3 Big IP Lessons We Can Learn From Lionel Messi’s Move To PSG
While many of us watched the recent news of Lionel Messi’s high profile move to Paris Saint-Germain earlier this month after the expiration of his 20-year career at FC Barcelona contract with thoughts of the iconic player and what this means for the future of international football, we were paying cautious attention for one big reason: its perfect demonstration of the impact of IP.
That’s because Intellectual Property law as it relates to original creations including brands, inventions and art is also a huge part of the career’s of the world’s biggest sports personalities. Original branding - your IP - is arguably the very essence of what celebrities are, after all.
Calculating exactly how much IP adds to brand value is something we specialize in, of course. Here is how Messi’s move impacts IP moving forward….
The brand value of PSG has already increased
IP is arguably the single most important factor of brand value. To start with, IP rights protect original creations, while also creating a stronger position for negotiating contracts and counterclaims. Then, having strong IP rights increases the potential your brand has to make in the market, and your ability to generate profit from those ideas - and that’s just for starters.
With the signing of Lionel Messi, PSG could see its brand value rise significantly - leading to more sponsorship, an increased and dedicated fan following, more wins and bigger commercial deals, to name a few.
The value of sports people goes beyond goals
We know that football teams are big business - and the value of those businesses is dependant on a lot more than the goals they score.
In fact, according to the Brand Finance Football 50 2021 report, FC Barcelona, the world’s second most valuable football club brand after Real Madrid, stands to lose more than Messi’s world-class skills and five FIFA Ballons d’Or titles.
The Argentinian legend was clearly a major revenue driver for the club, as his loss is projected to cost the club a hugely significant 11% of its overall brand value - equating to a loss of €137m in brand value for 2021.
Brand Finance’s Head of Sports Services, Hugo Hensley explains, “His departure can cost the club as much and result in a painful brand value decrease.”
Messi himself knows the importance of IP better than anyone, too. The sports star holds more registered trademarks than any other football player, boasting a massive 136 trademarks. That’s more than double Neymar Jr’s 60 trademarks, and even more than Cristiano Ronaldo, who has 53 registered trademarks.
A strong IP is valuable no matter your budget
Your business may not have the budget of PSG, the publicists of Messi - or his track record of success. But that’s OK: businesses of all sizes can take learnings from this news.
Most notably, your brand presence can immediately increase your firm’s brand value. Thankfully, this can be done without a Messi-salary level hire. A simple but knowledgeable and perfectly niched online plan for your can take a relatively small investment - but elevate the value of your organization’s brand exponentially.
Are you ready to discover how Lead IP can help your IP firm to go to the next level? Find out more and speak to us today at leadip.io