Germany
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We Drive Football – Volkswagen & the Deutscher Fußball-Bund/Uefa and more
Through 2019 and 2020, Volkswagen leveraged its football partnerships – led by its official mobility partnership with the Deutscher Fußball-Bund (DFB) – through a centralised European content hub called ‘We Drive Football’.
Data Snapshot: European FAs 2020-21
Europe’s most powerful football associations – of England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain – hold sponsorship portfolios worth about €392.6m ($472.6m) in the 2020-21 season.
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Welcome to Hell – Under Armour & FC St. Pauli
In summer 2016, for Under Armour’s first St. Pauli kit, supplier and club worked with agency Nordpol on a campaign that spanned social, PR and at-stadium strands and was led by an online film focused on a redesigned players tunnel.
#SauberesSpiel/#CleanGame – PreZero & TSG 1899 Hoffenheim
In October and November 2019, Hoffenheim naming rights partner PreZero ran an eco-focused activation around the club’s home game against Paderborn to deliver the first carbon-neutral Bundesliga match.
No Fuss. Football as It Should Be – Nike & VfL Bochum
Bochum and Nike’s campaign promoting the club's 2020-21 jersey led to tripling the previous season’s shirt sales and generating record revenue even without fans in the stadium or the physical club shop.
Ready for Family, Ready for Union – Adidas & FC Union Berlin
At the start of the 2020-21 Bundesliga, FC Union Berlin and technical partner adidas rolled out a family-focused digital campaign to promote the club’s new shirt.
Racing for the Future/Pioneers – ABB & Formula E
Through the 2019 season, AAB activated its rights as the title partner of the Formula E racing series through a short-form content series based on solving contemporary urban challenges.
Eine Lige Fur Sich/A League of Its Own – Hypovereinsbank/Allianz & Bayern Munich
An online and in-store led joint campaign from Hypovereinsbank (HVB) and Allianz leveraged their FC Bayern Munich sponsorships to promote their combined insurance/pensions partnership.
Augmented Realty Fireworks Kit Launch – Uhlsport & Fortuna Düsseldorf
Fortuna Düsseldorf and kit supplier Uhlsport launched the team’s 2018-19 season away journey with an augmented reality mobile experience set during the city’s annual fireworks display.
RB Leipzig Rides Specialized – Specialized & RB Leipzig
Bike manufacturer Specialized announced its official partnership with Bundesliga club RB Leipzig in August 2020 with an integrated campaign that spanned online video, player and product image assets, social content, PR and in-stadium branding.
Raute Lebenslang Raute (Rhombus for Life) – Umbro & Werder Bremen
Through July 2020, Umbro rolled out ‘Rhombus for Life’, its launch campaign for the 2020-21 season Werder Bremen third kit, which revolved around the team’s famous rhombus/diamond logo.
Your Game, Your Beat, Your Bank – Commerzbank & the DFB
Commerzbank activated its German women’s national team rights with deliberately provocative creative around the women’s world cup from May to July 2019.
The Selfie Scarf – DEVK & FC Köln
A tongue-in-cheek activation from FC Köln’s official insurance partner, the selfie scarf allowed fans to support the promotion-chasing team in person and online simultaneously.
On-Pitch Safety Demonstration – Emirates & Hamburger SV
In 2016, Emirates leveraged its Hamburg shirt sponsorship with an on-pitch ‘safety demonstration’ that became a social media video phenomenon.
Most Emotional Moment – Google & Bayern Munich
As part of Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich’s 120th anniversary celebration in February 2020, the club invited fans to vote for the most emotional moment in its history through an initiative run in harness with new partner Google.
#Mauerfall/Fall of the Wall – Deutsche Bahn & Hertha BSC
Hertha Berlin and sponsor Deutsche Bahn marked the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall with a limited-edition shirt and an advertising campaign with the tagline ‘We Do Not Accept Walls’.
Reimagine the Game – Siemens & Bayern Munich
Siemens showcased its data and analytics expertise by recording and visualising the fan energy and emotion of matches at Bayern’s Allianz Arena.
#CheerForBVB Official Partner Launch – TikTok & Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund was the first German club to pen an official partnership with the ByteDance-owned platform and launched it with a video-led challenge to boost user engagement and attract a new, younger generation of fans.
Where Winners Feel At Home – Marriott & Bayern Munich
The ‘Where Winners Feel at Home’ activation was built around the creation of a fully functioning hotel room – with pitch view – in Bayern’s Allianz Arena.
Job of the Match/Fan – Indeed & Eintracht Frankfurt
Jobsite Indeed activated its Eintracht Frankfurt shirt sponsorship through multiple initiatives including ‘Job of the Match’, which introduced supporters to behind-the-scenes jobs within the club.
Interwetten doubles up Bundesliga club partnerships, adds Sporting Gijón in Spain
Online gambling company Interwetten has added German club VfL Wolfsburg and Spanish club Sporting Gijón to its limited football club sponsorship roster, having all but given up on football sponsorship …
Deutsche Post diverts Schalke’s shirt sleeve rights to DHL
German postal services and courier group Deutsche Post DHL will honour its shirt sleeve agreement with Bundesliga club Schalke 04 even though the subsidiary brand it supported in the first year of the…
European Football Sponsorship Report 2018-19: Overview
SportBusiness Sponsorship has conducted extensive research into partnerships across the top five leagues in European football, covering over two thousand deals
European Football Sponsorship Report 2018-19: Bundesliga
The Bundesliga's central sponsorship income has plateaued since it handed over sleeve sponsorship rights to clubs in 2017-18. Previously, logistics brand Hermes paid €8.5