Nissan replaces Hyundai as ICC global partner

Replaces Hyundai as ICC's global partner; deal size undisclosed

Japanese automobile brand Nissan has signed an eight-year sponsorship deal with the International Cricket Council (ICC), in its effort to increase visibility in the Indian sub-continent.

The company, which replaced Hyundai as the automobile partner with ICC, will sponsor key international tournaments like the ICC Cricket World Cup, ICC Champions Trophy and ICC World Twenty20, as well as Under 19 and Women's Cricket and qualifying events.

NISSAN’S NEW STANCE

Sponsorships

• ICC Cricket World Cup
• ICC Champions Trophy
• ICC World Twenty20
• Under 19 matches
• Women's Cricket and qualifying events

Other sponsorships

• UEFA Champions League
• Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games
• NBA (broadcast) sponsorship in China
• College level sports sponsorships in the US

“It’s been almost five years since we decided to invest in cricket sponsorships. However, since our strategy has been to associate with big-ticket properties in all sports, we wanted a long-term association with the ICC and get World Cup-level tournaments. We have been involved with cricket before this, but at the grass-root level,” said Roel de Vries, corporate vice-president, and global head of marketing and brand strategy.

The company has not disclosed the size of the deal. Roel de Vries said around five per cent of the company’s annual marketing budget is dedicated to sports marketing.

Other initiatives around sports sponsorships include the UEFA Champions League, the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, NBA (broadcast) sponsorship in China and college-level sports sponsorships in the US.

The governing body for international cricket is expected to make more such announcements for the 2015-2023 cycle in the coming months. Till the 2015 World Cup, partners included Pepsi, LG, Reliance, Emirates, Reebok, Castrol and MoneyGram, apart from Hyundai. Sports marketing experts estimate the company’s spends on the sponsorship in the range of $3-5 million a year or up to $40 million over the eight-year period.

Various partners of the ICC are categorised as tier 1, 2, 3 and so on. For the previous cycle, which ended with the 2015 Cricket World Cup, Reliance was a tier 1 sponsor and paid $90-100 million over eight years. Guillaume Sicard, president of Nissan India operations, said, "In India, cricket goes way beyond simply being a sport. It is practically a way of life for millions of people. I believe we have found a perfect partner for our brand. Our goal is to achieve five per cent market share in India by 2020.  We have already invested substantially to build one of our most advanced plants and established one of our three global research and development centres.  Now, we are keen to repeat in India the sales success we already have in Europe, China, the US, Japan and elsewhere."

Commenting on the agreement, David Richardson, chief executive, ICC, said, "Nissan’s values are closely aligned to those of the ICC, to be innovative, with a strong focus on delivering exciting and unique experiences for our fans and stakeholders.”