BRAND AUDIT: JUVENTUS F.C. PRESENCE IN ASIA
Brand Management
February 2021
Gino Espinoza Menacho
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1) JUVENTUS FC. THE HISTORY OF THE BIANCONERI, A STORY OF
PASSION AND SUCCESS ........................................................................................ 3
2)
NEW MARKETS. NEW CHALLENGES....................................................... 6
3)
JUVENTUS AS A GLOBAL BRAND ............................................................. 9
4)
BRAND EXPLORATORY ............................................................................. 12
5)
CONCLUSION AND GUIDANCE FOR FURTHER ANALYSIS ............. 13
REFERENCES ......................................................................................................... 14
3
1) JUVENTUS FC. THE HISTORY OF THE BIANCONERI, A STORY OF
PASSION AND SUCCESS
Football is undoubtably the king of sports. The simplicity of the game makes it
possible to play it in almost all corners of the globe and by anyone since not much gear
is needed. From the streets of Latin America where the future stars play without shoes
to the opulent cities of Europe where kids enjoy the game with the most advance sport
facilities.
Juventus Fc are probably the most well-known team outside of Italy in recent years.
However, the club has had many ups and downs throughout their history which began
in the Italian city of Turin in 1987. According to the club’s website, the dream began
on a bench, when a group of friends who shared the passion for football, a recently
imported sport from England, consequently they had the idea of forming a club.
Juventus is a Latin word and means youth (Juventus, 2020)
It is unthinkable to imagine Juventus without the influence of the Agnielli family.
Edoardo Agnielli, FIAT’s owner at the time and one of the most respectable Italian
industrialists of the era, gained control of the club in the early 1920’s. This is
considered the beginning of an era of dominance in the topflight of Italian football
since the Italian businessman helped the club win several titles and bluid a stadium.
The financial support of this Italian family has made the club able to sign the most
valuable players throughout Juventus history (Gifford, 2020)
In European football, there is no glory without European success. The turn of 1980’s
brought Juventus to a different stage. The club began winning various national titles
in a row as well as becoming more competitive in the European scenario. Overall, it
was a golden era for Italian football in general since the country won the World Cup
in 1982 with several Juventus players in the national team. European success
materialised in 1985 when the team became champions of Europe. In the 1990’s the
club experienced also various successful episodes in their history. They won the title
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of Champions of Europe for the second time in 1996. However, things started to
change in the early 2000’s with a period of decline triggered by the match fixing
scandal known as Calciopoli (BBC, 2006)
Juventus got relegated to Serie B for the first time in its history, consequently several
key players and sponsors left the club which also led to a financial crisis. Moreover,
the club was stripped of the titles won in 2005 and 2006 (BBC, 2006) After years of
decline, Juventus experienced quickly recovery and became a relevant player in Italian
and European football. Winning several titles after the 2010’s and the construction of
a top-class new stadium allowed the club become financially stable, moreover, the
signing of world class players such as Cristiano Ronaldo improved the club’s image
and marketing position in the competitive football industry which, at the same time
attracted more sponsors worldwide and new partnerships.
Football has become a multimillion business with top-class clubs increasingly looking
for new markets to promote their brands. It is undoubtedly that Juventus is a global
brand. In today’s world, brands connect with customers in various ways, from lifestyle,
fashion and ideals. This is essential for the development of any brand. Juventus
underwent a series of major transformations. For instance, they changed their classical
logo for a modern a minimalist one. It is said the new logo is different and a statement.
Furthermore, it is based on the five principles of branding: 1: Stand out and being
different, 2: be a leader, 3: build in values, 4: contemporary, 5: K.I.S.S. (Keep It
Simple, Stupid) (Atelierplan, 2019)
For purposes of this paper, these five principles will be mentioned further in this work.
