By Mark Seavy

At a time when the U.S. is focused on its 250th anniversary, competition has broken out in licensing and at retail.  

The anniversary is colliding with the FIFA World Cup tournament, which starts in North America on June 11 and culminates with the championship at MetLife stadium in East Rutherford, NJ on July 19.   

The 48-team tournament has an extensive licensing strategy spanning apparel, collectibles, jerseys, sporting goods, toys, videogames, and more with licensing and retail partners like Adidas, Coca-Cola, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Fanatics, Jazwares, Mattel, Nike, Panini America, Roblox, and others.   

With the first of its 104 matches set to take place next week, the World Cup is competing both for shelf space at brick-and-mortar stores and for attention online with not one, but three different programs marking the country’s 250th anniversary. In addition to the Congressionally sanctioned America250 program there are also the White House-backed Freedom 250 and USA 250 programs.    

“These two programs need to be on the [retail] floor at the same time,” said Kris Talley, EVP for Sales and Licensing at Logo Brands. “There aren’t enough retailers who have flex or seasonal space [in their stores] for both [the FIFA and 250th anniversary] programs at the same time for hard goods.”  

And, in fact, multiple licensing programs are working to pull attention away from the World Cup and focus it on the 250th anniversary.   

While America250, the licensing of which is administered by the agency Global Icons, is the official commission authorized by Congress in 2016, Freedom 250 and its merchandise is a separate organization launched by President Trump’s executive order and controlled by the White House. Additionally, USA 250 merchandise was promoted at a  cabinet meeting on May 27 with products available through the Trump store.  

So far, the competition hasn’t affected sales of America250 products, Global Icons President Bill McClinton said. Those products are being produced by 226 licensees, including Jazwares (Squishmallows plush), Annin Flag Co. and Valley Forge Flags (flags), and Logo Brands (glasses, mugs, water bottles, tote bags).   

For Logo Brands, sales have “exceeded” the company’s goal for the licensing deal but “aren’t where I thought the overall business would top out for the program,” said Talley.   

Freedom 250 is designed to support the costs of upcoming 250th anniversary events, installations, and promotional activities through private donations, embassy fundraising, corporate partnerships, and merchandise sales. America250, meanwhile, was created to engage consumers, boost retail traffic, and generate additional sales through an initiative tied to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.  

Moving forward, both programs will be focused on immersive experiences as well as consumer products in an effort to connect with consumers ahead of the anniversary celebration.   

FIFA, meanwhile, is inking broadcast agreements to help fans across the globe experience the World Cup in real time and encourage additional engagement with the event. For example, Nielsen recently reported that up to 85% of surveyed consumers indicate that a brand’s World Cup sponsorship could influence their purchasing behavior or brand engagement.