On first watch, Cristiano Ronaldo moving a couple of Coca-Cola bottles from a press
conference table seemed like no big ❤️ deal. But within hours, the sugar-water’s market
share had dropped by billions of dollars and it suddenly was, quite clearly, ❤️ a big
deal.
“Agua, no Coca-Cola,” the Portugal player preached, lifting his own water bottle
in the air. But this was ❤️ not just a plea for fans to consider healthier dietary habits.
It was a not-so-subtle acknowledgement of Ronaldo’s marketing power, ❤️ and it left UEFA
scrambling to prevent players from harnessing this untapped power and affecting the
tournament’s ability to secure ❤️ sponsors (who pay a whoppingR$30m per
endorsement).
Ronaldo, obviously, can do what he wants and he knows it. He doesn’t care
❤️ about Coca-Cola and he definitely doesn’t care about the product placement of an item
that isn’t going to make him ❤️ money. This influenced other footballers, like Paul Pogba
who removed a Heineken bottle from his own media appearances later the ❤️ same week. And
if you’re thinking “I don’t care about football or Coca-Cola’s stock prices,” we hear
you… But if ❤️ you care about your own brand’s marketing, you might find this matters.
The
impact of influencer marketing
Highly-paid names, whether they’re the ❤️ world’s top
footballers or just the most influential influencer in your industry niche, are really
beginning to understand – and ❤️ wield – their worth. Ronaldo obviously doesn’t drink
Coca-Cola. Pogba is a practicing Muslim who does not support the consumption ❤️ of
alcohol. They know that brands need them far more than they need the brands (which is
not at all, ❤️ really) and it’s a lesson in alignment and not taking your sponsorships for
granted.
Not dis-similarly, Naomi Osaka who pulled out ❤️ of the French Open on the
grounds that mandatory press commitments were damaging to her mental health, has had
her ❤️ penalty fines paid for by meditation and mindfulness app, Calm. Calm’s quick and
ingenious decision to step in and support ❤️ Osaka is a prime example of the way brands
can align themselves with relevant and headline-worthy names by doing something
❤️ positive. And we think this could be the future of influencer marketing.
At OggaDoon,
we help connect brands with the right ❤️ faces for their audience. Simply placing a
product near a famous person isn’t enough, and it won’t get you anywhere. ❤️ The
connection between an influencer – however famous – and a product they can genuinely
vouch for is worth a ❤️ million Coca-Cola bottles on the UEFA press table.
Want to know
more about our work and how we can connect you ❤️ with audiences that will love what you
do? Get in touch.
