Have been reading quite a bit about football shirt sponsorship this week, the release of The European Jersey Report proving interesting with the ever growing divide in fortunes across Europe, while a couple of blasts from the past (Gerard) piquing my interest about the prolonged benefit of association with a club.
This latter point was first raised when I saw that Manchester United are doing a commemorative Ryan Giggs boxset. (NB. While I’m a sucker for boxsets from bands, and a big fan of Giggsy, I don’t think I’ll be getting this at £129, although I’m sure my Mancunian brother in law would love it for Christmas). As you’ll see on the left, they’ve included a replica shirt from when Giggs started playing 19 years ago, featuring the club sponsor at the time Sharp.
My wonder is, did they have 2,000 old 1991/2 jerseys emblazoned with Sharp still kicking around at Old Trafford, or did they get another run done? Either way, having sponsored the club for 18 years from 1982 to 2000, it shows a healthy long-tail return on their sponsorship. Ten years on, Sharp are still getting good value from the club through products like this, and I imagine being the sponsor at the time of the treble provides a strong brand association for fans too.
Which moves on nicely to the second Manchester United and Sharp shirt sponsorship related item, as today it was announced that Sharp sponsors “alternative” Man United team shirt.
As the microsite for the shirt says:
With iconic sponsor SHARP evoking memories of the happiest of days, there has never been a better time to wear GREEN and GOLD.
Which pretty much explains why it is a worthwhile deal for Sharp.
Not only is the shirt raising money for charity, as part of Sharp’s Prostate Charity support, there is clear value in being directly connected, and more importantly aligned, with fans through the work of the Manchester United Supporters trust. The trust’s visibility on the terraces at Old Trafford with their Green and Gold scarves will be well supplemented by these shirts, with Manchester United’s current shirt sponsor AON effectively being ambushed by a former one!