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Zurich: Hosted by Switzerland and Austria, the Euro 2008 soccer tournament lacks the bling of previous events, as Victoria Beckham and her posse of footballers' wives and girlfriends (WAGs) aren't expected.
But even if Beckham and the WAGs stay at home with an unsuccessful England side, the makers of luxury goods still see the three-week tournament as a boon for glamour.
Beyond the marketing power of top players' zealously groomed companions, luxury has seen the global fanbase for football evolve with increasing television rights, and now some brands find soccer an attractive vehicle.
Around 234.7 million people follow football in Europe alone, according to Sport + Markt, a research and consultancy company in international sports business. With matches showing in China and India, companies' sights are set there and beyond.
"Football is acting as a shop window for the luxury brands through the WAGs," said Ron Cregan, business strategy head at brand communications agency Navyblue.
Many players themselves have also embraced the desire to look good, encouraging luxury brands to seek a bigger share of the huge publicity associated with what Brazilian player Pele called the "beautiful game".
Stylish watches
Names such as Armani and Dolce & Gabbana have designed clothing for national teams as well as top-flight clubs across Europe and now top Swiss watchmakers Hublot and Ebel are getting in on the act.
"The thing most guys can spend money on is a luxury watch," Cregan said.
Hublot, bought this year by the world's largest luxury group LVMH, will act as official timekeeper during Euro 2008, whose main sponsors include mass brands such as Coca Cola, Carlsberg and McDonald's.
Hublot has produced 2,008 special-edition watches, each costing 15,000 Swiss francs ($14,550) and they have all sold out.
The global luxury watch market is worth 18 billion euros, according to an estimate from Swiss bank Vontobel.
Ebel, which sponsors English premier league team Arsenal and German champions Bayern Mun-ich, has also brought out limited edition pieces for each of the two clubs, with one watch costing 9,900 euros ($15,440) and featuring a discreet club logo.
"Football is a strategy for us to make the brand visible worldwide on a very large scale," Marc Michel-Amadry, Ebel's vice president of international marketing, told Reuters.
Luxury brands are using football to carry their names to emerging markets, where demand for high-status products is accelerating at a blistering pace.
Emerging markets
"When you look at Eastern Central Europe, what you have there is a race of change in society, which is very fast. You can go from being a barrow-boy to a billionaire in 10 to 15 years," said Navyblue's Cregan.
"In order to communicate that you are not a barrow-boy anymore but a billionaire what you need is brand association. You buy the most expensive watch, the most expensive suit and the most expensive car," Cregan said.
Emerging markets and the Middle East accounted for around 20 per cent of Swiss watch exports in 2007, boosting sales at Swatch Group and Richemont.
"Clubs like Arsenal have a huge following around the world," said Ebel's Michel-Amadry.
"When you have an Arsenal game and you have your advertising featured around the pitch, it is highly visible in the Middle East, highly visible in Asia and is highly visible throughout Europe."
Football also ensures brands are seen in the right context and environment, so advertisements for these marques are not sandwiched between commercials for unrelated products during television programmes, Navyblue's Cregan said.
Today, corporates increasingly entertain clients in the VIP lounges of modern, high-tech stadiums designed by top architects such as Norman Foster, who designed Wembley.
"Stadiums today are entertainment and presentation temples," said Stephanus Tekle, senior consultant at Sport + Markt.
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