 "Gulf Oil inks partnership pact with Manchester United")
Gulf Oil Lubricants India’s (GOLIL) parent company Gulf Oil International, a part of the Hinduja Group, has entered into a long term partnership with football club, Manchester United to become its global sponsor and official lubricant cum fuel retail partner till end of 2019 football season.
The partnership marks a further step in Gulf’s intent to strengthen its brand presence globally as well as enable it to engage with Manchester United’s worldwide fan base, including 325 million followers in Asia, which Gulf sees as a major focus area with a strong presence in India and rapidly developing businesses in China, the Middle East and Indonesia.
“Gulf Oil’s association with the world of sports has been phenomenal right from motorsports to cricket, where we have partnered with the best of the best. It was therefore logical for us to team up with Manchester United in order to reiterate our brand’s core values of endurance, quality and passion. We look forward to leverage this interesting mix of football and cricket and leverage this partnership to increase consumer engagement with the brand, create new & exciting communication platforms that will emphasise the customer value propositions,” said Ravi Chawla, Managing Director, GOLIL.
The deal will give Gulf Oil International access to Manchester United assets including the club crest and player images and Gulf’s distinctive orange disc will feature on the Club’s digital perimeter boards during Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup matches at Old Trafford.
The company expects the tie-up with Manchester United to augment its long-term association with cricket for enhancement and further strengthening of its brand equity amongst its customers, especially for personal mobility consumers who use two wheelers or passenger cars. Gulf Oil is one of the long-standing sponsors with the Chennai Super Kings, a franchise in the Vivo Indian Premier League. However, the team has been suspended from the tournament for two years after the 2013 betting and spot fixing scam.
Gulf Oil’s partnership with Manchester United is in addition to its existing global tie-ups with Milwaukee BMW, World Superbikes, the World Endurance Championship with the Gulf Racing Team and Porsche.
After cricket, football is the second most popular sport in India. In recent years with the emergence of domestic leagues, the popularity of the sport is growing exponentially to reach youth, not just in the metros but in the Tier-1 and Tier-2 cities as well. Moreover, viewership of English Premier League & other football tournaments is gaining momentum in India.
