In a move that has stirred considerable unrest among Marseille Football fans, French liquor giant Pernod Ricard has announced a new global commercial partnership with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
The deal, which excludes France from its visibility and activations, has sparked outrage in Marseille, a city deeply connected to the company’s history. Pernod Ricard, renowned for its anise-flavored aperitif Pastis, was founded in 1975 from the merger of Pernod and Ricard.
The Ricard brand, named after Marseille native Paul Ricard, began marketing Pastis in 1932, embedding itself in the cultural fabric of the south of France. The company’s new association with PSG, a major rival of Marseille’s own football team, has thus been perceived as a betrayal by local fans.
The backlash has been swift and intense. The hashtag #boycottPernodRicard rapidly gained traction on social media, with many fans vowing to stop consuming Pastis and switch to competing brands. Some have even called for a boycott of Pernod Ricard’s extensive portfolio, which includes over 240 brands worldwide.
Marseille’s Mayor, Benoit Payan, has entered the fray, expressing his dissatisfaction with the partnership. In an interview with BFM TV, Payan announced that he plans to meet with Pernod Ricard CEO Alexandre Ricard to seek clarity on the decision.
“I wasn’t happy to see this; frankly, we didn’t quite understand,” Payan said. “I have a lot of things to say to him. First of all, I’m going to ask him how and why we ended up supporting PSG.”
The rivalry between PSG and Marseille is one of the most heated in French Football. PSG, a team with significant financial backing from Qatari investors since 2011, has eclipsed Marseille, the only French team to have won the UEFA Champions League (1993). Despite this, the competitive spirit between the two clubs remains fierce.
Pernod Ricard has attempted to mitigate the backlash by emphasizing that the partnership is a global agreement and does not extend to the French market.
The company has clarified that it will not be involved in shirt sponsorship and that the deal, which covers PSG’s men’s and women’s football teams as well as handball, is set to last for four years. Financial terms of the agreement have not been disclosed.
However, the company’s efforts to distance itself from the French market have not quelled the controversy. “Ricard, the Ricard family, the founder, are people who are inextricably linked to this area,” Mayor Payan added. “I’m going to ask them again what their connection is to this area.”
As Pernod Ricard navigates this turbulent period, it remains to be seen how the company will address the concerns of its long-time supporters in Marseille and whether the backlash will have a lasting impact on its brand image in the region.
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