HONDA HAS BEEN named as the tenth founding partner of the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
The US division of the Japanese car manufacturer will also become the official vehicle partner of the National Basketball Association (NBA) franchise the Brooklyn Nets – formerly the New Jersey Nets – who will move to the arena once opened this September.
Honda is the latest in the long line of partners to join forces with the Barclays Center and the Nets and will receive a host of marketing rights as a result of its sponsorship.
As well as entitlement to one of the hospitality suites in the arena – Honda Club – the brand will be the presenting sponsor of Brooklyn Hoops, a winter college basketball festival.
Further, Honda will have an interactive display on the arena's main concourse, a major advertising presence via "street-to-seat" signage at all Barclays Center events including in-arena branding during Nets games at the venue.
“New York is undeniably an important region for Honda and the alliance with Barclays Center and the Brooklyn Nets is a great fit within our marketing efforts in the Northeast [of America],” said Michael Accavitti, vice president of marketing operations, American Honda Motor Company.
In 2007, Barclays agreed to pay $400 million over 20 years for naming rights to the arena.
Frontloaded understands that each of the founding partnership deals are likely to be worth around $2 million oer year. For more analysis and insight on the sponsorship model of the Barclays Center, see our in-depth story in the next issue of Frontiers Monthly.
By Luke Harman
Follow Luke on Twitter: @lukeharmanSBG