Ford is to continue sponsoring the UEFA Champions League for another four years, taking advantage of the tournament’s global audience to promote its cars.
The carmaker announced this week it has agreed to extend its current sponsorship deal for a further three years until June 2015.“Our new three-year agreement shows how strongly we feel about this partnership,” said Stephen Odell, chairman and CEO, Fordof Europe.
“For a global company like ours, the UEFA Champions League is an ideal platform to connect with millions of people around common values. It is about the best-of-the-best on the ultimate stage, and that’s why Ford wants to be part of it.”
David Taylor, CEO UEFA Events, said: “We are delighted that Ford has chosen to extend their agreement with UEFA and the UEFA Champions League for another three years.“Ford has been a valuable partner of ours since the inception of the competition back in 1992. This renewal in our partnership further strengthens the close relationship we have.”
The competition was watched by more than one billion television viewers last season, with a cumulative audience of more than four billion, half of which were outside of Europe.
“This may be a European competition, but like Ford’s latest global vehicles, it is shared and enjoyed throughout the world,” said Roelant de Waard, vice-president, Marketing, Sales and Service, Ford of Europe.
“Great football, like a great car, is universal in its appeal and this partnership generates world-wide exposure. This is the reason why the UEFA Champions League played such big role in the launch of the new Ford Focus earlier this year.”
Ford used the competition to reveal its new Ford Focus to a global audience through television adverts, stadium perimeter boards and online channels.