Torres and Simeone are constant references for brands

Fernando Torres and Julen Guerrero they are still trendy. They gave a unique identity and marked an era. Companies are betting on ex-football players who are around or over forty. One type of sponsorship that is on the rise. He reached fifty, plus Diego Pablo Simeone and Fabio Cannavaro. Sponsorships are not just for active youth.

The car brand SsangYong with Fernando Torresthe fashion brand El Ganso with Julen Guerrero, Diego Simeone associated with the telecommunications company Orange and Fabio Cannavaro as the image of the Italian television package TIM, are some of the examples where brands have chosen legends to represent their brands this fall-winter.

“Athletes with a dedicated career have a certain image that remains in the minds of fans and consumers. This image is difficult to change, among other things because not competing, it remains a ‘picture’ of the moment . On the other hand, current athletes don’t just create that brand imagebut that image can also change for better or worse, because they have a good streak of results in sports, or on the contrary they can be involved in certain controversies that in some way also affect the brand,” says by Ana Belén Perdigones, director of the Master and Sports Marketing Management at ESIC.

They are athletes recognized by several generations. Some see them as references to ancient football, while others also see them on the field and feel their goals and victories. In this way, the segment is broad and the brands position themselves with a “timelessness” perspective, where they are not considered young or old.

Fernando Torresformer player of Atlético de Madrid and world champion with the Spanish team, the image of the new SsanYong towers. A car from the Korean brand that took advantage of the model name and its similarity to the old red and white to launch the campaign in Spain.

Power, strength, durability, performance… this is what the Korean brand means to the new car with the stamp of Fernando Torres. The former athlete has retained some qualities over time, even now that he is not competing.

“Certainly Fernando Torres has changed physically just like our brandwhich now presents a completely renewed exterior line,” said Javier de la Calzada, Communication Manager of SsangYong.

Julen Guerrero, former player of Athletic Club, is the new image of the fall-winter campaign of the Spanish brand El Ganso. A brand that in this case has a more specific target, and its image is close to the age of a large part of the client to which the product is directed.

“We have always really liked his image. We loved how he played football and we were impressed with his debut at the Bernabéu against Madrid when he was just 18 years old.. How he threw a team behind him. He is the undisputed leader, and very young,” said Alvaro Cebrián, co-founder of the firm.

A player who stands out for his immense loyalty to his fans. He stayed inside Athletic for their immense loyalty despite having very important offers from the best clubs in Europe. An idea that represents what El Ganso is: “His loyalty to his club is one of the aspects we admire the most and why we feel so familiar with him, because we stayed true to our style,” he said.

SimeonArgentine coach of Atlético de Madrid, At 53 years old, he is the protagonist of the ‘Centro de Alto Entretenimiento’ campaign, which affects Spanish television to promote football on the Orange platform.

“These types of collaborations are on the rise. More and more brands are associating themselves with sport and athletes to more strongly communicate what the brand and its values ​​are. This is an alternative for many brands want to differentiate themselves through different idols, and their values ​​are not aligned with young athletes. That makes it a very interesting alternative,” emphasizes Ana Belén Perdigones.

The value of the brand of former players can continue to increase over time: “The cost depends on several factors, not only the image of the athlete and its influence in communication, but also the actions or activities with respect to this collaboration. What the brand itself is most interested in is the return on investment.That is, for every euro invested how much profit I will get. This way you can really measure the impact of the campaign or collaboration,” said the ESIC expert.

In Italylike a World Champion as Fabio Cannavaro It also takes advantage of the television advertising market. His face, one of the most famous in the transalpine country, has been on every screen since September 6, when it rebroadcast the television ad of TIM, the most important telecommunications group in Italy, which had already launched its commercial for a good part of summer.

with others World ChampionThe driver Francesco Bagnaia, Cannavarowho until February of this year was coach of Benevento in Serie B, does not go far from its comfort zone and promotes a television package to watch football Italy.