At the very top level, the world of football has undeniably changed. Team performances are determined more by the financial muscle and brand power of the club than scouting networks or managerial talent. Football clubs are global brands, and it stands to reason that they behave – commercially and in sporting terms – as brands.
It’s no surprise to see the likes of Emirates woo Arsenal, Standard Chartered sponsor Liverpool, Samsung back Chelsea or Aon sponsoring Manchester United. As I discussed last week, the benefits are mutual – sponsors get access to global markets (especially Asia) through a different medium and the club gets a valuable source of income plus access to more corporate sponsorship opportunities.
Soccerlens recently had the opportunity to chat with Aon’s VP of Global Public Relations, David Prosperi, and ask him about what the sponsorship means to Aon, how they decided to sponsor Manchester United, and what it means to partner with the biggest football club in the world.
Have a listen to the interview (conducted by SL Podcast co-host Iain Spragg): [audio:AON_Audio.mp3] Download link (mp3, 8mb, 9 mins)
You can also listen to interviews with Aon Chief Executive Gregory Case and Manchester United’s Commercial Director Richard Arnold talking about the partnership on key103.co.uk.
Make sure you send in your feedback and questions through [email protected] and Clarke and Spragg will feature the best of them in their World Cup Daily podcast.
Photo credit: Eric Sawitoski, Aon Corp.
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