During this year’s edition of Soccerex in Miami, AC Milan’s new Chief Marketing Officer Tania Moreno was one of the key speakers. Among other things, she spoke about the Rossoneri’s strong presence in the United States.
Moreno was appointed as the new Chief Marketing Officer of the club in October this year, following one year as a Fondazione Milan board member. Along with Maikel Oettle, who is the Chief Commercial Officer, she is one of the key figures after Casper Stylsvig’s departure to Chelsea.
Speaking at the 2023 Soccerex in Miami, with a particular focus on brand building in North America, Moreno shared Milan’s perspective. She highlighted the strong brand that the Rossoneri already have in the region, and how the recent transfers have helped. The quotes below were sent to us by Milan.
On the connection with the United States…
“First and foremost, we have American owners, RedBird Capital, who have extraordinary experience globally, operating within the intersection of sports, media, entertainment and culture. With this expertise, the club is experiencing a new phase of growth on and off the field.
“That’s why we are collaborating with incredible partners like the New York Yankees, with whom we have formed an innovative partnership – one of a kind – which unites two of the most iconic sports brands in the world and whose influence extends beyond their respective playing fields.
“Our strategy in the United States is already bearing fruit, with AC Milan being the most popular Italian football club in the United States according to a study of the international market research and analysis company YouGov.”
On the impact of US players Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah and Allyson Swaby at Milan…
“First of all, these players are at Milan because they are fantastic footballers. However, it is undeniable that having them in our team is helping us reach the public American in a more incisive way and has a strong impact on the commercial side. Just to give a few examples, in terms of ticket sales, this season we are seeing more sales of single tickets and hospitality tickets sold to Americans than in the past.
“In terms of merchandise sales, 74% of all CP11 jerseys are currently sold in the United States. Even more impressive is the total number of units [all AC Milan merchandise] sold in the US, which is up 110% compared to last year – a huge year-over-year increase. Finally, as of July 2023, the percentage of jerseys sold in the United States amounts to 20% of the total.
“As for our digital platforms, we’ve seen a spike in views from the US on platforms like YouTube, where video views from the US are growing at impressive rates. Overall, 3 of the 10 most engaging videos of the season so far feature Pulisic. As for the app, it saw a +266% increase in new downloads from the US market compared to last year, and on the website, we achieved a +154% increase in the number of US users.” [period of analysis is Jul-Nov 2022 vs Jul-Nov 2023].
On the versatility of the AC Milan brand…
“We believe that, to truly attract sympathetic fans, we must be able to go beyond the playing field. Working in areas such as music, gaming, fashion and more allows us to create links with a new audience and strengthen the relationship with our current fan base.
“We are very lucky to be in Milan, one of the fashion capitals. We try to use brand equity from brands in the fashion industry to succeed in attracting the US audience. Some examples are what we did with KOCHE and Off-White in the last two years. We want to be able to leverage these types of collaborations to be credible in those spaces.
“Furthermore, there is more news to come on this front. Our fourth kit this season will be a collaboration with our partner PUMA and a major US brand, so I encourage everyone to stay tuned.”
On her own journey to Milan…
“This is my first experience in the world of football, but I feel this role is tailor-made for me, given that my father played in Milan’s youth team in the 1970s and was an AC Milan fan all his life. I therefore grew up in a Rossoneri family. After having worked in various industries in the United States, it is now an honour and a privilege to bring my experience in marketing and brand building, as well as my global perspective, to Milan to continue to tell the story of this great club and grow the brand further, strengthening the bond with the fans and helping them create memories that will last forever.”
This transfer market was good talent wise. We formed a strong basis. I still think we need a solid addition in midfield and an excellent player upfront, with a good left back. Ready to go players. The issue is not the players capabilities on a good night. We can hold our own.
The issue is in multiple competitions, our new players have a history of injuries so we need players to fall back on when they are going to be hurt. It is inevitable and a proven fact, throughout their careers that it is a norm, not an exception, they miss a lot of games
Their performance levels fluctuate.
So we need players to slot in and takeover on off nights when they falter or when they pick knocks up.
Making the Champions League round of 16 is non negotiable if we hope to be able to retain our best players as well as compete for a championship, even qualifying for the CL we need to be reinforced with sure shots early. Our team needs to be complete when preseason starts next year. We were way too complacent for too long and relied, overusing our best players way too much. They will burn out. Our team needs to gel as well.
I expected our difficulties because no team buys 10 players in one offseason and gets results. It never happens. No matter how good they are.