Since Bundesliga club Bayern Munich became the first European soccer team to establish a permanent office in the U.S. three years ago, the club has used a blend of communication methods to forge a deeper connection with old and new fans in the U.S. The club built out U.S.-specific social media accounts, which together have more than 100,000 followers. Bayern President of the Americas Rudolf Vidal said the club also has signed media content partnerships with Goal.com, Univision and Yahoo and works closely with Fox Sports, which holds the U.S. TV rights to the Bundesliga. It has more than 120 official fan clubs in the U.S. and Canada, the most of any European team and up from eight before it opened the U.S. office. The club has even worked with other European soccer leagues and clubs that have also looked to break into the U.S. market, something that Vidal said has brought out some of the competitive nature you might see in the club’s matches. Vidal: "Our goal from the start was to find partners, create alliances and connect with everyone that loves this sport." Vidal added that Bayern’s U.S. presence has aided existing partners such as Adidas and Audi, which both have ownership stakes in the club, but it has also helped draw U.S.-based companies that have recently signed global partnerships with the club, including Apple Music, Beats by Dre, EA Sports, Goodyear and Procter & Gamble.
ALL ACROSS THE GLOBE: Vidal noted that Goodyear activates alongside the team not only in the German-speaking markets of Austria, Germany and Switzerland, but also in China and the U.S., two regions where the club has played preseason matches. After participating in the Int'l Champions Cup in the U.S. last year, the club is playing matches in China this summer. Vidal: “Companies are seeing the value in growing alongside us in the regional markets that we are targeting, as well as in Europe -- it becomes a global story." He added the club may look toward U.S.-specific regional sponsorships in the future. The club is also planning to expand its efforts into Latin America and South America. Vidal said it will look to follow the same playbook it has in the U.S., and will manage its South American efforts from its N.Y. office.
