Is Premier League sponsorship still a viable option?
Is Premier League sponsorship still a viable option? – Post Supplied.
Traditionally, sponsorship in sport has always been an attractive option for marketers. Over the years, sports have been able to accommodate near enough any type of brand or business; which is one of the many reasons why this type of marketing activity has been a favourite for many brands and businesses. So it will come as no surprise that with the resurgence of the English Premier League, there has been a huge amount of interest and money that have been associated with it.
The Premier League, the highest level of professional football in England is now considered by most to be the best known and most followed league in the world. This along with the fact that the league is projected to generate a huge 5.65 billion Euros in 2018/19, goes to show just why it is so expensive to either sponsor a Premier League team or even the league itself.
The massive worldwide viewing figures the Premier League attracts still makes it a very attractive sponsorship opportunity despite the cost, seeing an estimated 12 million people on average tune in worldwide to view each game. Many large organisations are still choosing to sponsor Premier league teams. For example, car manufacturer Chevrolet is spending approximately £53 million per year to sponsor Manchester United, while bank Standard Chartered have agreed a new deal with Liverpool worth £40 million a year, both of whom are included in the £300 million that is realised in sponsorship revenues by the top 6 clubs. However, it is not just the top clubs that are raking it in, but even struggling teams like Newcastle United are benefitting from very lucrative sponsorship deals. Currently, Mike Ashely’s club is with betting company Fun88, a deal that is valued at £6.5 million per year.
At the moment betting companies are dominating the shirt sponsorship of EPL teams, with 9 of the 20 Premier League teams featuring a betting company as the main sponsor on their shirt. This has been a relatively new trend, as 20 years ago shirt sponsorships were dominated by electronics companies, including Sanderson Electronics who actually sponsored two teams in the Premier League at the same time, Sheffield Wednesday and Southampton. The first club to feature the name of a betting company on their shirt was Fulham in 2002, when they were sponsored by Betfair.
The actual league used to have a main sponsor, that would be featured in the name, for example it has been previously Barclays Premier League, Barclaycard Premiership and before that the Carling Premiership. Now, the league has no sponsor which it is named after, however still has many big name sponsors. Coca Cola is now the official soft drink partner of the Premier League, joining other big name sponsors such as Tag Heuer, Cadbury, Nike, EA Sports and Barclays, who have now become the banking partner of choice for the league.
The kit sponsorships are also still dominated by major sporting brands. Adidas have the largest share of kits with 30% of Premier League clubs wearing an Adidas kit.
So it is clear by the presence of so many big brands associated with the Premier League and its teams, that it is definitely still an effective marketing strategy to get your brand out to a bigger audience. In spite of the substantial costs that are associated with this form of advertising, if a business can afford to do this, it is definitely worth it, as the audience for the Premier League is not going to drop anytime soon. This is why massive brands will continue to sponsor the Premier League, especially with the viewership not just limited to the UK, but also includes audiences from all over the world.
Posted: 3rd, January 2019 | In: Online-PR Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
