Ahead of Euro 2024 soccer tournament, brands look beyond TV to stretch their budgets

We’re 10 weeks out from the Union of European Football Associations’ Euro 2024 tournament, one of the largest sporting events on the planet and a major opportunity for marketers to get their brands in front of enormous audiences. Just 12 days afterward, some of them will be doing it all over again when the Olympic Games roll into Paris.

Though only European teams compete in the Germany-hosted Euro 2024 tournament, soccer has been growing in popularity in the United States in recent years. “There’s Wrexham effect, the Beckham effect and the build-up to the World Cup, which will be in the U.S.A. in a couple of year’s time,” said Toan Ravenscroft, Amsterdam managing director of M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment. “It’s like a super-Super Bowl. The scale is there for this summer to be massive.”

Coca-Cola is a top official partner of both Euro 2024 and the International Olympic Committee, and is taking those opportunities to push its Coca-Cola Zero brand. But marketers across Europe will aim for their brands to catch the eyes of audiences, with or without “official partner” status. Media agency EssenceMediacom, for example, is working with both official partner Adidas and clients looking to elbow in through less official routes, such as Subway and sports book Betfair.

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