Manchester City’s Global Branding Holds The Key To Success
By Josh Webb
Commentary during last night’s contest between Melbourne City F.C. and Manchester City F.C. covered a great many topics. One of them was the notion of Manchester City as a global brand. Which, oddly enough, could be the very key to City’s rise to the top of Europe’s elite.
City Financial Group and their assets are often used as a talking point out of laziness. Whenever City sign someone or purchase something or make a business move in any capacity, the cognoscenti knock that low-hanging fruit off the tree like it were a stuffed piñata at an anxious child’s birthday party. Despite the fact that Sheikh Mansour’s conglomerate guided the parent club out of financial ruin and have turned it into one of England’s elite and the Barclays Premier League’s most consistently successful club in the last five years, the idea that he is somehow collecting toys and “buying success” — whatever the hell this means; it’s not like Real Madrid players just donate their time and energy to the cause — continues to dominate many of the City press narratives.
Whenever a player leaves for the Etihad, it’s always because of the money. It’s as though they couldn’t possibly want to be at City’s £200m campus, complete with everything you could ever want inside and the surrounding area, on a squad regularly competing for the Premier League title, and frequently moving beyond the group stage of Europe’s toughest competition despite playing third-tier football only 17 years ago. Money is the only logical explanation for why someone would join an organization like City.
But what if there is an element of truth to the money argument, just not the way it is currently being presented?
Most people know that one of the many ways in which players bring down income is through sponsorships and endorsements. Depending on the sport, these deals can often make up the bulk of a player’s disposable income throughout the year. In addition to the money these endorsements and sponsorships pay, one of the biggest benefits to having such a deal is the exposure. Many athletes operate businesses on the side to prepare for the eventuality of their playing days coming to an end. This is where City may have a slight advantage over traditional European powerhouses moving forward.
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A cursory examination of CFG’s biggest holdings would reveal one key factor: every, single one of them are located in extremely important markets within their respective regions. NYCFC take up residence in the most populous city in the United States. Their partner in this venture is the third-richest franchise in all of world sports, the New York Yankees. The only brands bigger than the Yankees are Real Madrid and the Dallas Cowboys, but New York also comes with the most important market. To put it in context, City come in at No. 29 in Forbes’ latest report.
Melbourne City F.C., last night’s opponent, are located in the second most populous city in Australia and Oceania. Though the club are only minority owners in the Yokohama Marinos, most speculate the club will eventually move to gain full-ownership and would then own a team in Japan’s second largest city. At present, City enjoy a very fruitful relationship with the Nissan Motor Company, the Marinos primary stakeholder. In terms of global hubs of industry, City would have headquarters in four majorly significant hubs of international business. New York City gives CFG access to the only other city in the world comparable to London when it comes to international dealings. When you consider that Melbourne is on the same playing field as Boston (Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group’s home), the level of marketing that City can provide is unparalleled in sports.
Whether it’s right now or down the line, CFG will be able to sit down with potential world class signings and offer them something that Real Madrid and Barcelona cannot. By investing in brand continuity, CFG can promote their finest in ways other clubs could only dream of offering. Something as simple as being the face of a franchise could now mean seeing your face plastered on billboards and jumbotrons in Times Square, City Square, and Melbourne City Centre. In terms of a club’s ability to promote their athletes, there aren’t too many other clubs with that kind of reach.
As the money in sport continues to rise, endorsement deals grow larger, and athletes become the faces of brands and clubs, CFG are at the forefront of global expansion and growth. Mansour’s decision to create a global sporting brand is only revolutionary in that not many living men could afford to throw down the cash it would require to run a business on this scale, let alone convince partners like Nissan and the Yankees to invest along with them in such a short amount of time.
The Manchester Evening News suggests that City may not end up with Paul Pogba this year. Convincing world class players in their prime to join your squad is always a tricky proposition when you’re an upstart compared to established giants. But it won’t be long before City are showing the Pogbas of the world a full-scale presentation on why they should be coming to City to further their careers. Among the many things in that presentation is going to be a global marketing strategy outline that dwarfs the idea of being on a video game cover or modeling underwear.
You don’t devote large sums of money into areas like New York City, Melbourne, and the like without massive expectations. City are trying to revolutionize the idea of what it means to invest in a franchise and that eventually trickles down to player investment. The mere thought of what City could offer a player at the peak of their potential once they stabilize their growing brand is enough to fill the dreams of supporters.
In the very near future, these dreams are going to become the thing of nightmares for their European competition.
Next: Which Aston Villa Star Will Play For City Next Season?