Marketing construction site FC Bayern: Rouven Kasper must deliver immediately | OneFootball

Rouven Kasper officially starts as FC Bayern’s Chief Marketing Officer today – and will hardly have time to settle in

After around one and a half years without a permanent Chief Marketing Officer, the record champions are facing a new strategic start in an area that is becoming increasingly crucial to their international competitiveness

It is no coincidence that Kasper is being thrown straight in at the deep end. The expectations of the returnee are clearly formulated. Together with CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen and Chief Sports Officer Max Eberl, he is to complete the board trio and give the club more stability and clout again. After the internal friction of recent years, which led to the departure of CFO Michael Diederich, Bayern is once again relying on a broader-based management with clearly distributed roles

Growth as a mandatory task for Kasper

The route for the new Chief Marketing Officer is clear. Dreesen recently made it unmistakably clear that FC Bayern can only keep up internationally if sponsorship and merchandising grow much more dynamically. This is precisely Kasper’s core business. The marketing expert already knows the club from his previous time when he was responsible for Asia-Pacific activities between 2016 and 2021. At that time, he was a key driver of internationalization and expanded Bayern’s network in the Far East

Most recently, Kasper proved at VfB Stuttgart that he can also make his mark under more challenging economic conditions, where he was responsible for realigning the brand strategy, international positioning and new marketing approaches. In Munich, the dimensions are different, but so is the pressure. FC Bayern is a top global club – but has to justify and monetize this role year after year

Return with symbolic power – and little grace period

Kasper himself has already clearly formulated his goal: FC Bayern’s appeal as a top global club with Bavarian roots should continue to grow. Words that must now be quickly followed by action, as the vacant marketing position left a noticeable vacuum after the departure of Andreas Jung in the summer of 2024. Structural decisions were postponed, strategic processes slowed down – all of which must now be made up for

The manner of his transfer is also remarkable. Although Kasper was still under contract in Stuttgart until 2028, Bayern waived a transfer fee. Instead, according to kicker, a gentlemen’s agreement was concluded that guarantees VfB a lucrative friendly match

For Kasper, the year 2026 thus begins with double the intensity: a new job, a new phase in his life and hardly any start-up time. However, FC Bayern know why they brought him in. The tasks are clear, as is the pressure of expectation. Now it’s all about making the record champions fit for the future off the pitch as well.