By: Matthew Magill
Expanding upon the theme of the last post by my fellow team member Jordan Rodriguez, I would argue that with a recently renewed partnership with UNICEF, FC Barcelona has shown that it can live up to its motto, Mès Que un Club. The expansion of the partnership suggests that FC Barcelona may resemble a club more than a business.
While businesses often give portions of their profits to charity, sometimes dubiously in order to gain brand recognition and popularity with their target market, FC Barcelona's renewed partnership with UNICEF resembles something more humbling. The new agreement does more than simply expand upon a 10-year partnership with UNICEF for another 4 years. The agreement increases the 1.5 million euro already given to UNICEF annually to 2 million euro. With a 10-year historic partnership, fans around the world already recognize Barcelona when they encounter UNICEF and vise versa. If one were to argue that Barcelona is remaining committed to this relationship simply to increase their positive brand image, then why would FC Barcelona increase the amount given when doing so would seemingly bring no further recognition to their brand?
Increasing the amount given to UNICEF annually would have no benefit on FC Barcelona's brand image because fans already know the partnership exists. Instead, increasing the amount given to UNICEF stems from a commitment to the vulnerable. FC Barcelona's president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, gave his wishes for the commitment, stating, "With this new agreement, FC Barcelona seeks to take a step forward in this partnership. Now, the ties between Barca and UNICEF are closer than ever. We are united in the fight for children's rights and the promotion of education through sport. Barca is the club for the children of the world and UNICEF is the best partner for this journey."
Do you agree with Mr. Bartomeu that Barcelona is the "club for the children of the world," reflected by the recent agreement with UNICEF? Or would you argue that FC Barcelona pays UNICEF simply to keep their brand image high in the face of recent player scandals?
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_90305.html
I think that Barcelona is committed to their relationship with UNICEF, but I also think that raising the amount they donate could be a way to mask the other business aspects of their team. By adding to their charity fund they are shown in a more positive light to the members of their club, their fans, and other consumers of FCB merchandise, products, and games. I think the move is beneficial to UNICEF also and I don't want to take away from that, but I do think that it may have an ulterior business motive.
ReplyDeleteJackie Brett
While I agree that as a result of adding to their charity fund they are shown in a more positive light to the members of their club, their fans, and other consumers of FCB merchandise, products, and games, at the end of the day they are still donating 2 million euro a year to an organization that directly helps the most disadvantaged children in the world. Whether this increases their sales or not is not relevant in my opinion because while they do resemble a business in some senses, moves like this show that they are more than a business or an ordinary soccer club.
DeleteBest,
Matthew Magill
While I completely agree that Barcelona is dedicated to this renewed relationship, I'm not so convinced that this really proves they are a club rather than a business. Renewing this relationship with UNICEF is an extremely smart business move. In a general sense, consumers expect businesses to have a higher social responsibility. The UNICEF logo definitely balances out the controversial sponsor, Qatar Airways that is plastered on the front of their jerseys. Also I'd be interested to know if the club is getting any tax write offs for their donations. If so, I would have to question the motives for the renewed relationship even more.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to believe Barca was more of a club than a business, but in this day and age I think it's pretty unrealistic.
Lindsay Schiff
Lindsay,
DeleteBarcelona, like any professional sports franchise, is a business. However, the point of our blog website is to discuss whether FC Barcelona's unique business model as a member-owned club differentiates them from the privately owned clubs that now dominate the international football scene. The club's renewed commitment to an organization which consistently delivers aid to the most disadvantaged children of the world reflects this unique business model of Barcelona.
As for the Qatar Airways sponsorship, it is expected to be replaced with a Pepsi logo. Thus, while the club resembles a business, I have the confidence and optimism that FC Barcelona's renewed partnership with UNICEF was the result of a vote by morally sound members with a vision for both great football and a better world, not the result of some corporate executive thinking that it will raise next year's jersey sales.
