Zenit drive new partner deal with Nissan
May 8 – Zenit St Petersburg has signed a three-year deal with Japanese carmaker Nissan who becomes an official partner of the club. No value was announced for the agreement.
Football Marketing
Flamengo banks Caixa cash as sponsorship deals boom
By Samindra Kunti
May 7 – Rio de Janeiro giants Flamengo will renew their club sponsorship deal with Brazilian bank Caixa, worth €7.3 million, this week. Flamengo’s shirt is projected to have a total sponsorship value (shirts carry more than one sponsor logo) of €26.1 million this season.
Spurs roll out brand licensing campaign in US
May 6 – Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur is continuing to build its brand presence in the US via its licensed product and in advance of its July match-up against the MLS All-Stars team.
Man Utd hunt new followers as they relentlessly close Twitter gap
By Paul Nicholson
May 5 – Manchester United have continued to chase down the Twitter lead that London giants Arsenal and Chelsea have over them in terms of numbers of followers. Over the past four weeks Man Utd have averaged 15-20,000 new followers per week, more than Arsenal and Chelsea.
Stoke City unveil first kit with New Balance for 2015-16 kick-off
May 3 – Stoke City have unveiled their new kit for the 2015-16, the first kit that will be produced by New Balance. Last month New Balance unveiled Liverpool’s new strip for next season as it expands its brand presence in British football.
Man Utd LIVE roadshow rolls on to India for May season finale
May 2 – Manchester United have added a third date in a third country for their United: LIVE travelling roadshow that takes the Man Utd experience to fans outside England with a mix fanzones, live entertainment, appearances by club legends and ending with the screening of a live match from the Premier League.
Adidas adds another 10 years and £900m to Bayern sponsorship
By Mark Baber
May 2 – Newly crowned Bundesliga champions, Bayern Munich, have announced a ten year extension of their deal with kit supplier Adidas. The new deal extends the current deal, which had been due to run until 2020, up until 2030.
Kappa adds Benítez’s Napoli in five-year kit deal
By David Owen
April 29 – Kit-maker Kappa have added Napoli to their stable of Italian Serie A clubs.
Liverpool hit record visitor numbers for stadium tour and museum
April 28 – Premier League Liverpool have announced record numbers through the turnstiles for the Anfield Tour and Museum over the past 12 months. Nearly 200,000 visited the club attraction, up from 50,000 the previous year.
Man Utd top PL twitter worldwide, but lag behind Arsenal and Chelsea in UK
By Paul Nicholson
April 27 – They may lag behind rivals Arsenal and Chelsea in the Twitter follower rankings if you just take into account their English language twitter feeds, but Man Utd are top of the world when it comes to total number of Twitter followers when adding in all language accounts held by clubs.
Man Utd push deeper into China with WeChat launch
April 27 – Manchester United has expanded its social media presence in China, launching on WeChat, China’s largest and fastest growing social messaging platform.
PSV seek new shirt sponsor as Philips takes a step back
By Mark Baber
April 23 – One of the longest shirt sponsorships in professional football is coming to an end as PSV Eindhoven and Philips announced on Wednesday that Philips will no longer be the shirt sponsor of PSV from the start of the 2016-17 season.
Bayern break into US with Beckenbauer spearheading MSN content deal
April 21 – Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich have agreed a new media partnership with MSN for the broadcasting and publication of the club’s content in the USA.
Hat-trick of Asian deals boost Infront sales portfolio
By David Owen
April 20 – Infront Sports & Media, the Swiss-based sports marketing company recently acquired by Chinese businessman Wang Jianlin’s Dalian Wanda Group, has unveiled new deals with three Asian football associations.
FC Twente under pressure as XXImo pulls out of main sponsorship
April 16 – FC Twente and its main sponsor XXImo have reached an agreement to terminate their contract. The Dutch club is going through troubled times after losing the Dutch Cup final against PEC Zwolle.