Standard Chartered Goes the Extra Mile to Introduce Their Jersey Sponsorship to Liverpool Fans

Brands looking for ways to fully capitalize on jersey naming rights agreements should take a close look at how Standard Chartered Bank leveraged their official partnership with Liverpool FC in 2010.

After signing a 4 years, 80 million pounds agreement to become the official jersey sponsor of Liverpool FC, the brand invested in several key initiatives to demonstrate to fans that they were not just looking to align themselves to drive their marketing efforts.

Standard Chartered Bank conveyed their commitment to the Liverpool club and it's fanbase through several impactful tactics, including:

• Replacing their name on the Liverpool jersey for the first game with the names of Liverpool's longest season ticket holders
• Standard Chartered Bank then arranged to have each of the players (who wore jerseys with the names of different fans) sign the jerseys they wore and personally deliver it to the fans
• Standard Chartered Bank then held a ceremony where they interviewed the fan and player participants  
• Standard Chartered Bank also promoted their partnership affiliation and demonstrated support for Liverpool's loyal fanbase with bus shelter OOH displays, print ads, and more

Cercle Bruges Turns to Student Designers for Jersey Style

As featured on Wouter de Jonckheere's blog, Belgian soccer club Cercle Bruges is currently running a tremendous promotion that enables children from 216 participating schools to create and submit a jersey design for the team.

Cercle Bruges is offering to wear the winning jersey for the 2011 and 2012 seasons, which will draw plenty of interest and attention to the winning design. The only paramaters given to the student participants was that the submitted jersey designs must be green and black (representing the team's colors) and feature the names and team logo in a very visible fashion.

Cercle Bruges executed a similar promotional initiative in 2007 that proved to be very popular amongst the team's young fanbase and the local community. On November 15th, the team is expected to have a panel of judges, representing fashion and design, the team's outfitter, and some members of the organization choose the winning entry.

Burger King Turns its Jersey Deal Inside Out...

Are you looking for new ways to maximize a jersey sponsorship? Are you looking for creative ways to leverage partnerships in the game of soccer?

Brands looking to derive incremental value out of their jersey sponsorship deals should consider benchmarking a tactic recently implemented by Burger King overseas.

After signing on as an official sponsor of the Spanish soccer club Getafe (a 1-year, $1.8MM agreement), Burger King made a splash in the sports marketplace when it revealed the team's new branded soccer kit.

While soccer clubs traditionally sell the front section of their home/away jerseys to signature jersey sponsors, Burger King took their team apparel branding to the next level. The QSR chain decided to feature an upside down picture of the King on the inside of the jersey so when the team's players pull their shirt over their heads after scoring a goal, it will appear as if The King (e.g. Burger King) is taking part in the celebration... an extremely clever idea!

Take a minute to check out some pictures of Getafe's new soccer kit below:   

 

Burger King's jersey sponsorship wouldn't have been complete without clear instructions for Getafe players on how to execute the preferred goal celebration: