MELBOURNE: Essendon Football Club and Manchester United have teamed up to launch an ambitious promotion aimed at growing supporter numbers for both clubs.
The two clubs have been plotting to grow supporter numbers for several months despite much of the AFL community feeling threatened by the emergence of soccer as a genuine competitor following Australia’s recent World Cup success. Essendon Football Club said it had decided to embrace the game and the world’s most powerful sporting brand, Manchester United.
The two clubs, in conjunction with Coles and Nestle’s Milo brand, are about to launch a promotion to run until the end of August that they hope will strengthen the respective brands. The campaign has been created by Sydney design agency Finished Art Workshop, while the online component was created by One Digital.
“Our research tells us that Essendon Football Club is truly a national brand,” Essendon general manager of marketing Mark Anderson said.
“We have over one million supporters spread across every state in Australia, and we currently know 220,000 of these supporters.”
Manchester United has identified a massive Australian supporter base of 3.18 million and also aims to build a relationship with supporters.
The promotion, conducted in Coles and BiLo supermarkets nationally, will give a family of four the chance to win a trip to the UK to watch a Manchester United game. The winner will also fly to Melbourne to watch an Essendon game and meet the team’s stars. Entry details can be found on Milo tins from Monday 31 July.
Anderson said he was encouraged by the level of similarity between the two clubs' business models and marketing plans.
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.