By Mark Baber
April 7 – Nissan confirmed it has agreed a four-year global partnership with the UEFA Champions League including the UEFA Super Cup. The agreement represents the Japanese manufacturer’s largest ever sponsorship deal and will establish Nissan as an official partner worldwide from 2014/15 to and including the 2017/18 seasons.
Ford announced last month that it was ending its long-standing sponsorship of the Champions League, the most prestigious club competition in European football, whilst media reports suggested Nissan had put in a substantial rival bid prior to Ford opening negotiations over an extension.
Whilst no figures for the deal have been announced, figures of up to $75 million per season have been suggested which will give Nissan, Japan’s second largest automotive manufacturer, access to a cumulative TV audience of 4 billion per season.
Roel de Vries, Corporate Vice President and Global Head of Marketing and Communications for Nissan said: “Innovating to excite is what Nissan does, and as partners with UEFA we are looking to introduce new ways in which to enrich the UEFA Champions League experience.
“Europe’s most prestigious football competition will be an important global platform for Nissan, and our aim is to show fans all over the world the excitement of both football and our cars. Both are created by amazing people who have a passion for what they do.”
Guy-Laurent Epstein, Marketing Director of UEFA Events SA, said: “We are delighted to have Nissan as an official partner of the UEFA Champions League as of next season. Nissan is a truly leading global company and is one of the largest automotive groups in the world. We feel that the partnership will provide a great deal of innovation and excitement across all markets worldwide, and we are convinced that Nissan can use the platform that the UEFA Champions League offers to further build on their current success.”
Nissan, who already sponsor the Africa Cup of Nations, see the Champions League as an important part of their strategy to take over from Toyota as the number one Asian brand in Europe and improve European sales in what has, due to the recession, been a sluggish market.
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