March "FIFA Master" class update from SDA Bocconi

They say timing is everything, and the February module on Sport Marketing and Strategic Management was right on time with the rebrand of Juventus Football Club.

We had the opportunity to visit Juve’s new stadium, one of only three team owned stadiums in Serie A. There we met with the club’s Brand Development Manager, Luca Adornato, who explained the process of transitioning the logo to stay relevant and focus on globalization. As Juve focuses on the future, they will make moves to become a full-blown entertainment provider with plans to host concerts and branch out into event management – or as Professor Davide Reina taught us back at SDA Bocconi – to embrace ‘brand stretching’ as a mode of searching for alternative revenue sources that increase brand awareness.

Beyond Juve, we met with the ultimate industry leader in vertical integration: Red Bull, with General Manager Andrea Ceraico. Like the lifestyle Red Bull promotes, Ceraico explained that everything from commercials to employees to sponsorships must be aligned with the brand’s values otherwise known as ‘brand fitting’.

One of the best examples we have studied during the SDA Bocconi module has been the renowned Giro d’Italia. What once started as a local competition and which was known mainly to Italians, has now become global through the exploration of packaging the race as an event. By pairing beautiful locations and food with high-quality sponsors such as Bianchi, the Giro D’Italia has made a niche sport mainstream.

The importance of brand fitting and sponsorship was highlighted up by our meeting with former pro-cyclist and Bianchi representative, Claudio Masnata. Masnata gave us an invaluable insight into the value of return on sponsorship as one cycling team can cost anywhere from $15M to $35M per season.

Knowing that sports earn their revenue through match day sales, commercialism and broadcasting, we have also been fortunate to meet with firms such as IMG and TEAM Marketing AG. These organisations work to ensure athletes, teams and leagues not only fit the brand of their sponsors, but help to better balance revenue streams for their respective clients. As an added bonus, Marcelo Cordeiro, who is the Director of Licensing and Consumer Products at IMG is also a FIFA Master alumnus from the sixth edition of the course. For us, as current students, it is important to see the benefits of the master in real life and to build connections.

The sports management module has also furthered our understanding of sport’s interconnectivity outside the trade, most specifically with sports governing bodies and its accompanying challenges. Meetings with Francesco Ricci Bitti, Honorary Life President of the ASOIF, former president of the ITF, and Remo Nogarotto, ex-head of Soccer Australia, shed light on the political landscape and how we, as future managers, can prepare for different scenarios throughout our careers. This is something which as the Milan module nears its conclusion we must begin to think about in new ways.

Indeed, in anticipation of the final module of the Master in Switzerland, we have begun to think about our future careers. We have met with personnel from Adidas’ Human Resource department and former alumni to focus on career development. We have explored future job opportunities within the sports industry and have been able to exchange ideas on how to best manage our personal career goals as we get closer to returning to the working world.

As Fashion Week comes to a close, and March Madness is upon us, we look forward to studying new trends within international sports management and enjoying the aperitivo lifestyle Milan has to offer.

Ashley Hughes and Javier Gonzalez (SDA Bocconi module representatives)