Continental benefits from football sponsorship

In June of this year, Continental was an official partner and sponsor of two major sporting events: the 2013 DFB Cup Final on June 1 in Berlin, when FC Bayern Munich met VfB Stuttgart, and the 2013 Confederations Cup final on June 30 between record five-time World Cup winners Brazil and reigning world and European champions Spain in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The DFB final in the Olympic Stadium in Berlin is far and away Germany’s biggest sporting event of the year, no matter which teams are taking part. Whether it’s a battle of the giants or more a case of favourite meets underdog – the interest of the fans and the media is always huge. For years now the cup final has always been a sell-out, and it probably always will be.

The match is broadcast by German public TV channel ARD and by Sky to more than 150 countries around the world. This year, pitch-side advertising reminded more than 70,000 spectators in the stadium itself and around 13 million TV viewersin Germany alone of Continental’s role as a sponsor, helping them experience the brand as part of an emotionally charged sporting event.

Through the deal with the German football association DFB, Continental has secured pitch-side advertising space and ticket allocations for all DFB Cup games since 2010. The company also benefits from a substantial TV presence and is entitled to use the marketing rights in its communications with customers and car drivers.

The cup competition provides a national counterpoint to the major international sporting events that form the bedrock of Continental’s marketing and communication strategy – like UEFA EURO 2012™ (Poland and Ukraine), the FIFA 2013 Confederations Cup (Brazil) and the FIFA World Cup 2014™ (also Brazil). Like the contract for the FIFA World Cup 2014™, the deal with the DFB will run at least until 2014, while the current agreement with UEFA continues until 2016. The finals of UEFA EURO 2016™ will be hosted by two-times European champion France, which also happens to be one of Continental’s biggest and most important markets in Europe.