I WAS glued to the television last week when Barcelona demonstrated that they were the equivalent of a whole league better than any other club in Europe. They are a real credit to the game.
But all is not well in football, especially not at FIFA.
We are seeing timely reminders of the value multinational companies place on the integrity of their brands as the row over the governance of world football reaches a new intensity. Businesses of every shape and size build brands and awareness as part of their successful development.
And it’s an area of business where some pretty basic ground rules apply.
Firstly, it’s important to establish brand identity and a sense of related values that go some way towards creating in customers’ minds, or those of potential customers, a sense of how that company sees itself and the way it goes about its business.
The bigger the business, generally, the bigger the resources available and allocated to this type of activity.
By good measure, this also tends to apply to the value the firm puts on its brand identity and brand values. So when a catastrophic oil spill engulfed a substantial area of US waters, BP found itself in an intense and unwelcome spotlight.
What we saw in the FIFA row yesterday was two global brands seeking to retain some control in a situation that poses a major threat.
When Coca-Cola and Adidas joined the fray, they did so with a very clear requirement to protect their brands and their images.
As long-term and major financial sponsors associated with football all over the world know, perhaps better than any of the national football associations affiliated to FIFA, the risks that are being run are substantial.
By joining the fray and presenting their position so clearly, each of these firms is seeking to retain some control over the situation – and protect individual brands.
Theirs is a very high-profile, high-stakes game, and their response to it reflects their need to limit damage.
It’s being played out around the world – but the issues they are facing apply to businesses of every size whether they are in domestic or international markets.
For them, it’s a beautiful business rather than a beautiful game.
