The EURO 2024 Battle of Brands

The EURO 2024 Battle of Brands

EURO2024 is not only a battle of the best national teams, it’s also a battle of the brands. Because it’s a massive marketing opportunity. More than 5 billion people watched the tournament. The final game alone will have two times more viewers than the Super Bowl. No wonder that Adidas, Nike and Puma are betting their sponsorship money on the best teams and players. To win when the world is watching. So while Spain and the Netherlands shine on the pitch, which brand is the biggest winner of EURO2024? As it turned out, there was one surprise winner that came out of nowhere to mess with the established giants. Welcome to Athletic Interest and the battle of the brands. Let’s start by looking at the numbers. After all, the more teams you supply the more fans will buy your shirts. At least if you have the right teams. Nike leads the pack with 9 of the 24 national teams. Followed by Adidas with 6 and Puma with 4 teams. That’s a very similar split to four years ago, only Adidas lost two teams. But quality might be more important than quantity here: it makes a difference if your team wins or loses. So let’s look at the teams in more detail. Adidas had only two teams in the quarter finals, Nike five and Puma had one. It got worse in the semis for Adidas: three times Nike, and only Spain left for Adidas. So if you just look at the numbers, it seems that Nike won the EUROs. But it is more complicated than that. Because from a pure commercial perspective, it makes a difference if you can sell a shirt to two million Slovenians or 80 million Germans. And this time, the German fans bought A LOT of shirts. The controversial pink shirt became the best-selling German away kit ever. And it wasn’t only the pink Germany shirt. Adidas was largely acknowledged for having the best style of all kit suppliers this year. Spain, Belgium and Germany took turns at the best dressed awards. It’s kind of ironic that the Adidas Germany kit is one of the best selling pieces in history though – considering that this was the last EURO for Germany with Adidas. They lost the German Association to Nike just a few weeks before the start of the tournament – after more than 70 years of partnership. So the pre tournament headlines were all but positive for Adidas. Having a strong EURO on its home turf was therefore critical. And they delivered. Their ‘Hey Jude’ commercial arguably won them the pre tournament vibe, and the song became a new anthem for English fans in stadiums and public viewing areas. And this goal during the tournament probably helped as well. While Adidas bet on Bellingham, Nike went with Mbappe, Vini JR and…Haaland, who isn’t even playing this summer. Adidas also had players like Toni Kroos, Kanté and Lamine Yamal. While Nike could shine with Jamal Musiala and Nico Williams, Puma will be happy to have Cody Gakpo on their roster. Looking at both teams and players – and both quality and quantity – it is probably fair to say that Adidas and Nike are head to head. One has more teams, the other one maybe the better stories. The final game can change everything though, so keep in mind that we published this video before that. But there is one secret winner that’s already decided before the final whistle. The German price-comparison platform Check24 isn’t an official EURO or Germany sponsor. But without paying a cent to the German Football Association or UEFA, the company has managed to get massive exposure at the event anyway. So, how did they pull this off? The answer: free jerseys. Instead of spending millions to sponsor the tournament, Check24 decided to give away jerseys with the German eagle, Puma’s logo, and, of course, a prominent Check24 logo in the national colors. All fans needed to do to get one was to create an account and provide their personal details. The campaign went viral, and Check24 had to cut it off after an incredible 5 million orders. When the campaign went through the roof, Check24 started giving 500 euros to random people on the streets wearing the shirt and posted videos of this online – which only fueled the hype and multiplied the attention even more. The total cost for this massive giveaway? Around €100 million, covering production, logistics, and shipping. Now, you might be wondering, why give away 5 million shirts for free? What’s in it for Check24? Well, this move skyrocketed their brand awareness. Suddenly, everyone in Germany was talking about Check24. Their app became the most downloaded in the country, dominating the charts for weeks. But that’s not all. By collecting personal data from millions of people, Check24 now has a goldmine of information. This data can be used for targeted marketing, improving their services, or even sold to other companies. It is a huge strategic win. In essence, Check24 turned a €100 million investment into unprecedented exposure and a treasure trove of data, all without paying a single cent to Euro 2024 organizers or teams. It’s a perfect example of ambush marketing and thinking outside the box. Adidas was probably not so happy…but hey, at least they sold a lot of shirts anyway. Check24 played its own clever game and won big without even stepping on the field.

EURO 2024 is more than a football tournament—it’s a marketing battleground. With over 5 billion viewers, brands like Adidas, Nike, and Puma are vying for attention. While Nike leads with 9 teams and Adidas with the best-selling kits, an unexpected player stole the show.

⏱ Timestamps
00:00 The Battle of the Brands
00:45 The Teams
02:18 The Players
03:15 The Outsider

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