Soccer United Marketing has struck Women's World Cup television ad agreements with Adidas, Anheuser-Busch, Hyundai and Canon, said John Lane, the marketing firm's senior director of new business development and national media sales.
As of last week, the event's TV schedule had not yet been announced. The expectation is that ESPN2 would air many of the games live (rather than ESPN, which has a more crowded schedule and might televise only a few), while ABC would broadcast the championship match and probably a couple of earlier-round matchups involving the U.S. team. Originally, the 2003 Cup was set to take place in China, but because of the SARS outbreak there, the event was moved to the United States and set for Sept. 20-Oct. 12.
Game telecasts will air on weekend afternoons, in prime time and on weekday afternoons. The ratings estimate for the championship game on ABC is a 7.9 household average. An ABC broadcast of the U.S. team's opening game is projected to deliver a 2.4 household average and another first-round game involving the U.S. squad is estimated to generate a 3.5 on the network. Ratings projections on ESPN2: a 2.1 household average for the U.S. team's first-round games, a 2.5 for a quarterfinal game with the United States; a 4.2 for a semifinal game with the United States; and a range of 0.4 to 1.9 for other games.
Lane would not disclose the dollar value of the ad agreements, but industry sources estimated that they total close to $5 million.
Women's World Cup TV ad packages are divided into gold, silver and bronze categories, priced at roughly $1.5 million-$2 million, $1 million-$1.5 million and $750,000-$1 million, respectively.
Packages include commercial time on the telecasts (pregame, halftime and postgame spots); on-air billboards; and on-air sponsored features. Additionally, any FIFA partner that signs on gets the right to have its corporate logo placed next to the onscreen game clock for a time during each telecast. Anheuser-Busch, Adidas and Hyundai are partners of FIFA, soccer's world governing body.
According to Lane, Soccer United Marketing is seeking 10 to 12 advertisers. Ad talks are taking place with several FIFA partners and with several advertisers that are not FIFA sponsors.
Lane said the agreements with Anheuser-Busch and Canon guarantee them exclusivity in their respective ad categories.
Peter McLoughlin, vice president of corporate media for Anheuser-Busch Cos., said Anheuser-Busch has secured three commercial units for each game telecast: one in pregame, one in halftime and one in postgame coverage.
Anheuser-Busch's Women's World Cup agreement with Soccer United Marketing was part of a deal that also included a presence on the U.S. television coverage of the 2002 men's World Cup, McLoughlin said. The firm also handled those English-language TV rights and is in charge of TV ad sales for Major League Soccer.
"We have a very positive and long-standing relationship with MLS," McLoughlin said, adding that Anheuser-Busch is the league's official beer partner. (Adidas also is an MLS partner.)
He added: "Budweiser and Bud Light are long-term sponsors of soccer. We think the Women's World Cup is a great opportunity to enhance the brands' image with the growing sport of soccer."
FIFA, meanwhile, has given Soccer United Marketing the right to sell six "supplier"-level sponsorships for the 2003 Women's World Cup. Packages include on-site marketing rights, field-side signs and rights to use the Women's World Cup logo in the United States. Talks are taking place with several undisclosed companies.
