Apollo Tyres Goes Global with Manchester United

Apollo Tyres reaped considerable dividends from its three year regional partnership with renowned football club, Manchester United. Now the tire manufacturer has gone one step further by becoming the global partner of the Premier League club for the next three years. Apollo will now have the distinction of being Manchester United’s official ‘Global Tire Partner’.

Apollo began its partnership with Machester United with a deal pertaining to the UK and Indian markets inAugust 2013. This was later extended to more than 100 countries. During this three-year stint, the partnership with Manchester United significantly contributed to boosting brand awareness in many key markets including the Middle East, South East Asia, Africa and India with many advertising campaigns, CSR activities and customer engagement activities across many platforms including social media channels.

CSR initiatives included activities like the construction of two ‘Go The Distance’ football pitches that were fashioned from recycled rubber in UK and India and football camps for young football fans. Digital campaigns like “Apollo Challenges” and “No Shortcuts” created waves on social media platforms. The Manchester United connection was used for the launch of customized dual branded tires in the UK, Indian and South East Asian markets. Customer loyalty programs using the “Manchester United” partnership were highly effective for expanding the dealer network. The multi-channel advertising campaign, ‘There are no shortcuts’ also proved to be a great hit.

Speaking about the new global partnership with Manchester United, Marco Paracciani, Chief Marketing Officer, Apollo Tyres Ltd said that the three-year association with Manchester United has played a crucial role in supporting the company’s expansion, especially in India, Middle East, South East Asia and Africa. The many campaigns based on this theme has helped Apollo to connect with young people, thus promoting brand awareness and broadening the customer base. He expressed confidence that the global partnership will help to further strengthen Apollo as a brand in the minds of consumers by expanding its reach to 659 million fans the club has across the world.

Manchester United’s Group Managing Director, Richard Arnold said that he has been highly impressed by the campaigns Apollo has implemented so far as part of the company’s partnership with the club. He expressed his delight at the exposure Apollo has received as an outcome of its association with Manchester United and said he looked forward to continuing the partnership on a global basis.