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Long gone are the days that Jürgen Klopp practically had to beg for his very first endorsement deal as a coach — and he didn't even get paid for it.
“As the coach of Mainz, nobody wanted to sign a contract with me, the interest from sportswear manufacturers was below zero. So I thought, at least I want to wear the clothes I like best,” Klopp once said in an interview with the Tagesspiegel paper.
“That was Nike. I thought their gear was cool. So I went there and said I didn't want any money. Fine. That's how it all started.”
How things have developed since then is hard to miss: Whether it's beverages, insurance companies, wall plugs, cars, banks, chocolate bars, sports equipment, travel websites, facial care, or electronics retailers, the ever smiling Klopp has been and continues to be the face of many companies, earning lots of money in the process.
"A coach turned into a human advertising billboard,” Der Spiegel magazine has said.
Potential for conflict with Klopp's sponsorship deals
Many believe that his role as a brand ambassador for Red Bull is incompatible with being national team coach.
However, according to Kicker sports magazine, the widely reported solution that Klopp could remain a Red Bull brand ambassador while serving as national team coach is not part of negotiation between the soft drinks makers, where Klopp is still under contract as Head of Global Soccer, and the German Football Federation (DFB).
Even without this particularly sensitive role, several other advertising partnerships carry the potential for conflicts because the companies compete with official DFB sponsors.
The answer will likely be found in the contract yet to be negotiated between the association and the coach. All parties are currently remaining tight-lipped on the matter.
No trouble with the DFB's new outfitter Nike
At least one issue will resolve itself due to contract timing: Klopp's role as an Adidas brand ambassador ends after this World Cup.
That means the DFB's new outfitter Nike, which will reportedly pay the association €100 million per year starting in 2027, will not have to intervene.
Why Klopp is so popular as an advertising figure
Many companies want Klopp because “he comes across as authentic, communicative, and approachable. He manages to connect with people emotionally without seeming staged,” marketing expert Felix Murbach told dpa.
“It's not his fame that makes him so valuable to brands, but the trust he has built up over many years.”
Klopp's adviser Marc Kosicke once told Die Welt that it was never the original goal “to build Jürgen Klopp into a brand” but that “it's about the work you've done and the personality you have. Sporting success is the foundation for successful marketing.”
The DFB can certainly benefit from that as well as with Klopp as its figurehead sponsorship negotiations are likely to become easier.
There is also mocking criticism
But the fact that the former title winning Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool coach shows little brand loyalty and is so omnipresent in advertising has also somewhat tarnished that image.
Magazine 11Freunde said that according to an internet search Klopp has entered into a total of 25 advertising partnerships during his coaching career.
"We think: quite a normal guy,” it wrote, alluding to Klopp's famous 2015 introduction in Liverpool, when he described himself as “The Normal One” in contrast to "The Special One" José Mourinho.
Satirical website Der Postillon meanwhile suggested that “to make the job more appealing to the star coach, the men's national team is reportedly set to be renamed the Trivago-DVAG-Red-Bull Kickers.”
Continue reading...
“As the coach of Mainz, nobody wanted to sign a contract with me, the interest from sportswear manufacturers was below zero. So I thought, at least I want to wear the clothes I like best,” Klopp once said in an interview with the Tagesspiegel paper.
“That was Nike. I thought their gear was cool. So I went there and said I didn't want any money. Fine. That's how it all started.”
How things have developed since then is hard to miss: Whether it's beverages, insurance companies, wall plugs, cars, banks, chocolate bars, sports equipment, travel websites, facial care, or electronics retailers, the ever smiling Klopp has been and continues to be the face of many companies, earning lots of money in the process.
"A coach turned into a human advertising billboard,” Der Spiegel magazine has said.
Potential for conflict with Klopp's sponsorship deals
Many believe that his role as a brand ambassador for Red Bull is incompatible with being national team coach.
However, according to Kicker sports magazine, the widely reported solution that Klopp could remain a Red Bull brand ambassador while serving as national team coach is not part of negotiation between the soft drinks makers, where Klopp is still under contract as Head of Global Soccer, and the German Football Federation (DFB).
Even without this particularly sensitive role, several other advertising partnerships carry the potential for conflicts because the companies compete with official DFB sponsors.
The answer will likely be found in the contract yet to be negotiated between the association and the coach. All parties are currently remaining tight-lipped on the matter.
No trouble with the DFB's new outfitter Nike
At least one issue will resolve itself due to contract timing: Klopp's role as an Adidas brand ambassador ends after this World Cup.
That means the DFB's new outfitter Nike, which will reportedly pay the association €100 million per year starting in 2027, will not have to intervene.
Why Klopp is so popular as an advertising figure
Many companies want Klopp because “he comes across as authentic, communicative, and approachable. He manages to connect with people emotionally without seeming staged,” marketing expert Felix Murbach told dpa.
“It's not his fame that makes him so valuable to brands, but the trust he has built up over many years.”
Klopp's adviser Marc Kosicke once told Die Welt that it was never the original goal “to build Jürgen Klopp into a brand” but that “it's about the work you've done and the personality you have. Sporting success is the foundation for successful marketing.”
The DFB can certainly benefit from that as well as with Klopp as its figurehead sponsorship negotiations are likely to become easier.
There is also mocking criticism
But the fact that the former title winning Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool coach shows little brand loyalty and is so omnipresent in advertising has also somewhat tarnished that image.
Magazine 11Freunde said that according to an internet search Klopp has entered into a total of 25 advertising partnerships during his coaching career.
"We think: quite a normal guy,” it wrote, alluding to Klopp's famous 2015 introduction in Liverpool, when he described himself as “The Normal One” in contrast to "The Special One" José Mourinho.
Satirical website Der Postillon meanwhile suggested that “to make the job more appealing to the star coach, the men's national team is reportedly set to be renamed the Trivago-DVAG-Red-Bull Kickers.”
Continue reading...
