Coca Cola was the first commercial sponsor of the Olympic Games, placing a small kiosk at the 1928 games in Amsterdam. And it remains an Olympic sponsor to this day – that’s a relationship of 81 years. The company has also been an official sponsor of every FIFA World Cup since 1978. Those are some long-term commitments, and they amply demonstrate Coca Cola’s commitment to sports endorsement.
The Coca Cola brand is both international and popular, strengths that the company has used to its advantage in the world of sports. And in the Middle East, Coca Cola is pretty much everywhere; from Lebanon to Jordan, Syria to Iraq, Yemen to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates to Palestine, Coca Cola has established itself – and activated its sports marketing platform in along the way.
In Palestine, where the soda giant goes under the name the National Beverage Company (NBC), carbonated drinks, water, juices and an energy drink (all by Coca Cola) are locally manufactured in Tulkarem, Ramallah, and Jericho. Antoine Tayyar, public affairs and communications manager for The Coca Cola Export Corporation, says that while it’s challenging to support a community during tough times (such as the occupation in Palestine), Coca Cola has been in Palestine for over a decade and is actively engaging in sports.
“Basketball was stopped for 20 years in Palestine,” says Tayyar. “Coca Cola rejuvenated it by sponsoring the Birzeit University basketball team. NBC also recently started a football tournament in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, which reached 1000 students in 100 schools. Throughout the West Bank, NBC also inaugurated five football schools for girls.”
Arwa, the NBC manufactured water, sponsors the Palestinian Swimming Federation & Aquatic Sport, while the company also signed a two-year sponsorship agreement with the De La Salle basketball team in Palestine. NBC sponsored the Palestinian national football team for five years, and is a partner of the Palestinian Association for Children’s Encouragement of Sports (PACES) charity.
Tayyar says Palestine is one of the most successful markets in the Middle East for Coca Cola, but the brand’s focus is not just there. In Lebanon, Coca Cola supports football, having sponsored two major teams, Nejmeh and Hikmeh. In Jordan, Coca Cola has tied up with the basketball federation to come up with the Most Valuable Player (MVP) initiative. “Audiences watch the games on television or attend matches, then they vote for the best player, who is in turn awarded with valuable prizes and training camps with international players,” explains Tayyar.
In the GCC, Coca Cola – along with the Ministry of Education – is promoting football to teenagers in Yemen, while in Saudi Arabia, the company was one of the sponsors of the national football team. In the UAE, Coca Cola has partnered with FIFA for two major events, the upcoming Dubai Beach Soccer World Cup (due to be held in November in Dubai), as well as the FIFA Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi in December.
The work of the NBC on the sports marketing and sponsorship arena is extensive, and Tayyar says this is due to the strong activation of Coca Cola’s sports platform; the company has always given a priority to sports.
“Coca Cola has several platforms worldwide, and one of them is sports,” says Tayyar. “Football is a major one, as it’s the most global game out there. The Coca Cola brand is present in 206 countries; what would unite those 206 countries in terms of sports? I definitely think football is the most popular game in the world, so it was a natural move when we entered these markets.”
Though Coca Cola’s carbonated drinks don’t have the healthiest of reputations, the company’s partnership and commitment to sport is ingrained into its culture. But Tayyar says its sport initiatives aren’t about the drinks being healthy or not (he advocates moderation in consumption), rather the objective of the company is to promote a healthy lifestyle. “In the Arab world, lifestyles have changed,” he says. “There are more facilities in terms of transportation, which has changed in a way conducive to people becoming less active and more sedentary. This is caused by a combination of things.”
Tayyar says that beyond the sports and health aspect to Coca Cola’s sports marketing and sponsorships, the brand’s ethos revolves around occasions, and being part of big moments and celebrations. “We’re part of any popular activity, and it’s quite a popular activity when half of the world’s population is watching the World Cup,” he explains. “Wherever there is a strong demand and drive from consumers, we support them.”
The challenge in the region for brands looking to commit to sports marketing is that it’s a very competitive market says Tayyar. “There are so many industries supporting sports,” he says. “Well, at the end of the day, it all leads to more activity and more sports, which is always welcome. It’s a healthy competition, that’s a good way of putting it.”