Panasonic has signed a four-year extension to its global partnership with Brazil and Barcelona football star Neymar, with the agreement set to place a heavy emphasis on the company’s sponsorship of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
The new contract has been backdated to take effect from April 2013. Neymar will appear in new advertisements for Panasonic’s B2B services to be rolled out in 193 countries and regions, starting in the company’s home market of Japan from today.
In March 2010, Panasonic became the first Japanese company to sign a deal with Neymar. In April 2011, the two parties signed a two-year contract, and Neymar became the global face of the company in an agreement that comprised its involvement in the London 2012 Olympic Games.
The new deal has been sealed in anticipation of the Rio 2016 Games and Neymar will act as the global ambassador for the company in its B2C and B2B business promotional activities, advertising activities for Rio 2016, CSR activities, as well as other activities. Panasonic is a top-tier sponsor of the International Olympic Committee and Olympic Games.
As part of the promotional activities, Panasonic will also launch a special website entitled ‘Panasonic x Neymar Jr.’ which will support Neymar and offer the latest news on the player, along with other content.
The agreement comes after Panasonic last week signed a three-year partnership with Barcelona ahead of Neymar’s debut season for the club. Along with Panasonic, the 21-year-old also enjoys endorsement deals with Nike, Mentos, Claro, Terys-pe, Lupo, Guarana Antarctica, Unilever, Volkswagen, Santander and Heliar.