General Motors dropped some pretty significant bombs when it announced that it was departing Facebook and Super Bowl advertising a couple of weeks ago. Instead, the brand will significantly focus on Chevrolet’s China global sponsorship deal with the premier league team Manchester United.
“As Chevrolet continues to grow as a global brand, this is the right time to make a commitment and establish a presence in international football,” said General Motors CMO Joel Ewanick. “Our ambition is to connect with football in a fashion that transcends traditional sponsorship. To be a truly respected global brand, you must inspire consumers. Few brands, if any, can match the ability to inspire people everywhere as Manchester United.”
The deal will see Chevy become the official automotive partner of Manchester United and to create the Chevrolet China Cup as part of the team’s 2012 tour, the first global soccer sponsorship by Chevrolet in the brand’s 101-year history.
Chevrolet has also launched a partnership with the One World Futbol Project, an organization focused on sustaining play for youth in impoverished regions. Chevy plans to donate 1.5 million soccer balls over the next three years to organizations working with youth living in war-stricken zones, refugee camps, disaster areas and other disadvantaged communities.
“As Chevrolet continues to grow as a global brand, this is the right time to make a commitment and establish a presence in international football,” noted Ewanick. “Our ambition is to connect with football in a fashion that transcends traditional sponsorship.”
GM already sold more than 2.5 million vehicles in China in 2011, including nearly 600,000 Chevrolets, up 9 percent from a year earlier. The new focus could end up being a seminal move for the company, as it concentrates more on the burgeoning Chinese market.
Source: Brand Channel
