Case Vini Jr. can change sponsorship contracts – 05/29/2023 – Sport

The racist attack suffered by the player Vinicius Junior in the Spanish Championship on Sunday (21) has been treated in the sports marketing market as a watershed, capable of causing changes in the formulation of sponsorship contracts and putting pressure on companies to adopt a firmer stance on of the racial issue.

The support given to the athlete by many sectors of society was seen as a sign of the exhaustion of social network hashtags and protocol notes of repudiation, which had their effectiveness questioned in the public debate about the episode. There is an assessment among professionals working in the area that the fight against racism as a business purpose must enter a new phase, with more practical responses, such as the immediate suspension of sponsorship.

The sports market foresees changes in the making of contracts. According to Renê Salviano, CEO of the sports marketing agency Heatmap, Vinicius Junior’s case may lead sponsors to demand clauses that allow them to request termination in the event of a racist act that is not vehemently opposed. “It’s no use for a company to communicate in its networks that it seeks to increase the presence of black people in leadership positions, if it does nothing when there is a case of racism involving a confederation or club that it sponsors. It can demand attitudes aligned with its values “, it says.

In the sporting field, players, coaches and top hats advocate that the game be stopped in case of racist acts. But, on the part of the sponsors, the reactions depend on each contract, according to the lawyer Mariana Chamelette, vice-president of the Brazilian Institute of Sports Law. “This type of concern that arises with the reputation and image of brands is relevant, and there may be this tendency for more express clauses for contracts to be terminated unilaterally without a fine”, she says.

The day after the match in which Vinicius Junior was harassed, Santander, the main sponsor of the championship, issued a short statement. “Santander vehemently repudiates any manifestation of prejudice or racism and supports a quick solution”, read the full message. Last year, the bank had announced that it would not renew its contract with the games. Game company EA Sports, which will be the next sponsor, did not comment on what happened.

Since the murder of George Floyd in 2020, the anti-racist discourse in the marketing of large companies has been maturing, but many companies are still afraid to associate their brands with the debate when there is a case with such repercussions.

For Renato Meirelles, president of Instituto Locomotiva, the market already has evidence to dismantle the argument that companies should maintain neutrality. “What we hear from companies: ‘look, I can’t take sides’. But what we see today is that consumers expect them to take sides. This does not mean having a militant stance. It means showing what the company’s values ​​are forceful way for the consumer”, says Meirelles.

Almost 80% of consumers surveyed by Locomotiva –with 2,700 respondents– claim that the chances of buying products from a brand increase when it takes a public stand against racist shouting in games.

A survey by data agency .Map points out that the mobilization on social networks in defense of the athlete had 3.8 million publications on the subject, which concentrated more than 60% of the demonstrations from the 21st to 6 am on the 24th. , President Lula’s repercussions at the G7 meeting had a 7.5% turnout.

According to Liliane Rocha, from the diversity consultancy Gestão Kairós, companies that have diversity and inclusion policies must react even in cases where they are not directly linked to the problem, because the consumer demands consistency in actions. An example of this happened after the murder of João Alberto Freitas in the Carrefour parking lot in 2020, which led a group of suppliers to the retail chain to found a movement of companies for racial equity.

Another change that may result from the case suffered by Vinicius Junior is the strengthening of the player as a reference in the fight against racism, according to Fábio Wolff, managing partner of the Wolff Sports agency. “The football industry will never be the same again. It’s a watershed. His name will go down in the history of football as the great athlete he is, but also as an important agent in the whole process”, he says.

Among the big names in the sports sponsorship market that sent messages of support to the player are Nike, Puma, Casas Bahia and Betnacional.

For Raphael Vicente, director of the Business Initiative for Racial Equality, which brings together large companies around the theme, situations like this help test the power of influence of brands to demand retraction.