The Travel Brands Sponsoring Champions League Football Teams
Skift Take
The world’s best professional sports tournament has returned and travel brands hope their association with champions will turn into bookings and visits.
The world’s most-watched sports league is now underway, and some of travel’s biggest brands are betting their logos on jerseys and around stadium grounds will translate into success off the field.
Europe’s Champions League will see 32 teams criss-cross the continent from August to June before culminating in the final at Istanbul's Atatürk Olympic Stadium. For at least the last decade more global viewers have tuned in to the final than any other single-day sporting event.
There are many successful marketing strategies, but what makes sponsorship deals special is the “emotional connection,” said CEO of Trivago, Axel Hefer. Trivago sponsors Chelsea, an English team that is playing in the Champions League again this year (it won the final in 2021).
When a much-adored sports team is the face behind a brand, the fans associate the brand with their beloved players and the team's values. According to Hefer, “it is ideal that the sponsorship fits
