Nissan is "set to take over Ford's multi-million pound UEFA Champions League sponsorship deal following the latter's decision to end its 20-year tie to the tournament," according to Sebastian Joseph of MARKETING WEEK. The Japanese carmaker is "understood to have penned a three-year deal with European football's governing body to become only the second car brand associated with the 22-year old event." It will be announced at this year's Champions League final in Lisbon, Portugal on May 24. The final is "expected to be viewed by more than 300 million people in more than 200 countries." Sports marketing analysts estimated UEFA's latest sponsorship packages cost at more than £45M ($74.9M) per year. It "is understood" that Nissan offered a "sizeable fee" to organizers before Ford "started re-negotiating for the next cycle, and ultimately chose not to match it," according to a source. The value of Nissan's deal "is not known." Sponsorship experts said that Nissan's move could "also be related to its attempts to offset stagnating demand in Europe and establish a more cost-effective brand awareness strategy." Nissan blamed "sluggish conditions" in Europe after posting a 1% increase in global sales for the nine months to last December (MARKETING WEEK, 3/13).
