The backlash from last month's unsuccessful bid to launch the European Super League has placed ownership of the clubs concerned under greater scrutiny than ever before.
Although Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Tottenham Hotspur have all dropped out of the competition after their horrifying miscalculation a few weeks ago, the plans have had such an effect that the likes of Fenway Sports Group have never had their stock so poor among supporters.
DON'T MISS:
FSG principal owner John W. Henry was relatively quick to attempt to put out the flames, his video apologizing to supporters 48 hours after the plans were first made an official showing at least a degree of contrition, while the Glazer family's absence in the wake just helped to escalate an increasingly toxic condition in terms of their association with United fans.
Liverpool suffered a direct advertising blow as a result of the Super League storyline, with Tribus Watches pulling out of their relationship with the Reds in the hours after last month's declaration of the plan of 12 'founding clubs' to split up and create their own rivalry.
Although some Reds fans remain angry, there have been some steps forward, with the supporters' group Spirit of Shankly meeting with Liverpool CEO Billy Hogan to discuss how trust can be rebuilt and to demand further supporter representation at the board level, giving them a say in key matters relating to upholding the football club's traditions and its place at the heart of the UEFA Champions League.
It's been a case of absentee ownership at Old Trafford in recent times, with the Glazer family facing demands to sell up while supporters go on the offensive, with riots spilling into the Old Trafford field and forcing the match against Liverpool to be postponed.
Thursday's rescheduled game appeared to be more of the same, as supporters assembled once more to express their anger at the club's American owners.
DON'T MISS:
As part of their #NotAPennyMore movement, United supporters have moved to threaten the Glazers' backers and business relationships in an attempt to convince them to sell the team.
Sponsors face millions of pounds of digital overspend as a consequence of the initiative, with United's worldwide fan base mobilizing and try to bring their message out loud and clear.
Global companies such as Adidas, Chevrolet, and Tag Heuer have been pulled into the #NotAPennyMore anti-Glazer fan movement, and fans have been encouraged to press on some of United's 50 identified sponsors' Google Ads several times. Clicking on the internet advertisements quickly tends to pile up alarming bills for the club's sponsors, which one digital expert estimates might potentially run into "millions of pounds."
United have also seen a potential £200 million, 10-year deal with The Hut Group pulled in recent days as a result of the protests, but they also secured a new global betting partner in Hua Ti Hui (HTH) in the past week, with branding appearing on the Old Trafford LED advertising boards across the pitch after the 4-2 loss at home to Liverpool on Thursday eve.
According to Mediaworks, a digital marketing firm, there would be a significant overspend that sponsors would have to face, which will damage their association with the United brand.
“When looking at the digital facts, it's very simple to see how this will very easily start costing Manchester United's sponsors a ton of money,” said Brett Jacobson, CEO and creator of Mediaworks. This might potentially reach millions of dollars.
“We've already had one big sponsor withdraw from a new contract this week, and the fans' decision to light the match on digital dynamite as a way of excluding the Glazer family as club owners has every chance of having the desired result. If all goes as planned, there may be some uncomfortable boardroom talks between United and their sponsors.”
The hashtag #NotAPennyMore has been used more than 51,000 times on social media sites, with regular usage increasing by 62 per cent to more than 7,000 mentions each day.
At the same moment, an analysis of Google Trends data shows that the popularity of searches for only five of Manchester United's main partners – Adidas, Chevrolet, Tag Heuer, Kohler, and AON – has more than risen in the last 48 hours in the UK alone.
Using publicly accessible Google Ads data to measure what this might mean for promotional prices for these brands, Mediaworks claims it presents a grim image for many in the firing line's campaign budgets.
“We looked at the top end cost per click data for only those five labels, a price they might fairly expect to be paid by Google for this sort of fan activity,” Jacobson said. Assuming that just one-quarter of those who looked up these sponsors in the last 48 hours clicked once on their Google Ads, that could be an eye-watering bill of more than £1.2m they could be facing this month alone. And that number has the potential to skyrocket.
“Manchester United has 50 main partners and backers named, whom the #NotAPennyMore activists say they would strike. 'You do the arithmetic,' Glazer's accountants in the United States might be nervously moaning right now.
“With The Hut Group withdrawing from a rumoured £200 million, ten-year contract to join the club's roster of supporters for fear of unfavourable ties, you fear that this is only the tip of the iceberg for the Glazers' fan troubles.”
No comments:
Post a Comment