The transformation of Juventus and its logo was considered a break point in the history
of the club. However, changed was needed in the intention of the brand to pursue new
audiences. The minimalism of the logo represented the beginning of a new era, the old
classic logo was replaced by the simplicity of the letter “J”. The whole concept of the
new logo was to rebrand Juventus as part of a much bigger entertainment industry and
more importantly as a brand able to deliver new experiences and way of life, something
wider than just a mere football brand (Williams, 2019) In other words, the main
purpose was to make audiences of different ages and backgrounds to identify
themselves (and purchase) with the Juventus brand with the promise to live new
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experiences, the same way customers relate to brands such as Ferrari, Red Bull or
Harley-Davidson (Williams, 2019)
The main colours shaping the identity of Juventus are white and black. These colours
are present in their marketing, physical and online stores, clothing etc. The corporate
identity of the club means more than their presence in the football pitch, it represents
a global icon of determination and premium stylish Italian style (Zurück, 2017) New
brands are constantly searching for new markets. Thus, major football brands have
shifted their attention to the most dynamic and emerging audiences of Asia, which,
represent a huge percentage of the global economy with a rapidly growing middle class
avid for new experiences. Consequently, this paper focuses on the Juventus brand and
its impact in Asia. Juventus, with 36 domestic titles, 2 Champions league trophies and
13 Italian cups, have a great potential to explode in emerging markets, this Asia is the
way to go.
6
2) NEW MARKETS. NEW CHALLENGES
Globalisation has touched almost every single aspect of human lifestyle, especially in
western countries and currently is changing rapidly everyday life in emerging markets.
Contemporary football is no exception. The foundation of this paper focuses mainly
on the Juventus brand in fast-developing Asian markets. It is known that the
globalisation of football has attracted different types of audiences worldwide,
moreover smart devices make football being widely approachable, thus, there is
massive broadcasting opportunities which may lead to the commercialisation of
football-related products and merchandising. However, why is Asia so important for
the football industry? In the worlds of Real Madrid’s president Florentino Perez who
mention in 2003 that there would be financial consequences if a big club does not have
the 10% of the Chinese market in 10 years (Dincer, 2019)
The financial inestability of European economies in the beginning of the 20-century
forced major football clubs to seek opportunities abroad. In this regard, Asia’s vibrant
economy represented an unmissable opportunity to capitalise and expand. Thus, major
European clubs (Juventus included) decided or organise tours, merchandising and
social media activities mostly in China (Dincer, 2019)
As analysed in lectures, the relevance of positioning relies on how customers perceive
the brand and how the brand occupies a valuable place in the mind of targeted
audiences. Consequently, bonds between the brand and customers shall be created,
positive evaluation and availability of feedback and exchange of information shall be
considered. Nonetheless, primary aspects shall be analysed before acknowledging
customers’ minds. For instance, self-analysing and know what the brand is capable of,
target segment, what type of customers we want? Where are they? And what benefits
they could get from us and vice versa. Moreover, if they do not consumer our brand,
what do they use then? And last but not least, primary differentiation which translates
in what makes the brand stands out from other alternatives, the uniqueness.
As previously mentioned in this paper, Juventus new identity is based on five
principles (Atelierplan, 2019)
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1. Stand out and being different: all other Italian clubs have classical logos which
represent them historically. However, Juventus’ new logo looks fresh, modern
and simple.
2. Be a leader: change is natural. Thus, the club has set the trail for others to
follow, that is a leader, someone who does things first, someone who gets into
the challenges of the unknown and takes action. Moreover, Juventus are the
first club in Italy to fully own their stadium.
3. Build in values: this new identity is bluid in the club’s heritage and legacy.
According to them, it is based on respect, spirit, education.
4. Contemporary: new times bring new challenges and change. The new logo
represents flexibility and universality since it is simple, easy to understand.
However, contemporariness also means large investments. Consequently, the
club has invested heavily in the construction of a new stadium that rivals any
stadium in other parts of Europe such England or Germany.
5. K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple, Stupid): the new identity represents simpleness and
that is key, it makes it easy to understand and recognise, it is clean and straight
to the point and this is the how Juventus stands out of the crowd, they have
taken the most important elements of the club and built a brand around them.
Having said this, Juventus rebranding has transformed the club from a football team,
it has given the club new meanings that alongside the customers create new benefits
since Juventus products are not just mere or simple tools, they are about the experience.
Different stakeholders are considered; thus, the new brand is the result of collective
efforts over various historical moments. Therefore, as foundation of this paper,
rebranding theorical framework is considered as well. The new identity of the club has
been the result of various transformation processes. As previously explained, the new
logo is the core part of the rebranding. However, the white and black striped jersey
that dates back to 1900’s is still kept. Respecting an organisation identity and tradition
is crucial when it comes to rebranding or redesign work (Smith, 2020)
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Evolution of the Juventus logo (Smith, 2020)
As previously appreciated, Juventus are a club always looking for evolution,
transformation since the club’s logo has been constantly changing. This principle is in
accordance with what has been previously mentioned in this paper, being a leader and
embrace change as a natural process. However, Juventus rebranding this time is special
and therefore more important because it transform the football team into a premium
lifestyle brand (Smith, 2020)
A fresh brand, new and big sponsors give the club great opportunities in new markets.
