How Powerful is an Endorsement from Cristiano Ronaldo?
Let’s just say your company could potentially reach over $1 billion
They told Tsuyoshi Matsushita ‘it couldn’t be done’. People around him thought the Japanese entrepreneur was insane to think he could get Cristiano Ronaldo to endorse his product SIXPAD — a training tool that sends electronic pulses to your abdominals, simulating an ab workout.
Ronaldo is without question the most recognizable athlete on the face of this earth. Every so often, an athlete like him comes around and changes the landscape of sport on a global scale.
In the early 1930s, you had Babe Ruth, who made baseball America’s first pastime. Decades later Muhammad Ali transcended sports through his bouts in the boxing ring. Following Ali was Michael Jordan, who became just as much of a cultural icon as he was a basketball icon.
It’s for this reason that Matsushita had naysayers telling him it would be impossible to get in touch with Ronaldo, let alone recruit him to endorse the product.
But those same people said years before that Matsushita would not be able to get in touch with Pop-Star Madonna for endorsing a new line of skin-care and beauty products from MTG.
“I started asking those around me if they knew Madonna,” Matsushita said in an interview. “They looked at me like I was crazy. But eventually someone knew someone and after a while, we were finally able to reach her.”
But through tireless networking, he was able to pitch her the idea and close the deal with her.
“Most people wouldn’t even try to get Ronaldo or Madonna because they think it’s such a slim chance,” said Matsushita, the president of MTG Co. “[But] I’ve been thriving on that 1 percent chance since birth. And I’ve gotten lucky.”
The old saying goes: The harder I work, the luckier I get.
Needless to say, Matsushita took that same tireless effort into his quest to secure the world’s most iconic athlete. And he would succeed.
Following the Ronaldo endorsement deal, MTG sold over one million SIXPAD products in the last three years and the company’s revenue has doubled in the process. MTG is now a $2.3 billion firm, a Matsushita is now one of the few people in the world who can say they are a billionaire.
According to Forbes, last year Ronaldo accumulated $936 million in media value for his sponsors on social media alone. He posted a combined 580 times for his sponsors, with an average value of $1.6 million per post. Posts from Ronaldo typically average 1.2 million interactions (likes, comments, shares, re-posts, etc).
Sports are a powerful tool for business when it comes to endorsements and sponsorship opportunities. Having a world-renowned athlete like Ronaldo backing your product adds instant credibility and will automatically increase the demand for said product.
The psychology behind this is fans — whether they are casual or die-hard in nature — trust and value the opinions of the athletes they essentially worship. Millions of fans tune in to watch Ronaldo play soccer each week and will do it by any means necessary. Deep down, fans of professional athletes crave to be like them and will purchase products an athlete uses or endorses.
Matsushita’s strategy of simply getting the most iconic — and marketable — athlete possible to endorse his product has created a tremendous return on investment.
Now it’s Your Turn
So not every brand can afford a Ronaldo or Madona, but sports sponsorships should still be on your radar as a form of marketing and advertising.
This is where Instant Sponsor can assist both brands and rights holders, by connecting one another for sponsorship opportunities. Instant Sponsor’s platform will act as a platform to connect brands with sponsorship opportunities available in real-time throughout the sports industry.
For the Sponsors: Instant Sponsor will evaluate the marketplace for you using the campaign consultant feature. This will match potential sponsors with opportunities based on their target demographics and ideal budget.
For the Rights Holders: Instant Sponsor aims to add value to the rights holder’s sponsorship sales team by bringing sponsors to you without going through the process of cold-calling and cold-emailing. Instant Sponsor capitalizes on bringing rights holders sponsors for inventory that would typically go unsold.
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