Roger Hampel
Tania Moreno, AC Milan's Chief Marketing Officer at Soccerex Miami 2023
At the recent Soccerex Miami event, a notable gathering in the football industry, Tania Moreno, AC Milan's Chief Marketing Officer, took the spotlight during a panel discussion on "Brand Building in the Americas". Joined by representatives from the Premier League, LaLiga, and Bayern Munich, Moreno shared valuable insights into AC Milan's brand evolution strategies, especially in the U.S. market.
The Club’s Unique U.S. Connection
During the panel, Moreno highlighted AC Milan's focus on the U.S. fanbase, emphasizing the importance of global fan engagement. She pointed out the expertise of RedBird Capital, AC Milan's majority shareholder, in leading the Club into a new growth phase that transcends traditional football boundaries.
“We have an American ownership, RedBird Capital, and they have tremendous experience at a global level, operating at the intersection of sports, media, entertainment and culture. With their expertise, the Club is now enjoying a new phase of growth on and off the pitch. This is why we are working with amazing partners, such as the New York Yankees, with whom we have formed an innovative partnership, which is quite unique as it puts together two of the most iconic sports brands in the world, whose influence goes beyond their respective playing fields. Our strategy in the US is already paying off, with AC Milan being the best-regarded Italian football club in the United States according to international market research YouGov."
Impact of U.S. Players on the Club
On the impact of having US players Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah and Allyson Swaby at AC Milan, Tania Moreno said: “First and foremost, we signed these players because they are fantastic players. However, it is underniable that having them in our squad is helping us reach the US audience in a more impactful way and is having a strong impact on the business side. Just to give some examples, in terms of ticket sales, this season we are seeing more single game tickets and hospitality tickets being sold to Americans than ever before.
In terms of merch sales, 74% of all CP11 jerseys are currently being sold in the US. Even more impressively, total units [all ACM merch] sold in US increased by 110% with respect to last year, which is a huge increase year on year. Finally, since July 2023, the percentage of shirts sold in US amounts to 20% of the total.
In terms of social media, we observed a peak in views originating from the United States on platforms such as YouTube, where video views from US are growing at impressive rates. Overall, 3 out of 10 of the most engaging videos of the season so far is featuring Pulisic. Turning to the app, it experienced a +266% surge in new app downloads from the US compared to last year, and on the website we achieved a +154% increase in users from US.”
AC Milan’s Versatility Beyond Football
On the versatility of the AC Milan brand, Tania Moreno said: “We do believe that to be able to really resonate with casual fans, we need to be able to resonate beyond the pitch. We play in music, gaming, fashion and other areas to connect differently and start to form relationships with new audiences and reinforce existing ones. We are very fortunate to be based in Milan, the capital of fashion. We try to leverage brand equity from brands in the fashion space to be able to resonate with the US audience and we have several examples of that in what we have done with KOCHE and Off-White over the past couple of years. We want to be able to leverage those type of parterships to be credible in those spaces. There’s a lot more coming soon in that space, with our Fourth Kit this season being a collaboration with our partner PUMA and a major US designer, so I would encourage everyone to stay tuned.”
Moreno’s Personal Connection to AC Milan
On a personal note, Moreno shared her unique connection to AC Milan: “My father played in the AC Milan development program in the '70s. As a lifelong fan, it’s an honor to bring my marketing expertise to AC Milan and grow the brand by resonating with fans globally.”
Conclusion
Tania Moreno's insights at Soccerex Miami highlight AC Milan’s strategic approach to expanding its brand in the Americas. With a focus on global fan engagement, innovative partnerships, and leveraging the Club’s versatility, AC Milan is set to strengthen its presence in the American market, resonating with fans both on and off the pitch.
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