The Football League announced today it is to begin discussions with potential new sponsors for its showpiece cup competition, the League Cup, after the exclusive negotiation period of current sponsor Carling concluded without an agreement.
Emma Newell, head of sport at Lexis PR, looks at what the competition has to offer brands...
The opportunity to sponsor the League Cup doesn’t come around very often. Carling has enjoyed title sponsorship for fourteen seasons so while the property will naturally attract attention from potential sponsors, the challenge for any new sponsor is more about how it can build association with the competition and its fans from day one. When a brand has been so intrinsically linked to a property for so long, any new sponsor will need to work hard to build brand association while also creating relevant platforms to excite and engage League Cup fans.
With the advancement in social media, there are far more opportunities for brands to engage fans directly. Within the sports arena, fans now expect direct engagement with both the rights holders and sponsor. Communication is much more two-way where brands are now required to listen, engage and provide relevant platforms where fans can interact. Brands need to dig a lot deeper to retain fans and excite non-fans.
The League Cup attracts fans not just in the UK but also internationally so there is a huge opportunity to capitalise on this growing fan base by tapping into the advancement in social media to deliver real cut through for any new sponsor. I have no doubt that the Football League will find a new sponsor for its flagship competition. You just have to look at the impact that Budweiser has already made with its FA Cup sponsorship and how it plans to engage fans through innovative campaigns and content including the streaming of FA Cup preliminary rounds on Facebook.
This blog was originally posted on The Drum's website
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