Sleeve sponsorship
In the 2017-2018 campaign, Premier League clubs will be allowed to add a second sponsor to their shirts—on the left sleeve. The financial details haven’t been revealed but are estimated to be worth 15-20% of the main sponsor on the front of the shirt. So far, only two clubs have taken advantage of this new revenue-boosting venture: Manchester City and Stoke City, with Everton closing in on a deal. However, two top-flight teams will not be allowed to take part in this deal due to the structure of their current contract with their sponsor.
Snapchat spectacles
This year has seen Premier league teams producing more social media content than ever before. Teams are using social media as a communication tool to engage and interact with their fans. This year Manchester City have taken advantage of new social media technology to help develop their digital reach. When Snapchat released Spectacles, Manchester City was one of the first football teams to use these to offer fans first person filmed, behind the scenes exclusive match day content. Competitions were included allowing fans to run the clubs content on the social media platform. More Premier League teams are partnering with tech-focused brands who can help facilitate ways to interact with fans, helping the league and teams innovate in fan engagement.
Southampton teams up with Scope
In order to increase national awareness about discrimination against disabled football supporters, Southampton’s main sponsor, Virgin Media, donated their sponsorship of the Manchester United match to Scope, a charity that advocates for disabled peoples’ rights. The Saints invited five fans to take penalty shots at halftime, and Virgin Media agreed to donate £5,000 to Scope for every goal scored. All five participants found the back of the net leading Virgin Media to donate £25,000 to the charity. This move comes after a survey sponsored by Virgin Media and Scope revealed that eight of ten disabled fans have experienced some sort of discrimination while attending a football match. Additionally, two-thirds of those supporters haven’t returned to a football stadium since. Scope’s chief executive Martin Atkinson had this to say about the matter, “Football is our national game and has the ability to bring people together. Disabled fans shouldn’t feel forced out of the stadium.”
Cadbury’s deal with the Premier League
The Premier League locked in one of the Britain’s most recognisable brands in Cadbury for a three-year sponsorship deal. Starting next season, Cadbury will hold the rights to the Golden Boot and Golden Gloves awards, given to the league’s top goal scorer and keeper with the most clean sheets respectively. Cadbury’s partnership also includes the devotion to increasing the Premier League’s initiatives in promoting healthier lifestyles to school children. Cadbury will join Barclays, EA Sports, Carling, Nike, and TAGHeuer as the Premier League’s major partners.
Augmented Reality filters
Augmented Reality has taken off this season with more teams using sponsored content on social media platforms. This year saw Snapchat produce sponsored Premier League lenses, which allowed fans to get their face painted. The lenses produced a dynamic, fun way of getting fans engage and allowing them to show their support. Many lenses were geo-filtered and could only be used within the stadium.
Cost of sponsored video content
Could the premier League be putting a price on social media video content for sponsors? It’s undebatable that teams and players are gaining more exposure on social media compared to TV. So far, no one has been able to track the value of social media posts, with many industry experts determining revenue is being severely undervalued. Some players have a world-wide fan base, a sponsored content post can result in a high amount of fan engagement, bringing in thousands of pounds for sponsors. Video content produces more engagement than any other form of communication, fans love watching their teams and players interact in fun content. Therefore, not only does this build on brand partnerships and awareness it helps to build revenue. So what’s your view, should clubs start putting a price on social media videos for sponsors or will this affect the way fans view content?
