Total Brand Licensing

SPORTS
The countdown’s on...
This year’s event has been expanded. For
the first time, the European Championship
final tournament will be contested by 24
teams, up from the 16-team format used
since 1996. Under this new format, the
finalists will contest a group stage consisting
of six groups of four teams, followed
by a knockout stage including three rounds
and the final. 19 teams (the top two from
each of the nine qualifying groups and
the best third-placed team) join France
who qualified automatically as hosts;
a series of two-legged play-off ties
between the remaining third-placed
teams in November 2015 decided
the last four spots at the final
tournament.
Total Brand Licensing talked
to Mickael Andreo,
Licensing Director,
France at IMG and
UEFA Euro 2016
Global Account
Director, to find
out more about
the brand and
the merchandising
activities that
surround the upcoming event.
We are now a little over two months from
the start of the tournament. How is the
program looking in the run-up to kick
off?
Mickael Andreo, “To use a sporting
analogy, we are now entering the ‘business
end’ of our licensing program. In terms
The 2016 UEFA European Championship
will be the 15th edition of the four-yearly
international men’s football championship for
Europe that is organized by UEFA.
It will held in France this June and July.
of product sales, the busiest period is just
beginning. Some licensees have already
been offering certain products, but the
tournament’s in-store presence is now
increasing significantly and we expect sales
to be strong right through to the end of the
tournament.”
The brand itself obviously has huge
awareness - how do you maintain the
reputation or do you find, by being such
a huge tournament, the popularity is
self-perpetuating?
Mickael Andreo, “The
worldwide exposure the
tournament receives is
phenomenal, and is a huge
advantage to building a comprehensive
program. Coupled
with the fact it takes place
only every four years, interest
from licensees was
high. Having
said that however,
there has
been no room
for complacency
and our focus from the start
has been to appoint specialists
in each country and category
who have been able to match such a high
demand in a relatively short period of sale.
We had to be sure that fans were going to
have the right access to the right products
at the right time and I think that we have
achieved that. Furthermore, we are also implementing
a dedicated marketing program
to promote the licensing business.”
This is going to be the biggest Euro to
date - how many licensees do you have,
in how many countries?
Mickael Andreo, “Our licensees number
50, with products being offered not only
across Europe but also in those major
international markets where European
football is also very popular, such as China,
Japan, Thailand, the United States and the
Oceanian countries.
The new larger format for this year’s event
has allowed for a longer period of sale and
has also led to increased demand in the
form of new territories, which in turn has
of course led to more products. By way of
an example, we have validated a total of
5000 stock keeping units, which means
we are looking at around 6000 different
products available on the market.”
What categories are the most important,
for the program?
Mickael Andreo, “Apparel is by far the
strongest category, which we continue to
develop with a balanced mix of licensees
and DTRs to ensure we are reaching
all fans. Elsewhere, other popular items
include the mascot plush and classic sports
merchandising accessories such as mugs,
key rings and magnets.
In addition, as we’ve seen with previous
Euros, video games and collectable stickers
will also be items that are on top of the
fans’ shopping list.”
Do you highlight any particular players
in your branding program?
Mickael Andreo, “No, as individual player
rights are held by the relevant national
associations. We have developed the branding
program in conjunction with UEFA
through artwork connected to four main
themes, consisting of the official logo, the
national culture of the host country, national
pride and the official mascot, ‘Super
Victor’.
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