US car giant Chevrolet to be Manchester United shirt sponsor
The Atlantic is becoming an increasingly narrow pond. Chevrolet, the great name in American cars , is to be Manchester United's shirt sponsor, starting with the season 2014-15.
Chevy will be the name on Man U shirts
The deal, reported in AdAge and the Guardian, has been revealed by the interim marketing chief of General Motors , British-born Alan Batey, who has taken over from Joel Ewanick - who abruptly left the CMO job after two years last week.
Chevrolet is GM's biggest brand.The seven-year deal for the shirts, for an undisclosed amount, will make GM the fifth sponsor in Manchester United's 134-year history.
The Detroit-based car giant replaces insurance broker Aon, whose partnership with United began in the 2010-2011 season.
"We are extremely proud to connect our brand, Chevrolet, with Manchester United and its passionate supporters all around the world," said Batey, in a statement.
"Manchester United's statistics are impressive, but this relationship goes far beyond the numbers -- this relationship is about connecting our brand with the deep-seated emotion that surrounds the team everywhere it goes."
United commercial director Richard Arnold called the deal " a fantastic, long-term deal for the club. We have been partners with Chevrolet for only six weeks, but already they have produced some fantastic ideas that will benefit both the partnership and our 659m followers around the world."
In May, GM had announced a five-year sponsorship deal with Man U. It came amid talk of the carmaker pulling out of the Super Bowl - and was seen as part of GM trying to make Chevrolet into a truly global brand.
Example: When United played Manchester City, the audience around the world amounted to 600 million people. The Super Bowl in the States by contrast brings in 110 to 115 million.
Batey chose his on his first day on the job to talk about the shirt deal and General Motors further strengthening its relationship with Manchester United.
Interestingly , reported AdAge ,this is the very same relationship that's being reported as the root of Ewanick's ouster.
A Reuters report credited an unnamed source as saying Ewanick failed to properly report financial details about the recent sponsorship deal.
The shirt sponsor announcement is seen as a swift effort on Batey's part to seize control of the conversation.
GM has been silent about why Ewanick left . Automotive News reported that he "failed to meet the expectations the company has of an employee."
People close to GM told AdAge they'd be surprised that, "in a company with so many checks and balances, that a sponsorship deal would get through if it wasn't airtight and squeaky clean."