GOtv Advertisement on Ikorodu United Shirts - A Success or Failure ?

Shirt Sponsorship Review:
It happened that by the end of 2015/16 NPFL season, the newly promoted Ikorodu United FC was relegated back to the lower league.... And GOtv investment on the club becomes a topic for review in the upcoming Sport Marketing round table scheduled to hold in Lagos this December..

GOtv Advertisement on Ikorodu United shirts, which most Sport marketers say is the most vibrant partnership between corporate brands and NPFL clubs... may have wobbled during the season.

It was really exciting in the early stages of the season, especially in the match between Ikorodu United and MFM, where the shirt sponsors gave away a lot of GOtv decoders to fans in attendance at Agege stadium Lagos.

But we also observed that GOtv active association with Ikorodu United began to wean down as the team began to record spate of poor performances in the league, which eventually led to their relegation. The question remains if GOtv investment on Ikorodu United shirts was a failure or success?

Of course, the poor performances of Ikorodu United actually reduced the potentials of the Shirt sponsorship - the exposure rate and positive responses of football consumers to the brand. That sure suggests GOtv brand managers may have been disappointed with the outcome of the investment. Yet it may not be an outright failure.

Ikorodu United red and blue color combination remain dominant and the GOtv white inscriptions on it more visible in most photo or video display on SuperSports, YouTube or Twitter...as well as Magazines and newspapers publications.

For example, Ikorodu United had 3,201 impression and  5,330,311 reach on twitter alone last season. And SuperSports broadcast 8 matches involving the club, estimated to be about 2.6 million views.

The GOtv shirt advertisement on Ikorodu United shirt is the most recognized and remembered among football consumers across Nigeria, only rivaled by NairaBet on 3sc shirts... according to polls conducted by GreenHunters Sports International.

Of course, about two-third of NPFL clubs do not have shirt sponsorhip and that even made Ikorodu United jersey so unique and the GOtv inscriptions more memorable...according to Eugene Nwaigwe, "There isn't much interference with GOtv shirt advert, as most Npfl clubs play with jerseys not branded, so I think the Sponsorship success rate was high."

The truth is only GOtv brand managers can tell what their definite corporate objectives were for investing into the Ikorodu United shirt sponsorship and therefore, are in better position to tell if it was a success or not.

There are many reasons corporate brands decide to go into sports sponsorship. According to research, the following were the objectives that most often influence the decision to enter  shirt sponsorship  agtreement with a club

• To achieve sales target
• To generate media and community exposures
• To create an advantage over competitors through association or exclusivity
• To build goodwill among football consumers (fans)
• To share a club's local or global brand reputation
• To increase public awareness of the company, the product or borh.
• To alter or reinforce public perception of the company
• To identify the company with the football community
• To secure entitlement or naming right...

GOtv may have successfully identified with it's football market segment, which  is perhaps the largest here in Lagos. They may have strategically expanded their sales by given free dedecoders, which will lure more football fans into monthly or quarterly subscriptions as rhe case may be. GOtv have also build goodwill among Ikorodu community, which the team represents.