Arsenal players cheat on their iPhones, Galaxys and BlackBerrys as Huawei becomes the team’s new official smartphone partner.
As English as the players themselves, Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei has penned a deal with the north London football team which will no doubt land its star players with the company’s latest smartphone tech as well as a new logo on their uniforms.
This deal will see Huawei marketing and cross-branding exercises take place on a global basis until the end of the 2015/16 season and in fact became active as of Saturday’s game against Fulham (where Arsenal won 2 – 0 in case you were wondering), the team’s third Premier League game of 2013. The official release states:
The partnership will also include exclusive offers, content and brand presence during Arsenal matches, as well as through the Club’s digital and social media platforms. In addition, Huawei will have access to the Club’s extensive marketing database and exclusive match day hospitality for competition winners at Emirates Stadium.
“This is the first global deal we have signed with a Chinese brand” – Tom Fox, Arsenal Commerical Officer
Despite mobile and technology brands in general being a large component of Premier League sponsorship, as the club’s commercial officer, Tom Fox points out, signing with a company like Huawei is somewhat of a first for Arsenal. “This is the first global deal we have signed with a Chinese brand, demonstrating our long-term commitment to the market through pre-season tours and sustained digital fan engagement.”
It would appear that Huawei wants to take on key rivals like Samsung (who has an ongoing sponsorship with Arsenal rival Chelsea) on as well as off the pitch.
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