England
Features
Data Snapshot: Tennis 2020
The sponsorships of the four tennis Grand Slams – plus the ATP and WTA Tours – had a combined contract value of approximately $367m in 2020.
Blue Moon – Cisco & Man City
Launched to leverage the restart of the Uefa Champions League in 2020, Manchester City official technology partner Cisco rolled out a campaign promoting its Webex video conferencing brand.
Akse Jacket Collaboration – Levi’s & Liverpool FC
To mark Liverpool’s 2019-20 Premier League title, partner Levi’s rolled out a clothing collaboration with street artist Akse.
Cricket Has No Boundaries – NatWest & the ECB
Over the English cricket summer of 2019, NatWest activated its principal partnership with the ECB by celebrating cricket’s diversity and inclusion.
The End of Football – Xylem & Man City
The End of Football was a short disaster movie by which Xylem leveraged its Manchester City partnership to educate football fans about the water challenges facing our planet.
Pep Loves His LEAF – Nissan & Manchester City
In March 2020, Manchester City automotive partner Nissan promoted its LEAF electric vehicle via a social video series built around manager Pep Guardiola’s personal passion for the car.
#GoalPower – Boots & The FA, FAW, SFA, IFA and FAI
After 170 years of trading, high street chemist Boots’ first sport sponsorship backed women’s football via partnerships with all five football associations in the British Isles.
Stevenage Challenge – Burger King & Stevenage FC
Burger King brought global fame to Stevenage FC in the 2019-20 season, incentivising Fifa 20 players to make the little-known English club into the ‘biggest team online’.
Matchday App – Paypal & the FA
In 2019, the Football Association’s official payments partner pushed its mission – to ‘facilitate people’s passions with quick and easy payments’ – by allowing grassroots teams to easily pay their fees via the FA Matchday App.
Friendship & Love – Guinness & Six Nations Rugby
In the first two years of its Six Nations title sponsorship, 2019 and 2020, Guinness targeted both committed and casual fans with multi-faceted activation focused on the humanity and friendship of rugby.
Heart of a King – Budweiser & the Football Association
Budweiser supported the England Lionesses’ bid to win the 2019 Women’s World Cup with a rallying-cry campaign inspired by Queen Elizabeth I’s speech prior to the defeat of the Spanish Armada.
Be Their Armour, Wear the Rose – O2 & England Rugby
Running September through November 2019, O2’s activation of its England Rugby partnership around the 2019 Rugby World Cup spanned television, OOH, social, in-store, in-stadium, event experiences and screenings.
Care for Every Position You Play – Dove Men+Care & England Rugby/Scottish Rugby/Welsh Rugby Union/Irish Rugby Union
Dove Men+Care used its rights in deals with the British and Irish rugby unions to create a combined campaign that ran from the 2019 Rugby World Cup to the 2020 Six Nations.
Cadbury FC Ambassador Programme – Cadbury & the Premier League
Confectionery brand Cadbury’s three-year Premier League partnership was underpinned by its Cadbury FC ambassador-focused programme which saw a stable of football legends add heft to a range of campaigns.
Clear – Guinness & Six Nations Rugby
Leveraging its 2019 Six Nations title rights, Guinness launched a responsible drinking campaign that encouraged drinking more water through the launch of a new product, ‘Guinness Clear’.
Where Everyone Plays – Coca-Cola & the Premier League
In February and August 2019, the multi-channel, multi-phase activation sought to launch Coca-Cola’s re-entry to the UK football space.
18-19 Shirt Sponsorship – M88 & AFC Bournemouth
Bookmaker M88 activated its 2018-19 Bournemouth shirt sponsorship with initiatives spanning fan promotions, live events and a comic video series aimed at fans and customers in Asia.
Guinness World Records – MoPlay & Manchester United
Through late 2018 and early 2019, Manchester United’s global betting partner brought in several players to attempt two football skills world records.
All Red – Carlsberg & Liverpool FC
Long-time club sponsor Carlsberg celebrated the May 2019 anniversary of Liverpool going ‘all-red’ with a limited edition red-label red barley beer.
#SAPManCityHeroes – SAP & Manchester City
A digital campaign run by Manchester City, sponsor SAP and the Cityzens Giving programme, the activation ran from February to July 2019 and highlighted the fans who helped their communities thrive.
Visit Rwanda – Rwanda Development Board & Arsenal
In 2018-19, the Rwanda Development Board activated its deal with Arsenal via a suite of efforts aimed at making tourism a key contributor to the country’s economy.
Reward Yourself – Hotels.com & Tottenham Hotspur
Expedia-owned Hotels.com activated its rights at Spurs during the 2018-19 season with a programme that spanned digital signage, perimeter LEDs, big screens and interior television both at the club’s temporary Wembley home and then its new stadium.
Rewards Experiences – Marriott & Manchester United
Marriott signed as Manchester United’s first official hotel partner primarily to promote awareness of its new Marriott Bonvoy Rewards brand.
Fan Financial Statement – eToro & six Premier League clubs
In November 2019, eToro leveraged its six Premier League club sponsorships to promote the ‘Fan Financial Statement’, a report that showed how fans were – and weren't – getting value-for-money from their spending on football.