Neymar Already Outshines Messi in Publicity Stakes

08/01/2013 - 08h46

Skilful and charismatic. Just two of the adjectives commonly associated with Neymar. Adjectives which have already been converted into enormous sums of money, and have brought the Brazilian forward to one of the greatest football clubs in the world. It's now down to Barcelona to capitalize on his fame, and convert it into success - both on and off the field.

According to marketing experts, the task should be straightforward. Neymar's arrival at Barcelona is considered an enormous commercial opportunity, both for club and player.

Nike, for one, will be delighted with the move. Already Barcelona's kit sponsor, they now endorse one of team's principal stars (Messi, quieter and less charismatic, has a deal with Adidas). Neymar also provided feedback on Nike's new Hypervenom boot, along with Wayne Rooney and Zlatan Ibrahimovic - another sign of the star's growing status.

Quique Garcia/AFP

FC Barcelona's new Brazilian forward Neymar da Silva Santos Junior gestures during a press conference in Barcelona

In official team shops throughout Barcelona, vendors have reported that requests for shirts with 'Neymar Jr.' printed on the back outweigh demands for shirts with Messi's name. However, the club has said it has yet to measure the impact of Neymar's transfer on sales and marketing.

For Esteve Calzada, ex-director of marketing for the Catalan club and CEO of Prime Time Sport, the current focus on Neymar should free Messi from excessive publicity campaigns and remove some of the pressure from the rest of the team.
Since Neymar was officially unveiled as a Barcelona player at the Nou Camp in June, he has undergone media training, in order to help him deal with attention from the press. At his unveiling - in front of 56,000 fans - he even ventured some phrases in Catalan, though he will of course take Spanish classes.

Barcelona have already been taking advantage of Neymar's arrival on internet social media. The club created an official Twitter page in Portuguese, to try to appeal to some of the 7.7 million people who follow Neymar's personal feed.

And just this week, Barcelona announced a three-year sponsorship agreement with the videogame developer EA Sports. Unsurprisingly, Neymar features in the publicity.

In Brazil, Santos managed to hold on to Neymar for nearly four years. This year he featured among Forbes magazines 100 highest-paid athletes, earning close to R$43 million (nearly US$19 million) in 2012/13. According to the magazine Sports Pro, Neymar was the athlete with the greatest marketing potential in 2012.

Translated by TOM GATEHOUSE

Read the article in the original language