China and South Pacific Asia seem a great chance to increase the club’s presence in
the region. Major European powerhouses have strong presence in Asian markets; thus,
competition is fierce, and Juventus have had to act quickly. One important step is to
open academies all over the region. In 2019, Juventus open the Juventus Academy in
Suzho, China. The club recognises China as a strategic region for the club’s
development. Consequently, the club has played several exhibition tournaments in the
country. Juventus owns other football academies in China apart from Suzho. These are
located in Shanghai, Zhuhai, Nanjing, Tianjin and Meishan (Juventus, 2019)
9
3) JUVENTUS AS A GLOBAL BRAND
As discussed in the lectures of the course, the clear definition of brand architecture
may be applied to Juventus, however, more importantly it is to cover the role Juventus
partners and sponsors have in the club’s strategy. Juventus does not own any of the
brands listed below, nonetheless, the club interacts enormously with them. It is known
that several brands in different industries relate to the club since it is not any longer a
normal football team, but a way of life, the club’s slogan is self-explanatory Finno
Alla Fine means Until the End, a strong message that delivers strength and
determination. Thus, the brand portfolio includes video games, sportwear, automotive,
financial services, broadcasting firms, railway companies and other numerous
partners.
Consequently, as part of a globalised industry, football needs to partner, associate and
team up with other brands to achieve objectives and get more audiences. As part of a
reputable and multi billion business, Juventus have had to partner with other premium
brands to enhance customer experience. Main sponsors include Adidas, the German
clothing brand is famous for its high quality and premium products. Jeep, the official
jersey sponsor and part of the FIAT group. Allianz, the German financial services firm
gives the name to the new Juventus Stadium, which is known as the Allianz Stadium.
Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) owned by Konami has exclusive right to promote the club
in their video games for XBOX and Play Station. There is other several other firms
that collaborate with the club, for instance, we could mention Cristiano Ronaldo as a
brand himself who has brought attention worldwide since he signed a deal with
Juventus, therefore he made the club more attractive to sponsors and partners alike.
In the category of brand hierarchy, Juventus may somehow be classified as Branded
House since the firm owns offices in various regions (Hong Kong offices opened in
2019) moreover, the club owns a museum known as J Museum, medical services J
Medical, J Hotel (Juventus, 2020) Nonetheless, if a brand can team up with other great
brands and sponsors, the strategy falls short if the organisation is not able to
communicate and reach potential customers. Thus, marketing communication plays a
crucial role in the organisation. In this regard, Juventus constantly develops marketing
campaigns to attract fans in China.
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In today’s world, the importance of social media and network communications is a
must for any global brand as Juventus. Young audiences are constantly consuming
new content in digital format and e-sports and gaming is an inherent part of their lives.
In 2020, Juventus united Chinese customers in an online event. Juventus Game Show
gathered 11.2 viewership and it was Juventus’ most watched live initiative in China,
during the event, a positive customer engagement of 30K was reached and positive
feedback was received. This type of online events is crucial if we consider the difficult
times of 2020 with no live shows due to the COVID19, therefore, Juventus has
enhanced several other online strategies to keep customer engagement and interact
with their audiences. According to the club, their fan base has strongly been growing
in China, for example in April 2020 had the highest growth in terms of followers,
moreover, Juventus was the club that grew the most on Weibo, Chinese social platform
(Soccerex, 2020)
Another important market in the Asia Pacific region is Indonesia country in which
watching and playing football is a popular form of entertainment. As of 2015,
Indonesia accounted 9.3% of Juventus fans in Facebook outside Italy (Ferrari, 2017)
Juventus popularity in Indonesia dates back to the 1990’s when satellite tv and other
media channels became available in the country, this momentum coincided with
successful moments of glory for the club, especially the Champions League final
against Real Madrid in 1998. Nowadays, support for Juventus is shaped by the
development of new technologies, social media and other channels that allow fans to
follow the games in a collective context. Supporters gather together to enjoy live
Juventus matches. Moreover, it is possible to find translations of the club’s anthem
from Italian to Indonesian on different online forums. Consequently, Juventus are not
a football club anymore, they have become a love trademark since symbols of the club
has been adapted to the local culture, this creates strong bonds within Juventus and
fans which translates into potential group of customers. Indonesia is an important
market for Juventus and the club knows it, that is the reason why in the summer of
