playoff match between Club América and Cruz Azul. Every fan over age 21 who visited the bar was able to watch part of the game in VR.
Anheuser-Busch InBev brands spent US$ 591 million advertising to the U.S consumer in 2017, according to Kantar Media.
MLS
Women’s Soccer
La Liga will stream up to 35 live pre-season games on its own OTT platform for free. Launched in March, 
The Leagues Cup, the new club soccer competition featuring teams from the MLS and Liga MX, will double the number of teams to 16 for the 2020 edition of the tournament. The teams qualifying from the MLS will be those who finish in the top four of the Eastern or Western Conference during the regular season. It is limited to those who are not competing in the 2020 Concacaf Champions League.
Manchester City has teamed up with DAZN, to make the sports streaming subscription service their new official partner in Japan. DAZN will serve as the exclusive live host broadcaster for the English giants’ first ever game in the country against City Football Group (CFG) sister club Yokohama F Marinos on 27th July.
Toyota launches is launching its “Choose the Toughest Field” soccer campaign. “This campaign champions the relentless spirit of those unafraid to conquer even the toughest terrains, just like our Tacoma and Tundra trucks,” said Terry Sell, national truck manager at Toyota Motor North America. “From international to home field games, we’re looking forward to an exciting soccer season as we celebrate the determination and toughness of the game, its players and the fans.”
Also Manchester United has locked a deal with Konami to star in the company’s PES 2020 video game. As part of the deal, United midfielder Scott McTominay has been selected as an ambassador for the game, which is released in September.
Spanish Soccer
Paris Saint-Germain announced a new two-year deal with Japanese men’s skincare brand Bulk Homme.
North Carolina FC is increasing its bid to join the MLS by unveiling plans for a US$1.9 billion stadium. Located in downtown Raleigh, the building will include a new 20,000-seater multi-use stadium and other entertainment offerings. “Having an urban stadium with great highway access and with entertainment options surrounding it will strengthen our bid,” said Malik, speaking to WRAL TechWire.
Women’s World Cup. “The women’s game is changing and growing in stature attracting a lot of attention across the board. We are pleased to be working with some of the largest global consumer brands and biggest female football stars to elevate the coverage and share authentic perspective and insights into the game,” said Andres Cardenas, global head of football at Minute Media.
Bill Foley, owner of the National Hockey League’s (NHL) Vegas Golden Knights, confirmed interest in leading a bid to bring a Major League Soccer (MLS) expansion franchise to Las Vegas, to play at a renovated Cashman Field, home of the United Soccer League’s (USL) Las Vegas Lights. “I’m very interested in this and we are working on making it happen,” Foley told the 
MLS team Orlando City has signed a deal with timeshare and holiday rental company Exploria Resorts, to become the franchise’s first naming rights partner for their home stadium. The 25,500-seat seat arena, also home to the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) side the Orlando Pride, will now be called the Exploria Stadium and sees the company secure signage, banners, kiosks, and booths throughout the venue. Financial details of the partnership have not been disclosed.
states that. 24% of Hispanics consider themselves as die-hard fans compared to just 6% of non-Hispanics. 51%of Hispanics and 35% of non-Hispanics (and 35%, feel that in the next five years, the FIFA Women’s World Cup will be equally as popular as the Men’s FIFA World Cup.
Also, the Bayern Munich has extended its beer partnership through to 2026, but with long-standing partner Paulaner Brewery. The brewery company also hosts fan events and competitions as part of its deal with the club.
Gol Airlines has become the official partner for the South American Copa America. The Brazilian airline will provide more than 50 chartered flights for the various national teams during the Brazil-based tournament. “Being part of this event shows that we are once again next to the fans, the teams, and reflects our commitment to support the growth and development of Brazilian sport,” stated Eduardo Bernardes, vice president of commercial and marketing at Gol.
Soccer governing body Uefa has launched ‘Time for Action’, a dedicated women’s soccer strategic framework that aims to double the number of female players by 2024 to 2.5 million. The strategy will include investing in programs from grassroots to a professional level and an overarching aim to change the perception of women’s soccer on the European continent. Uefa hopes to double the reach and value of the Women’s Champions League and Women’s European Championship.
