Juventus will not "be the only one trying to cash in" on Cristiano Ronaldo's fame, according to Coppola & Novy-Williams of BLOOMBERG. Fiat Chrysler, whose Jeep logo "is plastered across the chests of Juventus’ black-and-white-striped jerseys," could get a "huge advertising boost" in the deal. If Ronaldo can lead Juventus to the Champions League final, the media exposure for that one year will be worth about $58.3M, according to Apex Marketing Group President Eric Smallwood. That would be "quite a return" on the $20M Fiat Chrysler pays each year for its Juventus sponsorship. Jeep forecasts global sales of 1.9 million this year, "more than double the 730,000 sold five years ago." Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne wants to bump that to 3.3 million by '22, "a goal Ronaldo could aid," especially with Hispanic football fans, Strategic Vision Senior VP Chris Chaney said. He added, "I can see the fit and where it will help strengthen things. The freedom and the adventure, the openness that Jeep represents, it’s appealing to everybody, but it’s particularly appealing to Hispanic new-car buyers" (BLOOMBERG, 7/10).
'UNACCEPTABLE': An Italian trade union announced that Fiat workers at its Melfi plant "will go on strike" over Ronaldo’s €105M ($122.5M) transfer to Juventus. It "is thought some of that fee will be paid through sponsorships" by Juve’s parent company, Exor, which owns the likes of Fiat and Ferrari, "prompting a furious backlash from the Unione Sindacale di Base." The union said in a statement, "It’s unacceptable that while FCA and CNHI workers continue to make huge economic sacrifices, the company then spends hundreds of millions of euros on the purchase of a player. We’re told that times are tough, that we need to resort to social safety nets, waiting for the launch of new models, which never arrive. And while the workers and their families tighten their belts more and more, the company decides to invest a lot of money on a single human resource!" (FOOTBALL ITALIA, 7/11).
OVERWHELMING DEMAND: IANS reported Juventus' online shop went down on Wednesday "just hours after" the Italian club released its new line of Ronaldo jerseys emblazoned with the number seven. Although the Juventus online shop "was down for the duration of Wednesday morning, fans were still able to go to official stores in Turin" to buy the shirts (IANS, 7/11).
