Danish Carlsberg is bidding to increase its brand awareness in China with a novel one-off marketing ploy which will see its logo on Liverpool football kit written in Chinese.
The specially designed kit will appear in Liverpool’s match against Chelsea on 2 May and marks the first time the logo on the kit has changed in 18 years.
The lager brand is using the shirt sponsorship to capitalise on the interest of football fans in China. The move also ties in with the brewer’s role as partner of the Danish Pavilion at the World Expo 2010 event in Shanghai.
The event in Shanghai takes place on the same day as the match between Liverpool and Chelsea.
The Danish beer’s longstanding sponsorship of Liverpool Football Club concludes at the end of the current season and will be replaced by Standard Chartered Bank.
The game is expected to attract over 750m viewers around the world and Chinese messages will be displayed during the match on the LED perimeter advertising hoardings around the pitch at Anfield.
The messages will read ‘Carlsberg is partner of Danish Pavilion in World Expo – Carlsberg & Liverpool Cheer for World Expo’.
Carlsberg took over the sponsorship of Liverpool in 1992. Liverpool’s first sponsor was Hitachi, followed by Crown Paints and Candy.
Liverpool, which has been twinned with Shanghai since 1999, is the only UK city to be exhibiting at World Expo 2010.
Keld Strudahl, group sponsorship director at Carlsberg, said: “We’re delighted to have been able to bring about this momentous occasion. We believe it’s a nice little gesture to our friends and fans of Liverpool in China where we know Liverpool FC devoted huge support in working things out and we also worked hard with all parties to mark this special occasion for the World Expo.”
In April Carlsberg renewed its sponsorship of Wembley Stadium, signing a new four-year deal to remain the ‘Official Beer of Wembley Stadium’.
The deal takes the partnership through to 2014 and covers all England football international home games, FA Cup matches, play-off finals and all major music events at the stadium.
