Local vs. Global Marketing Strategies

Alright,

let's keep building on our knowledge of sponsorships in the soccer ecosystem.

This lesson will focus on the difference between global and local marketing strategies

because both will be present at FIFA World Cup '26™.

There are some brands

like Coca‑Cola

that have multiple sponsorships that are designed to work together

at a local, national, and global scale.

Each has a unique set of contractual assets and activation plans,

and there's a lot of work to balance both consistency at the global level

and relevance at the local level.

Local strategies rely on deep understanding of individual markets and audiences.

They account for local realities like time zones,

media habits, and language,

and sometimes, elements like cultural values and beliefs.

The benefit of a local sponsorship or activation is that you can drive authenticity

by customizing the work to be even more relevant to that one fan base.

National strategies

Blend both local and global aspects.

They're focused on what is true to the country

to highlight unique parts of fandom

while balancing commonalities between each region.

Global strategies prioritize brand consistency across markets.

The message, look, voice and feel

remain uniform to build recognition and trust around the world,

even while the execution is localized to incorporate different languages or cultural nuance.

Working for Major League Soccer

as well as with Concacaf, US soccer, and FMF

has given me a ton of experience in the difference between local and global

and the differences between markets.

MLS started in 1996 with 10 teams,

and today it's up to 30,

stretching across the US with three teams from Canada.

Every region and team has its own culture.

Vancouver has its own personality compared to Dallas.

And Portland's culture is different than Miami.

One of my favorite examples of a local strategy was with Atlanta United FC.

They are the gold standard for expansion clubs in MLS.

Atlanta United entered the league with a bang in 2017.

In that year,

they set new records for season attendance with over 819,000 tickets

sold,

and also set the record for single match attendance in the regular season

with nearly 72,000 at their final league game.

Not to mention they reached the playoffs and scored 70 goals to lead the Eastern Conference.

Shoo!

Few people expected that scale of fan support and success.

But Atlanta United did things the right way

and gave the city something to rally around,

tying to Atlanta's traditions

from the geography

to the food,

to the music,

and offered something everyone in Atlanta could enjoy.

The club showed up at community events,

gave out flags, and developed their own symbols.

At every home match, a different local celebrity

takes a turn, hammering the golden spike,

a reference pulled from the history books to a time where Atlanta was known as the end of the railroad line or

Terminus.

That's a deep cut,

but it shows how much they care.

And every time the tradition takes place,

it gains significance for fans and players

while offering the opportunity for a new and notable person to associate with the club.

Fans love it.

This is what we mean when we talk about knowing your audience.

Their success became the blueprint from MLS expansion clubs after that.

Eight expansion teams have joined our league since Atlanta did.

All had great fan support in their first seasons,

and some have come close to matching Atlanta's success on the field.

Coca‑Cola is one of the largest companies in the world

with beverages sold in more than 200 countries and territories.

As a global company,

they approach sponsorships with a global lens.

As you've heard by now,

Coca‑Cola has been closely involved with FIFA World Cup™ going all the way back to 1974

with an official partnership in 1978.

Over the years,

that sponsorship has evolved and grown to many different avenues

and come to life in many memorable ways.

FC Academy,

this video right here is one such example.

Coca‑Cola brand activation at a global level

is often about universal themes like joy, unity, and optimism.

And in 2026, it's a recognition of a universal theme fans can all understand.

The rollercoaster of contrasting emotions felt throughout the 90 minutes of a match and beyond.

Coca‑Cola's role is to uplift and refresh fans

so that they can recharge and enjoy every one of them.

It's a great message and a fun acknowledgement of why we love this game.

It can be exciting,

excruciating,

and unbelievable,

all in one match.

There's nothing like it.

Next, we'll talk about one of the coolest contractual assets around,

the FIFA World Cup™ Trophy tour by Coca‑Cola.

Let's find out more about that.

Since 2006,

Coca‑Cola has brought the FIFA World Cup™ trophy,

the same one lifted by the winning team

to millions of fans before each tournament kicked off.

It's a big event everywhere it goes,

often with celebrities, influencers, and soccer legends that stop by.

The main attraction is a photo opportunity with the FIFA World Cup™ trophy.

The setup may look a bit different

whether it's outside of a stadium

or in front of the Eiffel Tower.

But imagine a podium, protective casing and tasteful red backdrops,

the whole experience is literally painted red,

and Coca‑Cola takes great pride in being able to deliver this experience to fans.

It's a once in a lifetime opportunity.

This is what we mean when we as marketers talk about using partnerships to bring experiences to fans that they can't get anywhere else.

Atlanta United is an example of a local strategy that embraced community.

Coca‑Cola is an example of a global strategy

that focuses on consistent brand activation.

FIFA World Cup™ Trophy Tour by Coca‑Cola

is a great example of activating a contractual asset.

At the end of the day,

great marketing is about understanding your audience

and showing up in ways that feel real, relevant and respectful to the culture you're in.

See you next time!