Nationwide offers fan sponsorship

By Bill Wilson
BBC News reporter

Fans' names could soon join the three lions on England shirts

Nationwide is offering customers the chance to have their names emblazoned pitch-side at the new Wembley stadium, as it shakes up its sponsorship of the four home national football teams.

Putting consumer names on players' training kit, as well as on match day tickets and programmes are also part of its new Sponsored By You strategy, which will run until 2010.

The move, as part of the mutual's existing deals with the England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland FAs, is designed to show that Nationwide's customers own the business.

It also made the changes after saying fans were becoming cynical about sports sponsorship, with many feeling it only benefits the corporate few.

"As we are owned by our customers then it is our customers who are sponsoring the national teams, and felt our sponsorship should reflect this," said Nationwide head of brand strategy Peter Gandolfi.

"We have been really happy with our partnerships with the national teams over eight years, but this new approach will give our customers a sense of ownership of our national football teams."

Customer benefits

As well as customers' names on players' training kit, it is estimated that as many as 9,000 international tickets will be given away over the next three years.

Other benefits for those fan customers who are selected by Nationwide will include VIP hospitality packages, seeing their children lead out the national teams, watch training sessions and meet players.

"We have tried to add value for our customers. Fans get behind their national teams, even when, like England now, they are perceived by the fans to be awful," Mr Gandolfi said at the Sport Business Campus in London.

Nationwide's 12 million customers will be able to enrol to take part by logging on at a dedicated website sponsoredbyyou.com.

Our research showed that fans had become cynical with the traditional sports sponsorship Peter Gandolfi, Nationwide

The change in strategy - as well as giving more involvement to its customers - has been drawn up to distinguish Nationwide from banks.

The Nationwide move has been well received by those in the sports sponsorship industry.

Shaun Watling, of Red Mandarin sponsorship consultants, said: "It is very encouraging to see Nationwide take this step.

"It is interesting to see how brands can use creative sponsorship to increase awareness of themselves."

New strategy

"We are focussing on trying to get on people's shortlists when they are considering financial products," Mr Gandolfi said.

"We want to engage with sports fans on their territory, hence our focus on getting fans involved with their national teams.

"Our research showed that fans had become cynical with the traditional sports sponsorship, saying it favoured the corporate few, not the genuine fan.

"Fans also complained about not being able to get tickets to key games because of corporates getting tickets.

"There was a trend that as sponsors we had to be aware of. We think this new policy does that."

The scheme kicks off with 100 tickets being made available for Nationwide customers for the first England game at the new Wembley stadium, against Brazil in early June.