Premier League shirt sponsorship "used to be dominated by cars, booze and bank brands, but the dominant category is now gambling firms," according to Leah Gillooly of MARKETING MAGAZINE. For the '15-16 season, seven out of the 20 Premier League teams "have a gambling company on their shirt" and all 20 have an official gambling partner. One of the "most sought-after benefits of sponsorship is brand awareness and in the saturated gambling industry, achieving top-of-mind awareness is vital." It is "noticeable that none of the top six shirt sponsorship deals in the Premier League are with gambling companies." The average value of shirt sponsorship deals for gambling sponsors is £3.9M ($5.9M), compared with the league average of £11.2M ($17M). In a crowded market, "the real benefit of brand recall really comes from activating the sponsorship." But "too many gambling partners stop their investment at the point of signing the sponsorship deal," neglecting the opportunity to "actually communicate that association and reinforce the link in the minds of fans." That is not "necessarily for want of trying." Gambling activations "are tightly controlled under regulations governing the advertising of such services to children." With the value of sponsorship to gambling brands "under threat, clubs might need to look to alternative partners." It is "not easy to find a company to cough up for a shirt sponsorship, and it would be naïve to suggest clubs should shun all future offers from gambling firms." But by "thinking creatively about sponsorship packages," clubs could secure deals that add "more than just financial value" (MARKETING MAGAZINE, 12/9).
