ENGLISH PREMIER League football club Fulham has announced a one-year renewal deal with SEAT, which will see the Spanish brand remain as the club’s Official Car Partner for a third year through the 2012/13 season.
Under the terms of the agreement, SEAT will continue to provide more than a dozen cars to the west London-based club as value in kind, as well as a cash contribution. Frontloaded values the deal at around £0.5m.
Speaking exclusively to Frontloaded at Craven Cottage, home of Fulham FC, SEAT UK managing director Peter Wyhinny highlighted the importance of a Premier League association in SEAT’s quest for greater brand awareness.
“We have experienced some great results over the last two years of the partnership with Fulham, but we are still not at the top of consumers’ shopping lists,” he said.
“Being associated with other successful brands such as Fulham helps us to become front of mind for potential customers. We want to grow our awareness and business presence and collect more people who are going to consider SEAT.
“And the culture of Fulham is something that appeals to us to help us achieve this. There is a feeling of intimacy that you don’t get with other clubs and that provides great synergy with us as a brand – there’s a really elegant way in which our partnership comes together.”
Jonathan Gregory, commercial director of Fulham FC, endorses the sentiment: “We have a set of values at the football club, one of which is service excellence, which we endeavour to deliver throughout the business.
“The fact that service excellence is as important to SEAT is what makes this such a great partnership for us, and long may it continue.”
SEAT will retain perimeter signage rights at Craven Cottage while leveraging the partnership with match day activations and hospitality ticket giveaways via its Facebook page.
Bryan Ruiz, the Costa Rican forward who arrived as Fulham’s most expensive signing last August, is also a brand ambassador for SEAT.
The renewal builds on an original two-year partnership signed in November 2010 which came one year after SEAT announced a three-year deal as presenting sponsor of the UEFA Europa League.
SEAT is also the official car supplier to the Welsh Rugby Union in a partnership that dates back to 2001.