Nike has got some serious exposure at Euro 2024, supplying the kits for some of the tournament’s top prospects – and if the favourites perform as expected, you’ll see the swoosh on England, France, Netherlands and Portugal shirts deep into the competition.
But, like everyone thinks it’ll go down on the pitch, is it a foregone conclusion for the big dawgs? Will Nike own the entire conversation, or could one of the smaller suppliers play it clever and boost their brand on the biggest stage? Let’s discuss…
Okay, we’re all buzzing for the Euros next week, and more than 5 billion people (yep, BILLION) are expected to tune in across the course of the tournament. It means exposure for brands is massive and, of course, more competitive than ever.
Kit supply is one of the main ways to get your brand front-and-centre. No brainer, isn’t it? Your logo’s right there on the shirts of the world’s biggest stars for 90 minutes plus – and at Euro 2024, nobody’s pushing that harder than Nike.
9 of the 24 teams off to Germany this summer will have their kits supplied by Nike – including England (who are winning it all, right?), France, Portugal and Netherlands. It’s got 50% more active deals than Adidas – and that’s saying something.
Put it this way… Nike has a huge chance of supplying the kits for BOTH teams in the Euros Final. Based on current world rankings, it would be France v Portugal, Nike v Nike – but you’d expect to see the swoosh pretty deep into the competition regardless.
So, Nike is going to be all over your TV screens this summer – but does that mean it’s going to dominate the entire conversation? Its teams might have the best chance of winning the tournament, but is the company itself guaranteed to win the brand battle?
Well, we reckon exposure doesn’t just come from visibility. It also comes from voice. To really connect with an audience, you don’t just need sponsorship. You need a story. You’ve got to reach deeper and touch the hearts of fans with a powerful narrative.
Sure, you’d expect Nike to be all over that – but there’s definitely a scenario where a smaller brand gets that perfect combination of visibility and voice. If someone can find the sweet spot, they could end up stealing the show and skyrocketing their exposure.
How about Joma, the kit supplier for Ukraine? We spoke about capturing supporters’ imagination with a strong story – well if there’s any nation in a position to do that, it’s Ukraine. Chances are they’ll be everyone’s ‘second team’ given their current situation.
Even though Ukraine qualified through the playoffs, they’ve got a decent chance of getting out of Group E. Beyond that, who knows – but Joma could have the opportunity to make the most of a real underdog story with a meaningful political backdrop.
Joma also supply kits to another nation, Romania, who are in Group E, too. Long shot, but what if the Ukraine v Romania match is an absolute classic? If the company can be reactive to what’s happening on the pitch – that’s another route to brand awareness.
Either way, for brands with a smaller profile (ones that aren’t going to have their logo in practically every game) it’s going to take a clever social tactic to get more exposure. They’ll have to be ready to launch some killer content if the stars end up aligning.
Of course, we’ve got no way of predicting what’s going to happen until the final whistle on July 14th – this is live sport after all. The stats tell us that Nike will be the most likely winner, but we haven’t ruled out a smaller brand defying the odds.
The Euros doesn’t always follow script (remember Greece and Denmark) so let’s see which brands tap into the smartest narrative. They’ve all got the platform – but who’ll have the perfect balance of performance and personality to boost their presence?
Photo: Nike
