MARKeTInG ACTIVITIeS
SPOnSOr DAy
the sponsor Day organized by the FiGc is the annual meeting-event bringing together the Association, the players and corporate partners. this event is stipulated in the annual sponsorship contracts signed by the FiGc with various sponsors and partners. in the European championships and World cups years this sponsor Day is held as part of the pre-championship training sessions. The President of the Italian FA invites the presidents, CEOs and marketing managers of the partner companies to participate in a meeting with athletes, technical personnel and staff of the National Team. For the FIGC the Sponsor Day is an important opportunity for communication and meeting with its stakeholders, given the national profile of the event.
CASA Azzurri
the casa Azzurri project’s primary objective is to be the carrier of image-related, communication, public relations, sales promotion and trading endeavors, which can be realized for the benefit of this very special ‘Made in italy’ product both in italy and abroad. casa Azzurri is the reference point for supporters of the national team, for partners and for all those who wish to be in direct contactwith the world of the national A team during UEFA and FiFA events around the world.
the travelling headquarters is erected or installed in the vicinity of the stadium hosting the italian national team to act as a meeting place for the international audience, as well as for guests from the worlds of sports, culture, politics, entertainment and the mass media. the FiGc is rightfully proud of casa Azzurri as the only project of its kind in Europe and the world. A brand and an event created and managed by the Association, through its eight global and European editions, this project has become a concrete structure and image of italy abroad, with its colors, design, culture, art, food and wine, music and of course sports. important italian companies have been able to develop business relations in the countries that have hosted the World cups and European championships, they have hosted their own buyers and conducted team building activities with their own offices abroad. Ministries, regions, provinces and publically owned companies have accompanied the industrial and craftsmanship expressions of their local areas in appearing on a highly visible stage in order to foster their globalization. the Ministries have met with the italian communities in the tournament host countries, encouraging ‘back home’ tourism and social exchange. institutes have presented what tourism and agribusiness have to offer, informing, communicating, disseminating and promoting their products, services and values.
BrAnD PrOTeCTiOn
In order to communicate effectively and to standardize the image of the Association projected to its target audiences, any use of the brand, identity and distinctive element that interprets and represents the image of the Association and the values associated with it must be authorized in advance. The Marketing Department is responsible for the protection of the FIGC brand, its use and its reproduction in any form, and is also responsible for managing the authorizing procedures for the use of the logo in patronage procedures. the use of the logo must fully comply with the parameters
Relations with RcS Sport
For the four-year period 2010-2014 the italian Football Association has renewed the agreement with Rcs sport as exclusive advisor for consultancy regarding the valorization of the sponsorship rights of all the italian national teams.
the FiGs’s renewed confidence in Rcs sport is the result of four years of experience and successful collaboration that has produced highly significant results for the whole italian football movement: the turnover of more than 60 million Euro, the result of sponsorships and the casa Azzurri 2008
MARKeTInG ACTIVITIeS
SPOnSOrS AnD PArTnerS
in the initial phase of the four-year period (2011-2014) leading up to the 2014 FiFA World cup in Brazil, sponsorship and partnership agreements have been signed with:
TECHNICAL SPONSOR
TOP SPONSORS
OFFICIAL SPONSORS
OFFICIAL PARTNERS
MEDIA PARTNER TECHNICAL SUPPLIERS OFFICIAL VEHICLES
in order to ensure prestige, promptness, timeliness and confidentiality with respect to its stakeholders, the FIGC manages corporate communications through the Press and Public Relations Office working on the basis of well- defined guidelines. This work is carried out through:
• the use of standard tools (press releases, official statements, website, press conferences, press/tV/radio interviews, publications)
• a PR process structured on a pyramidal base that ensures essential reinforcement for the flow of communication enhanced by heightened confidentiality
• the constant monitoring of the media by means of specific instruments (online press review, audio/video/web surveys, news agencies scrolls, web surfing)
With regard to the activities of endorsement of social responsibility campaigns, the close relations between the FiGc and the tV broadcasting rights holder (RAi) is regulated on a contractual basis.
the Press and Public Relations office conducts organizational activities (media operations) during major sporting events (qualifiers, friendly matches, specific projects for the final stages of the FiFA/UEFA tournaments such as the casa Azzurri Mediacenter).
the Press and Public Relations office defines, implements and manages facilities and services dedicated to the mass media and communications. on the occasion of national team matches in 2011 support was provided in dealing with the press at 175 events, including:
• National A Team: 41 coach press conferences and 46 meetings with the players • Under 21: 39 coach press conferences and 36 meetings with the players
European championship, held in italy in Emilia-Romagna
• Men's Youth National Teams: 5 press conferences of which 2 during Under 17 matches in Lecce, 2 during Under 19 matches in Viterbo and 1 during Under 20 match in Bassano
FiGc coMMUnicAtion ActiVitiEs
Box and news briefs published number
news published in 2011 1.210
Press Releases
Press Releases published in 2011 628
Media gallery
Media gallery published in 2011 23
weBSiTeS
the FiGc website www.figc.it, is divided into two macro-areas, with a section dedicated to corporate communication and one dedicated to the “Vivo Azzurro” programme users community, and is the vehicle or channel that brings information to the outside world about the activities of the FiGc. the contents cover news, official press releases, downloadable documents, such as the statute, FiGc Regulations, the noiF and, the Reportcalcio, as well as information about awareness raising campaigns in progress. in 2011, the FiGc website recorded 1,188,559
single visitors with 6,294,938 pages viewed and an average duration on the site of about 2'30". The new Vivo Azzurro website was developed in 2012 with the creation of an application for smartphones and