CR7 is moving to Italy: A lesson for marketing

I am not his fan. I don’t know why I feel sad for him as he leaves for his new challenge in a new league with a new team. He is making things easier for him,but difficult for others to analyze and accept. It is very agonising that a great league like La liga will miss the most charismatic and prolific striker of the game.

Is Lionel Messi going to miss him?

Is Marketing going to miss him?

Yes…Christiano Ronaldo as a brand will be missed. His fan following with Real Madrid will be missed. We will be missing a potential and natural crowd puller. Over all he will be missed on the field and off the field.

The departure of CR7 is an indication of many strategic changes made by Spanish Giant Real Madrid and these changes will definitely seal the fate of a league that may not be same if Catalonia league will be a reality and FC Barcelona will be no more to challenge in every aspect of marketing.

How football world and sports marketing will change post CR7 era…

1. Italian league will get lifeline.  An old market will get a new product to revitalize and increase sales. Italian league is missing starpower.

2. Messi will follow the same path and will move to any Milan clubs in next year so.This will shift the same rivalry in a different country with different marketing strategy. I am sure Messi will leave Barcelona and he will struggle to find an image in post FIFA and post CR7 era. If Neymar moves to Real Madrid, then Eden Hazard will move to FC Barcelona. And a new generation of world class footballers will take the game to new heights.

3. This can be tought as a case study of   managing product obsolescence.

4. If Florentino Perez is having a master plan, then this move will be anther case to consider. No product is greater than the market…a marketer must bring changes for a good cause. Dynamism is marketing.

5. Recent developments of Italian football need to be analysed. Study the ownes issue of AC Milan as another development.

6. CR7 is going to bring a new spirit to Italian football. As he has not moved to MLS ,I can predict a marketing strategy for him,and for the Italian league.

A game needs CR7 to fire all cylinders and bring some competitiveness.