LONDON -- Rakuten’s blockbuster shirt sponsorship deal with Barcelona is a concerted effort to build the name of the Japanese brand internationally, a top Rakuten exec said.
Rakuten Exec Dir, Global Marketing & Branding Rahul Kadavakolu said, “In Japan we are of course a household name. We are not as well-known in global markets. The main reason why we did this is to build our brand. Two is to communicate the values and philosophy that back the brand. What does Rakuten actually mean? We are not a single-service company, which complicates our situation. We are more of an ecosystem-driven company with membership, data and brand.”
The $58M-per-year deal between one of the most famous football clubs in the world and the Japanese online firm marked one of the biggest ever football shirt sponsorship deals when it was signed last year. The four-year deal kicked off this year.
Rakuten is Japan’s biggest e-commerce company, employs more than 13,000 staff and already owns J.League club Vissel Kobe and baseball club Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles. However, the brand is not that well-known outside of Japan. Kadavakolu said that he was hoping the sponsorship would help drive an “emotional connect with fans” and help with “value creation.”
He was speaking Thursday on a panel at the Leaders Sport Business Summit along with Pepsi Head of Marketing & Innovation Mark Kirkham and DHL exec Fiona Taag.
The panelists were in agreement that it was increasingly important for brands to show good standards on ethical issues, be it on the environment or sustainability. Taag said: “We are doing a certain amount, but I think we could do more. In the future, I definitely see these kind of topical issues being more important for brands to get involved in.”
Tagg referenced Sport England’s "This Girl Can" campaign -- which helped over 1 million girls and women start, or restart a sporting activity -- as a favorite. Kirkham said: “I think it’s one of those things that we look to partners to start the conversations about not just what you get but what you can get back.” Kirkham pointed to Pepsi's work with the Champions League and its support of UEFA’s charitable arm, which he said was an important deal to Pepsi.
Leaders is owned and operated by American City Business Journals.
John Reynolds is a writer in London.