Matthew Magill
While it's true that many fans where probably already aware of Barca's partnership with Unicef, I can't help but wonder if it was more of a PR stunt more than anything else. I try not to be pessimistic whenever major organizations make a charitable gesture, but with all of the controversy surrounding Barca in recent years, you can't help but wonder if it was more of a way to remind fans of their positive brand relationships than anything else. From Mascherano, Neymar, and Messi's tax evasion accusations in addition the questionable decision to partner up with Qatar Airways as the jersey sponsor, many fans certainly felt alienated and certainly wondered whether the players and club itself were living up to the "More than a Club" standard that Barcelona prides itself on.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I also agree with Lindsay in that partnering with Pepsi on the jersey instead of Qatar is an intelligent move, even if the true motive was money-related and less about the values of the brands themselves. Perhaps it's a way of Barca telling their fans that while they still care about big-money sponsorships, they'll be more aware of the moral agendas of their partnerships.
-James
James,
DeleteYou bring up an interesting point about the scandals that have recently involved the players, including Mascherano, Neymar, and Messi's tax evasion accusations. While the actions of the players does reflect poorly on the club's image, fans are still able to view FC Barcelona as a whole, and the majority of its players, in a good light. Additionally, because the players under fire are superstars, the story gains more media attention, appearing to hurt FC Barcelona more, when in reality it does not. The tax evasion scandals, in my opinion, reflect more poorly on the legacies of these particular players than they do on the club. With the potential cutting of ties with Qatar for the Pepsi deal, as well as with a renewed agreement with UNICEF, the FC Barcelona club seems to be committed to a positive club atmosphere, even if a few of their players are not.
Matthew Magill
While it's true that many fans where probably already aware of Barca's partnership with Unicef, I can't help but wonder if it was more of a PR stunt more than anything else. I try not to be pessimistic whenever major organizations make a charitable gesture, but with all of the controversy surrounding Barca in recent years, you can't help but wonder if it was more of a way to remind fans of their positive brand relationships than anything else. From Mascherano, Neymar, and Messi's tax evasion accusations in addition the questionable decision to partner up with Qatar Airways as the jersey sponsor, many fans certainly felt alienated and certainly wondered whether the players and club itself were living up to the "More than a Club" standard that Barcelona prides itself on.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I also agree with Lindsay in that partnering with Pepsi on the jersey instead of Qatar is an intelligent move, even if the true motive was money-related and less about the values of the brands themselves. Perhaps it's a way of Barca telling their fans that while they still care about big-money sponsorships, they'll be more aware of the moral agendas of their partnerships.
-James
I agree with a lot of what you said James, this move undoubtedly made some headlines. This wasn't a secret by any means. However, with that said, it still is pretty beneficial for all partners regardless of intentions. Unicef and FC Barcelona both made the news, boosting their brand recognition. At the same time, Unicef has more money to do good.
DeleteJames,
DeleteYou bring up an interesting point about the scandals that have recently involved the players, including Mascherano, Neymar, and Messi's tax evasion accusations. While the actions of the players does reflect poorly on the club's image, fans are still able to view FC Barcelona as a whole, and the majority of its players, in a good light. Additionally, because the players under fire are superstars, the story gains more media attention, appearing to hurt FC Barcelona more, when in reality it does not. The tax evasion scandals, in my opinion, reflect more poorly on the legacies of these particular players than they do on the club. With the potential cutting of ties with Qatar for the Pepsi deal, as well as with a renewed agreement with UNICEF, the FC Barcelona club seems to be committed to a positive club atmosphere, even if a few of their players are not.
Matthew Magill
Of course there is always a good reason for partnering and donating with a charity and they do donate to help the children, however it is definitely a form of corporate social responsibility which basically now a days, all businesses are expected to take part in. And in reaction to saying why would they increase their amount donated if fans were already aware? Simply because they are growing and maintaining their spot in the world's richest football clubs, if they don't continuously donate more, not counting for inflation it is essentially less and less, to maintain their donation while they themselves grow, they must increase their donation to maintain their good corporate social responsibility. While yes, it is to help the charity, I really think that there is a reason and motive behind what they were doing. If they got no recognition at all would they still do it? Maybe but they certainly wouldn't increase their donation.
ReplyDeleteMarisa,
DeleteI agree with you statements that businesses practicing corporate responsibility does result in donations to various charities. However, in a sport such as football, where FC Barcelona proudly wears the UNICEF logo across its jersey, they seem to be actively promoting others to give to the organization. In this fashion, I see it as more than a simple business decision. In this case, this is what makes FC Barcelona live up to its "mès que un club" motto.
Best,
Matthew Magill