The latest sponsorship report by Insight.X highlighted the commercial growth of Newcastle United in the past season, with them topping the most talked about list of clubs on social media.
The report also took a closer analysis of the reputational feedback of partnerships, placing a specific look on how fans responded to the firms their clubs partnered with.
These were impacted by a host of subjects, one of which being Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and which brands had strong links to Russia, with Emirates’ close association to Arsenal being one of the links that was questioned by the report.
One of the reasons cited for grievance with the link was Emirates’ lack of action when it comes to halting Russian services.
Discussions were also raised around Aston Villa’s front-of-shirt sponsor, after the club’s deal with Cazoo culminated and the Midlands club subsequently agreed a controversial deal with BK88 that received backlash from fans.
In a similar sentiment fans of Brentford were critical of the club’s collaboration with Hollywood Bets – with fans taking aim at the club promoting a gambling firm, whilst their talisman Ivan Toney was sanctioned over placing bets on football.
Treble winners Manchester City underlined that positive activation can have a significant impact on the feedback felt towards sponsors. The report stated that matchday events largely fuelled positive sponsorship feedback.
Etihad also benefited from branding in the club’s celebrations, being emblazoned on images that were spread across digital platforms. Etihad undoubtedly benefited from the success of the club, as City fans engaged with content across social media.
Across the city, Manchester United’s TeamViewer partnership was met with mixed reaction, whilst it significantly bolstered the brand’s global presence – the club’s fans did look to orchestrate a boycott of their sponsors in order to protest the ownership of the club.
