BUSINESS INSURANCE giant Aon will become the title sponsor of the Manchester United Business Network and the Manchester United Foundation after its shirt sponsorship deal with the club ends in 2014.
The announcement followed United’s unveiling of Chevrolet as the club's primary (and shirt) sponsor from the 2014/15 season.
Aon are thought to be paying around £20m per year for its existing sponsorship agreement. The new deal, however, is impossible to value without inside information.
As one prominent sports marketer told Frontloaded: “Aon will have seen the value of working with United’s business in terms of reputation, relationships and new business – and have calculated a value to their business versus the ‘sponsorship’ price.”
The association with United’s business network and community-based foundation, over an undisclosed period, represents the second phase of the company’s relationship with Manchester United.
Aon's primary reason for its original shirt partnership was to unite its 60,000 employees operating across 120 countries.
“Aon has made great progress on that objective while achieving its brand awareness objectives, with metrics now consistent with global iconic brands,” Aon said in a press release.
“The second phase is intended to continue this momentum but with even more of a focus around clients and communities. We are very excited about continuing this new dimension of our partnership with Manchester United over the long term.”
By Matthew Glendinning
Follow Matthew on Twitter: @mattglen