The English Premier League marketing game

Recently, Thailand hosted a friendly match between Thai League superstars and English Premier League side Chelsea. About 60,000 people crowded into the Rajamangala stadium to witness the match. Coke was a main sponsor of this big event, and AP Honda was also involved as a co-sponsor.

Motorcycle firm AP Honda has recently signed contracts to become an official partner of two English sides, Manchester United and Liverpool, because they are the most popular English teams among Thai football fans. AP Honda plans to hold a series of events here involving the two clubs.

The Aje Group has signed a sponsorship deal for its Big Cola brand to become an official partner of four English Premier League clubs. The Thailand-based soft-drinks firm has signed one-year contracts with Everton, Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion and Wigan Athletic in a deal worth Bt300 million. The move is part of the company's strategy to increase overseas sales.

Singha Corporation is to invest Bt200 million in sponsorship deals with Manchester United and Chelsea, two of the best-known English football clubs. This is part of the company's campaign to double its sales of Singha beer in overseas markets, from the current 2 per cent of total sales to about 5 per cent by the end of this year.

English Premier League football is currently the hot game in Thai marketing circles. And there are no rules: a brand can support a football club in a holistic fashion or simply endorse a particularly famous player. Sponsors can do anything that fits their brand's purpose.

The rules of sports marketing are not very clearly defined. Because professional sports themselves have grown and changed so much in the fairly recent past, the idea of marketing tied into sports has necessarily changed as well. With corporate sponsors, advertising budgets, television ads and millions of baht flowing back and forth, sports marketing is a fast-paced industry that's constantly in flux.

The scope of sports marketing is practically endless when you consider the fact that athletes and professional teams can be used to endorse practically any product. Everything from pain-relief cream to exercise videos fall within the aegis of a professional athlete, and athletes at the beginning of their careers versus retired ones have entirely different sets of skills.

Consideration of endorsing an English Premier League football club may need well-rounded thinking. At least some action should be taken either to discuss the investment with to club or to undertake a study to identify the pros and cons of football sponsorship. The following are some ideas that may represent a check list:

_Commission some surveys before you choose a club or player. How popular is this team in Thailand? Do people like them or hate them?

_What is the team's profile? Think of it like a brand. Is its personality relevant to today's Thai consumer?

_What is the profile of your brand's target customers in the local market? Are they from young generations? Do they match the profile of the football club you have chosen?

_How does the proposition fit with your brand's core values and attitude?

_Can you leverage a long-term asset for your brand from this particular football club? Normally, the club will ask for a three-year contract. Is there an ability, for example, to join in corporate social responsibility activities such as football development, or corporate campaigns?

_Will the sponsorship be beneficial in terms of returns on investment?

_What is the coverage and scope of the sponsorship?

_Does the seasonality of football competition fit your marketing plans?

_How widespread is the public-relations effect?

_What can we do on the ground at scheduled events?

_What can we achieve by way of an integrated plan - for example, products and merchandising, TV commercials, grass roots activities, team tours, digital media, CSR and so on?

_What is you ability to move on into regional sponsorships?

I hope this check list will help you to prepare for the English Premier League marketing game this season.

Pongsak Sanitwongse na Ayudhya is executive vice president of Dentsu Plus, part of the Dentsu Asia Network. Follow his articles in Hi! Managers on every first Friday of the month.