fb

Liverpool win after an own goal by Adidas.

Forget about the rivalry on the pitch between Manchester United and Liverpool. Forget about Luis Suarez refusing to shake hands with Patrice Evra at the game on Saturday.

No, the key question is who has got the biggest kit sponsorship deal in the world.

Manchester United’s kit is sponsored by Nike and until recently it was the largest kit sponsorship deal in the world. Liverpool however has just announced a new kit sponsorship deal which exceeds the Nike deal and makes it the biggest football shirt sponsorship deal in the world.

Liverpool’s kit used to be sponsored by Adidas but Adidas lost out in the new bid for sponsorship to American Sports Group Warrior Sports (who own the New Balance sports brand).

Adidas felt that Liverpool’s form over the last few years in the English Premier League hadn’t been that good and as a result didn’t bid as much for the sponsorship deal.

Warrior Sports though seem to have taken the view that Liverpool is a global brand as opposed to merely an English football club.

Liverpool FC has immense brand power overseas. Especially in Asia and the sales of their replica shirts are estimated to be nearly 900,000 a year.

There’s also an interesting observation in that their main sponsor of the shirt (as opposed to the kit supplier) is Standard Chartered.

The Standard Chartered bank isn’t present in the UK and therefore the bank’s sponsorship of the Liverpool shirt clearly isn’t aimed at the UK market but rather at the Asian, African and Middle Eastern markets where Liverpool have a strong following and Standard Chartered have a strong presence.

So, well done Warrior Sports for seeing the global appeal of the Liverpool brand.

As for Adidas, have they just kicked the ball into their own net?

Share this entry

Recent articles

View All Articles
The right (or left) turn for Big Data…
May 31, 2023
Title
The right (or left) turn for Big Data…
Excerpt

In the ever-evolving world of logistics and delivery services, companies are constantly seeking innovative ways to optimise their […]

Drinking in the highs and lows…
May 18, 2023
Title
Drinking in the highs and lows…
Excerpt

In the world of business, effective advertising can really help or hinder a brand. A recent case highlighting […]

Expensive planes but low cost…
May 11, 2023
Title
Expensive planes but low cost…
Excerpt

Ryanair is one of the largest and most popular low-cost airlines in the world and it’s got ambitious […]

PwC to invest $1 Billion in AI…
Apr 27, 2023
Title
PwC to invest $1 Billion in AI…
Excerpt

PwC, one of the Big Four accounting firms, has announced its plan to invest $1 billion in artificial […]

Who else knows?
Apr 17, 2023
Title
Who else knows?
Excerpt

If done properly, data analytics can provide valuable information to a company. There can however be some unplanned […]

On your marks…
Apr 13, 2023
Title
On your marks…
Excerpt

Back in 1949, a German individual by the name of Adolf (Adi) Dassler started a business. He combined […]

What’s ACCA all about?
Mar 31, 2023
Title
What’s ACCA all about?
Excerpt

Ever wondered what ACCA is and what are the benefits of obtaining the qualification? If so, then read […]

It’s not a Lamborghini it’s a Volkswagen…
Mar 22, 2023
Title
It’s not a Lamborghini it’s a Volkswagen…
Excerpt

When it comes to cars, things used to be simple. Most brands were known for a certain type […]