VIDEO: Pele strikes global partnership with MediaCom

By Daniel Farey-Jones, mediaweek.co.uk, 10 August 2012, 02:05PM

MediaCom has unveiled a four-year global partnership with Pele that will span the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics in Brazil, through Legends 10, the legendary footballer's exclusive global agent.

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We caught up with the three-time World Cup winner and Marcus John, the global head of MediaCom Sport, to talk more about the deal.

The coup for the WPP media agency means it will represent Pele for all commercial appearances in future advertising and product endorsements on a national, regional and global scale in a deal understood to be worth single-digit millions of pounds.

Earlier this year Pele brought all his licensing and image rights under the control of Legends 10.

Non-commercial appearances, for example for Fifa and the Brazil Organising Committee of the Olympic Games, will be handled by Legends 10, according to John.

Pele has arrived in London ahead of Sunday night's closing ceremony, which will see London hand over to Rio and could feature an appearance from the 71-year-old.

MediaCom estimates that a budget of a combined $2bn will be deployed by more than 60 sponsors linked with the two global events.

It has yet to announce any brands who have signed up to work with Pele, but John hopes to unveil one within months.

"As a media agency we need to look at where our advertisers go, where are the main investments, and over the next four years, come Sunday evening, there's no other place on the planet that will attract more advertiser spend both in rights fees invested with organising committees plus the investment that goes with these rights fees to amplify the rights, than Brazil.

"Is there anybody that exemplifies the country, the passion, and the things that stand for the event...? There's no other country that has somebody like Pele – the athlete of the century, right?

"If you compare other football players, other stars, there really isn't a comparable personality alive today.

"He's a UN ambassador, he's much, much bigger than sport. Obviously being Brazilian and having the two biggest events on the planet in his home country, the amplification of what he can do to brands is unprecedented, it's never happened before."

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This article was first published on mediaweek.co.uk