Porsche has become Los Angeles FC’s official premium luxury automobile partner on a multi-year deal. As part of the agreement, Porsche has acquired the naming rights to the directors’ box at LAFC’s Banc of California Stadium. “We’re delighted to welcome Porsche to the Black & Gold family. Porsche is an innovative and forward-thinking automotive brand and we look forward to working together,” stated Tom Penn, LAFC president, and co-owner.
Adidas has extended its sponsorship with Real Madrid, to continue as the club’s official kit supplier until the end of the 2027/28 season. Financial details of the extension were not disclosed, but it has been previously reported Adidas would pay a guaranteed US$1.2 billion over the duration of the deal, making it the most lucrative kit deal in soccer history.
The United States Soccer Federation (USSF), has sealed a multi-year extension with its official ticketing partner Ticketmaster. As part of the extension, Ticketmaster will roll out its new identity-based ticketing platform, Presence, which is set to be installed in more than 500 venues by the end of 2019.
US Club Soccer inked a partnership with DICK’S Sporting Goods to serve as the org’s Official Sporting Goods Partner. “We are thrilled to enter into this strategic partnership with US Club Soccer,” adds Mark Rooks, Vice President of Relationship Management & Community Marketing of DICK’S Sporting Goods. “We stand with US Club Soccer’s commitment to developing young athletes both on and off the field.”
Visa presented its global marketing campaign for the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019. The campaign is titled “One Moment Can Change the Game” and designed to amplify “the meaningful moments women are creating on and off the pitch, whether it be inspiring athletic greatness on the field, influencing business outcomes in the boardroom or driving economic impact at home and across industries.”
Univision Deportes announced a rebrand, evolving its multi-platform sports brand and cable network into ‘TUDN’. Under the TUDN brand, “Univision will continue to deliver more live soccer than any other U.S. media company while offering a richer and more engaging experience through new world-class programming, all-star talent and enhanced production capabilities,” according to the announcement, debuting this summer and debuting in Mexico simultaneously as part of a collaboration between the sports divisions of Univision and Grupo Televisa.
English soccer team Liverpool and AXA have extended their partnership, which makes AXA the team’s official training kit partner from the 2019/20 season. The Premier League club initially struck a four-year deal with AXA in 2018 which saw the insurance firm become a global partner, with the expanded contract covering three years until the end of the 2021/22 season, according to the Liverpool Echo.
Karina LeBlanc and Aaron West will co-host FOX Sports’ “FIFA Women’s World Cup Now” live on Twitter every matchday, from its Paris studio. From June 7-July 7, FOX Sports will produce and stream the show on Twitter via the @FOXSports and @FOXSocceraccounts. “We want FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP NOW to be bold, dynamic and interactive,” said David Katz, Executive Vice President of Digital for FOX Sports. “Karina and Aaron are the perfect ambassadors to engage, inform and inspire the millions of fans who will tune in to this global celebration of soccer.”
DAZN signed a three-year partnership with Huawei to distribute part of its Spanish sports rights via the tech company’s mobile platforms. The agreement includes coverage of the Premier League among other sports. Subscriptions to the service cost €4.99 (US$5.60) per month.
Nielsen has reported that year one of the UEFA Champions League on TNT is averaging its most viewed domestic English language coverage ever, with 246k viewers tuning in each week. TNT garnered a 31% gain in viewership only for this month’s live match Quarterfinals telecasts vs. last year’s comparable coverage. Meanwhile, UEFA Champions League content on Bleacher Report and B/R Football’s social media accounts have combined to deliver more than 100 million Engagements and 260 million Video Views through the Quarterfinals, greater than any other domestic rightsholder.
The MLS has announced it will expand to 30 teams, up from the previously announced line of 28 clubs. “Professional soccer at all levels is thriving in the United States and Canada and we believe there are many markets that could support a successful MLS club,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said in a league statement. “Expansion during the last 15 years has been enormously successful and a key driver behind the league’s continued rise, and we are pleased that some of the top business and community leaders representing great markets in North America are aggressively pursuing MLS expansion clubs.”
