Bayern Munich's Bundesliga Conundrum: A Reality Check
Bayern Munich's CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen has expressed his frustration with the league's lack of international travel, despite some clubs venturing abroad to boost marketing income.
Bayern Munich were leaving South Korea for Hong Kong while Borussia Dortmund had just returned from Japan, but most Bundesliga clubs are staying in Europe. However, RB Leipzig visited South Africa after the past season, and Paderborn plan to travel to the United States during the next international break.
The league's desire to raise marketing income from abroad is not being met, with only four of the 18 top-flight clubs traveling internationally. Bayer Leverkusen and Eintracht Frankfurt, who went to Brazil and the US, respectively, 12 months ago, are not planning to travel far this time. Frankfurt's board spokesman Axel Hellmann had previously insisted that the Bundesliga should travel more, but now the club is in Bavaria and Leverkusen is in an eastern German resort.
Austria is a popular destination for many clubs, offering excellent training conditions and cheaper than leaving Europe. However, this won't help close the marketing gap on England's Premier League and LaLiga in Spain. The Premier League has been active internationally on a significant scale since the late 1990s, and Leipzig's managing director Johann Plenge believes that the Bundesliga needs to be more visible and provide stories to engage with local media partners and fans.
"It cannot be the case that this year Leipzig travelled internationally immediately after the season and now Dortmund and we are doing the same, while every three or four years we hear all the uproar and complaints about the distribution of international television revenues. That's absurd," Dreesen said. The feeling is similar in Dortmund, where CEO Carsten Cramer believes that the club should recognize the opportunities that international marketing offers.
Leipzig's managing director Johann Plenge sees himself as a representative of the whole league, urging others to travel and be more visible. "If the Bundesliga wants to grow in markets such as America, Brazil, the MENA region or sub-Saharan Africa, it must, above all, be visible there. It must provide stories. It must give local media partners, platforms and fans reasons to engage with the Bundesliga," he said.
Bayern's travelling delegation witnessed how stars such as Manuel Neuer and local hero Minjae Kim were celebrated in South Korea. Meanwhile, Cramer said that "it is a sign of Borussia Dortmund's strength that we actually make money from these trips." The league's struggle to close the marketing gap with the Premier League and LaLiga will continue to be a challenge in the coming seasons.
After the match, it remains to be seen how the Bundesliga will address its international marketing strategy to stay competitive with other top European leagues.
Source: Yahoo Sports