Aston Martin, Continental hit hard by 'Ronaldo no-show'
Aston Martin displayed its sports cars, including DBS Super Legera, Vantage and DB11 models, featuring Juventus' logo in front of the Seoul World Cup Stadium, July 26. Courtesy of Aston Martin Korea
By Kwak Yeon-soo
Jeep, Aston Martin and Continental AG, which sponsored the friendly match between Juventus and the K League All-Stars team Friday, failed to get publicity from global football star Cristiano Ronaldo who caused public uproar for not playing in the game.
Sponsors, which expected to hugely benefit from the match, are even concerned about losing brand value as football star Ronaldo had abruptly canceled attending a fan meeting event and stayed on the bench throughout the match, citing muscle fatigue.
On Friday, about 63,000 fans gathered at Seoul World Cup Stadium to see Ronaldo, who had not visited Korea in 12 years.
Although Team K League played a 3-3 draw with Juventus, most returned home disappointed after watching Ronaldo warm the bench for 90 minutes.
The reputation of football star Ronaldo is not the only thing that took a major hit. The dismay resulted in many seeking legal action against the organizer and the Portuguese football player.
As team Juventus' global sponsor, Jeep has been carrying out aggressive marketing to attract potential customers and boost sales in the second half of this year.
The brand posted brisk sales in Korea in the first half of this year, up 57.3 percent from a year ago.
Even before the arrival of the team, the company hosted an online event to give out 50 free football tickets. It also organized the “JeepXJuventus” fan meeting and provided a “Juventus Summer Tour 2019” themed Wrangler vehicle for the team.
“We cannot reveal the amount of losses, but we are surely experiencing ill effects following the no-show scandal,” a Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Korea official said.
“As the global sponsor of the team, we had high expectations about its visit to Korea in 23 years. It's quite upsetting because we've been preparing for the event for over a month.”
Sponsoring international sporting events or a player is regarded as a great opportunity to raise brand awareness. However, it is also tricky because if the team brand is tarnished, sponsors' profits may decline.
Jeep's “Juventus Summer Tour 2019” themed Wrangler / Courtesy of FCA Korea
Aston Martin, a luxury British sports car manufacturer, was also hit hard by the Ronaldo “no-show” scandal.
As the official sponsor of the friendly match, it sponsored the match as well as the fan signing event.
The company also displayed sports cars featuring the Juventus logo, including its DBS Super Legera, Vantage and DB11 models, in front of the venue to catch fans' eyes.
It also provided a patrol service to two buses that transported the team’s players.
“The event didn't turn out as we'd expected,” a PR official for Aston Martin said. “We hope the issue gets settled quietly.”
A German automotive manufacturer Continental AG also held a number of promotional activities via its official Facebook and Instagram accounts, but failed to benefit as it caused dismay and fury among Korean fans.