Sport sells: clear the track for sporty product ideasEuropean Football Championship and the Olympics get marketing strategists thinking creatively

THE UEFA European Football Championship and the Summer Olympics: the 2008 super-sport year has the world of marketing strategists buzzing with excitement. With major international sporting events following hard on one another's heels, a large part of the world's population is gripped by sporting fever. As people become more aware of the importance of sports for health and physical appearance, many are being inspired to become more active themselves. And hand in hand with this goes a desire to eat healthily and with more thought for one's figure. The food industry is also joining the party, making the most of this marketing opportunity. With appropriate product positioning and sports-themed designs, it is grabbing consumers?attention and reaping the benefits of their sporting euphoria. As well as fostering international understanding, global sporting events are increasingly turning into commercial highlights. Sport sells ?and with growing spectator numbers and jubilant celebrations, sponsors, events agencies and entire branches of industry are jumping on board. 揝port is emotion and it makes people thirsty for more, whether they are active sportspeople or just armchair enthusiasts,?says Jo鉶 Bosco Ferreira, CEO at Cemil, one of Brazil's leading dairy products manufacturers. Since the beginning of this year, the company has been selling UHT-milk in the club colors of successful Brazilian top football clubs Atl閠ico Mineiro and Cruzeiro in the combiblocMidi 1,000 ml. 揑n Brazil football means passion and this fervor infects the whole country ?not just for a couple of days, as with the Carnival, but all year round,?says Ferreira. 揝o with the development of this packaging concept, we are picking up on a theme that really moves people. We are incorporating the vitality of the sport into our brand strategy. The two milk varieties in the sporty livery are officially licensed products of both clubs and every fan has the awareness that by buying the carton packs he is supporting his club. In this way, we are creating a win-win situation for the clubs and for Cemil's brand awareness. The marketing campaign is accompanied by poster promotions in the clubs?stadiums.? On-pack promotions not only increase sales or boost marketing in the short term, but also to win over the consumer in the long term, says Ingo Buettgen, head of Global Communications at SIG Combibloc. 揗ore and more, packaging solutions that generate sales on a continuing basis and establish brand image need to be consumer-friendly forms of packaging that protect the product and at the same time appeal to the senses and stir the emotions,?he says.

Well thought-out design

As a rule, companies pursue long-term marketing objectives by linking in additional advertising activities. Combined with the original campaign, these serve primarily to increase brand awareness in general or raise the profile of a specific product. The main focus in this is on effectively differentiating a product from competing goods with consumer perception taking centre stage. When a consumer purchases a product, it is generally the visual appearance of the product that makes the initial impact. Packaging plays a key role here. In addition to striking or emotional imagery, the packaging may also ?depending on the desired product positioning ?be deliberately used to communicate product information that convinces the consumer to try a product. With its four printable display surfaces the carton pack is perfect for bringing communication elements together to create a harmonious whole and to communicate with the consumer on different cognitive levels. “The beverages industry in particular is a highly competitive market in which products need to beHombre