In 2021 during the UEFA Euros, Cristiano Ronaldo one of the biggest soccer players in the world, became a major digital culture through the discussion of Coca Cola during a press conference before his big match against Hungary. Coca Cola was a major sponsor for the 2021 Euro’s and would be publicized everywhere from screens around the pitch to press conferences.
Now you may be questioning, why was Ronaldo such a major impact to digital culture with Coca Cola? Well on June 15th, 2021, Ronaldo was walking into the press conference and sat down. As he was sitting down, he noticed two coca cola glass bottles. Ronaldo stares at them for a good second and then removes both bottles from his area and puts them aside, not being able to see the coca cola on screen anymore. Ronaldo with a glance lifts up his water bottle and says, “drink water.”
After the press conference, the video went viral. By a blink of an eye the video of Ronaldo was being shared via all social media platforms and news channels. People even created memes out of it by recreating the gesture or simply sharing it as a GIF.
This had a major impact on the Coca Cola company. Having one of the biggest soccer players in the world publicizing to drink more water than coca cola is embarrassing to the company itself. Especially since Coca Cola was the number one sponsor for the Euro’s. In result, Coca Cola lost over $4 billion dollars in market value because of Ronaldo. Fans of Ronaldo saw this as an opportunity to promote a better lifestyle as an athlete, since he is known to be well fitted and healthy at just 38 years old! Usually athletes retire at 35, so quite impressive from Ronaldo himself.
It is so fascinating how one athlete that is idolized so much impacts a company’s market value just by an action and some words that were presented and how it reached the audience to react. Cristiano Ronaldo gained notability due to his high-profile status, the viral nature of social media, and the broader discussions it sparked about health, sports sponsorships, and the influence of athletes in the digital age.
Staff, The Athletic. “Cristiano Ronaldo: Coca Cola Gesture Followed by $4bn Drop in Company’s Market Value.” The Athletic, The Athletic, 17 June 2021, theathletic.com/4209636/2021/06/15/ronaldos-coca-cola-gesture-followed-by-4bn-drop-in-companys-market-value/#.