AC Milan’s Chief Marketing Officer, Tania Moreno has commended the impact of American stars Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah for their role in the club’s brand expansion in the United States.
The relocation to Italy has been life-changing for the duo so far. Musah has appeared in 10 games for his team in the 2023-24 Serie A season, and last month’s 1-0 victory against Genoa was his first season assist. Along with that, he has started all four of their UEFA Champions League Group Stage games.
In a league where few Americans have found success, his presence may have also helped his compatriot Pulisic adjust quickly. At the eleven-game mark of the Serie A season, the former Chelsea winger is tied for second on the squad in scoring with four goals, including two game-winners.
Moreover, he has grown so crucial to the team’s attack that it struggles when he is not on the field. This was evident in the last matchday, when he was out with an injury and Milan’s offense struggled in a 1-0 loss to Udinese.
The timing of the pair’s transfer to San Siro couldn’t be better. A troubled stock that landed in the hands of an American hedge fund in 2018 has been the catalyst for a resurgence.
They finally took home the Scudetto in the 2021-22 season, after more than a decade of trying. Last year, they also advanced to the Semi-Finals of the UEFA Champions League.
Meanwhile, as the summer began, Pulisic was still languishing on the Blues’ bench when the Rossoneri’s American owners reached out to ask about him. In his previous two years at Stamford Bridge, he had just 21 starts.
It now appears that the move from West London to Milan has paid off handsomely for both the player and the team. Tania Moreno, Milan’s Chief Marketing Officer, has said that the summer signings of the USMNT duo of Pulisic and Musah were based solely on the players’ individual merits.
However, it is impossible to deny that having two stars from Gregg Berhalter’s side has increased the Rossoneri’s visibility and prominence in the United States. Additionally, she disclosed that since the arrival of the pair, ticket sales and other income streams have significantly increased. What is more, 74 percent of Pulisic’s kits were sold in his native country.
“First of all, these players are at Milan because they are fantastic footballers. However, it is undeniable that having them in our team is helping us reach the public American in a more incisive way and has a strong impact on the commercial side. Just to give a few examples, in terms of ticket sales, this season we are seeing more sales of single tickets and hospitality tickets sold to Americans than in the past.
“In terms of merchandise sales, 74% of all CP11 jerseys are currently sold in the United States. Even more impressive is the total number of units [all AC Milan merchandise] sold in the US, which is up 110% compared to last year – a huge year-over-year increase. Finally, as of July 2023, the percentage of jerseys sold in the United States amounts to 20% of the total.”
“As for our digital platforms, we’ve seen a spike in views from the US on platforms like YouTube, where video views from the US are growing at impressive rates. Overall, 3 of the 10 most engaging videos of the season so far feature Pulisic. As for the app, it saw a +266% increase in new downloads from the US market compared to last year, and on the website, we achieved a +154% increase in the number of US users”, she said at the 2023 Soccerex in Miami, via Sempre Milan.
Photo credit: IMAGO / Buzzi IMAGO / Agencia-MexSport