The MLS has locked a deal with Twitch to live stream its 2019 Generation Adidas Cup academy tournament. Twitch will live stream 66 matches from the Generation Adidas Cup, an annual soccer tournament played between academies from the MLS and international academies, held at Toyota Stadium, in Texas, this week.
PUMA has become LaLiga’s newest partner, after signing a multi-year partnership. Starting with the 2019/20 season, PUMA will produce the official match ball and other products for all games in Spain’s top-flight leagues: LaLiga Santander and LaLiga 1|2|3.
DAZN got the exclusive rights in Canada to all Premier League matches for the next three seasons, starting in August 2019. The exclusive contract will include the Uefa Champions League, Europa League, Serie A, La Liga and Ligue 1. “European soccer fandom in Canada is more fervent than ever, and we are proud to be at the epicenter of this trend,” said Joseph Markowski, DAZN’s executive vice president, North America.
Facebook and Fox Sports have announced a one-year content-sharing partnership in South America to broadcast this season’s Copa Libertadores. Starting this week, 46 games will be available for free on Facebook Watch, while Fox Sports will gain access to all fixtures that were due to be shown exclusively on Facebook on Thursdays. Live games on Facebook will also now be available on the Conmebol Libertadores page every Tuesday through Thursday. The partnership covers Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
Minnesota United have signed a multi-year sponsorship deal with PepsiCo, making Pepsi the official soft drink partner of the team. The new deal makes PepsiCo the exclusive beverage provider at the club’s new Allianz Field. “We are excited to be partnering with such an iconic brand like Pepsi as we enter a new stage in Minnesota United history,” stated Minnesota United chief executive, Chris Wright. “This partnership is an important foundation to the exceptional food and beverage experience we are striving to create for all guests of Allianz Field.”
Victor Montagliani will continue working as president of Concacaf during four more years, until 2023. “Football has become our total priority and that’s thanks to our togetherness as one Concacaf,” said Montagliani. “Thank you for your support to serve as president for the next four years.”
Real Madrid’s defensive midfielder, Casemiro has become one of HyperX ambassadors. The player will use HyperX products while gaming and be featured in HyperX’s global advertising campaign “We’re All Gamers.”
Costa Rica-based gambling company Betcris has signed a four-year sponsorship deal with the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) to become the official betting site of the Mexican National Soccer Team. “We thank the FMF for allowing us to be part of a select group of sponsors. With this sponsorship, Betcris.mx has established itself as one of the leaders of the sports betting and casino industry in Mexico. We are very proud to be able to support the National Team and, especially, the most passionate and unconditional fans in the world”, stated JD Duarte, Betcris CEO.
Paris Saint-Germain saw a decrease in sponsorship revenue during the 2017/18 season. Their latest financial report showed that PSG suffered a €14 million dip in sponsorship revenue from the previous season, falling from €108.1 million to €94.1 million, which represented a 13% drop.
Santander extended its title sponsorship of La Liga for a further year. The partnership will continue until the end of the 2020/21 campaign. The partnership incorporates La Liga’s other competitions, including its second and third tiers, as well as La Liga Genuine, the league for people with intellectual disabilities, and the LaLiga Promises under 12 leagues. Santander and LaLiga will also continue their ProPlayer initiative, which provides soccer scholarships in the US to youngsters in Spain.
Continental Tire will return as the front of jersey sponsor for the North Carolina Courage in 2019. The brand’s logo will be featured on the front of both the home and away jerseys of the reigning NWSL Champions and Shield winners. “We are excited to continue our partnership with North Carolina Football Club in 2019,” said Travis Roffler, director of marketing for Continental Tire. “This sponsorship strengthens our soccer platform and allows us to support the game of soccer right in our own backyard. We wish both teams the best of luck this year.”
La Liga is looking to sign a new three-year partnership with Puma, as the league’s official ball from next season. According to reports in Spain, the deal will last until the end of the 2012/22 season with Puma reportedly paying close to US$5.6 million to take over from current suppliers, Nike, when the US sportswear brand’s extension expires at the end of the current campaign.