Barclays to use the Premier League to own moments of sportsmanship

Barclays is looking to own all moments of sportsmanship around football with the launch of a major Premier League sponsorship campaign created to help humanise the brand.

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Barclays is hoping football can help repair its brand.

The push begins later this month to mark the start of the new season and is the first time in several years the bank has developed a major marketing campaign around the tournament.

A TV advert will serve as the cornerstone for the campaign and will introduce the financial firm’s focus on showcasing the moments of sportsmanship throughout the League’s 21-year history, according to sources close to the matter. It is understood that Barclays is also erecting branded photobooths at each of the 20 competing League clubs’ stadiums, where fans will be able to take pictures of themselves on match days and share them with friends. 

It is a step-change in the way the bank activates its League sponsorship after years of using more traditional methods to drive its association to the sport.

Barclays is hoping the upcoming venture will tap into the rise in consumers uploading sporting moments onto social networks. League clubs such as Liverpool and Manchester City have already installed high-density Wi-Fi networks in their stadiums in anticipation of the shift and Barclays is said to be interested in how it can take its “brand to the stands” on matchdays, according to one source.

The campaign is part of a broader marketing push to repair the brand’s reputation in the wake of last year’s LIBOR rate rigging scandal. Perception of the financial firm sunk in the weeks immediately after the allegation first came to light, according to YouGov BrandIndex tracking data. However, recent data suggests its revamped values-driven strategy is starting to hit home with consumers. Barclays Buzz score – a measure of the positive and negative things said about the brand in the media or through word of mouth – climbed to -7.1 points from -15.6.

Barclays were unable to provide a statement on the campaign’s launch by the time this article was published.

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