Online retailer Zalando and the German Football Association (DFB) announced a five-year strategic partnership this Thursday. Zalando will become one of the main partners of the men’s, women’s and youth national teams by 2030.
For Zalando, this means expanding its target group, as the DFB is the largest national sports association in the world with over eight million memberships. The partnership includes comprehensive marketing and activation rights.
DFB x Zalando: expanding the target group
“We want to inspire a new generation of fans to live their own style with confidence – on the pitch and in everyday life,” comments James Rothwell, Senior Vice President Marketing at Zalando, in a statement.
“We want to be there when fans discuss their sport, celebrate their teams and share their passion. Through the partnership, we can inspire them precisely in these moments with unique content and our wide range of offerings and give them access to special experiences. We look forward to celebrating sporting highlights together with the football community over the next five years,” adds Rothwell.
One of the most important elements of the cooperation is a prominent brand presence, as the Zalando logo will in future be seen on all pre-match and training shirts of the men’s, women’s and youth national teams.
The Berlin online retailer will also have a strong presence in the media: The partnership includes extensive marketing rights such as LED perimeter advertising, cam carpets, branding on media backgrounds and social media activities.
There will also be exclusive promotions: The online retailer will be present at all major tournaments with its own studio in the training camp to create exclusive content for Zalando customers. Zalando Plus customers also receive exclusive access to fan articles and ticket raffles, for example from November 6th to 10th for the game between Germany and Slovakia on November 17th in Leipzig.
“We are very pleased to have a new, strong and ideal main partner at our side in Zalando. As a leading international e-commerce and fashion company from Germany, Zalando stands for creativity, diversity and a modern approach. Football and the DFB are more than just sport – they are an expression of community, attitude and emotion. Together with Zalando we want to set new impulses – in the combination of sport, lifestyle and fashion as well as digital culture. This partnership shows how well tradition and innovation, emotion and style go together harmonize,” explains Holger Blask, CEO of DFB GmbH and Co. KG.
Lifestyle sector continues to grow
The new partnership is part of Zalando’s ambition to further expand its lifestyle division. In recent years, the online retailer has significantly expanded its offering in areas such as football, running and cycling. The brand also created special shopping experiences for various sports and supported major sporting events in Europe in order to position itself in the public eye.
A new DFB jersey, inspired by the iconic 1990 World Cup jersey, is now available at Zalando along with the entire new DFB collection. Prices range from 35 to 37 euros for leggings and T-shirts to 100 and 150 euros for replica national team jerseys.