2014 Juventus travelled to Indonesia to play a friendly game with local team.
Furthermore, all the tickets for the Asian tour of 2014 were sold out (Ferrari, 2017)
11
New audiences demand new responsabilities from brands. New trends and concers
have emerged and shaped the world of business and have substantially transformed
how organisations interact with their customers. Corporate Social Responsibility is a
matter of concern for Juventus and the club takes it seriously. Consequently, the club
has been implementing various sustainability programmes in their operations. It has
been discussed in lectures that CSR shall be institutionalised as part of an
organisation’s identity rather than serving promotional purposes or short-term
objectives. Therefore, CSR activities respond to stakeholders’ expectations.
Contemporary audiences build stronger bonds with brands with high level of
consciousness and help solve global issues. For example, environmental problems
have become a matter of concern for customers. In this regard, the club has developed
various sustainability programmes.
Sustainability means a lot to Juventus. Thus, the club is constantly looking for methods
to reduce its environmental impact to the minimum. According to the club, 100% of
the electricity purchased by the club has come from renewable sources since season
2018/2019. Publishing its carbon footprint and CO2 emissions bring clarity to the
actions performed by the club and let stakeholders know how the club is behaving in
the society. The club perform various activity programmes to improve the
environment. Another project in which Juventus is committed to is One Tree Planted
which translates in 200 trees for every goal scored by Juventus. The club considers
this contribution as an essential part of their sustainability programme. Therefore, the
club will share the results of this initiative every month (Juventus, 2020)
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4) BRAND EXPLORATORY
Juventus fans base is growing exponentially in the Asia Pacific region, thus the club
launched in 2015 its online store exclusively serving these markets, from mainland
China, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and other
countries in the region. The most remarkably characteristic is tailor-made content for
each specific country in terms of language and local currency (Juventus, 2015)
Nonetheless, a simple question arises, what is the profile of Juventus fans? In the case
of Indonesia, as previously stated in this paper, supporters emerged in the 1990’s with
the introduction of satellite tv and other forms of mass media. However, new
customers in the region interact more widely on social media platforms and smart
devices nowadays since technology has become easily available. Therefore,
consuming content from Juventus such as games, videos and interviews are part of a
social activity where supporters gather together, on site or virtually. This form of
media consumption is combined with more traditional types of fandom such flags,
chants and banners (Ferrari, 2019)
Juventus tangible and intangible products can be consumed in various ways. The most
traditional sort of goods is in form of sportswear including jerseys that could be highly
customised to the liking of the purchaser, names and shirt numbers could be selected.
Membership allows fans to access exclusive content on Juventus media platforms,
interviews, videos, games, interaction with other fans and more are available.
However, the club’s products do not end there, partnership with the PSE football video
game takes fandom to another level by immersing supporters to the virtual football
experience.
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5) CONCLUSION AND GUIDANCE FOR FURTHER ANALYSIS
Support and fandom for Juventus has been growing steadily over the years all over the
globe, especially in Asia mainly due to its dynamic and fast-developing economy. New
sponsors, sport achievements, new signings and accurate marketing strategy has put
Juventus in the spotlight of football. Unequivocally, the potential the club has is
enormous and there is still room for growth despite fierce competition, especially
against major European powerhouses from England and Spain. In this regard, Juventus
still lags behind in commercial and marketing terms. However, the club’s intentions
are clear and becoming Europe’s number one club is an ambitious project. Signing
Cristiano Ronaldo and other exciting prospects does not solely improve the club’s
performance on the pitch but also commercially speaking. The signing of Ronaldo was
significantly from the very beginning as Juventus gained 1.5 million followers during
the first 24 hours of the announcement of the deal (Fiore & Cosatti, 2019)
Several years of domestic dominance has strengthen Juventus position in the world of
football. Nonetheless, European glory has not yet been achieved despite of huge
investments in infrastructure, marketing and signing of players. European glory means
becoming Champions of Europe, the only title the club has not gained in several
decades. It is possible that at some point boredom and frustration becomes common
among fans and supporters if this title is not won in the short-term. Players start ageing
which translates to reduction of their performance, thus fewer trophies and
consequently less revenue. Juventus must be able to manage their assets in the pitch
and in the markets they operate. Greater glory is still possible, it just depends on them.
Word count: 3374
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15
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