
Pre-conference masterclass discusses taking African brands to the world
Participants challenged to identify, articulate and commercialise the cultural assets that make their brand ready for a global audience.
SPORTS SPONSORSHIP
By our News Team | 2023
Sports apparel company renews an old partnership with Newcastle United as it further cements its presence in top soccer competitions.
Sports apparel giant Adidas and up-and-coming English Premier League club Newcastle United recently announced a multi-year partnership that will see the sportswear brand becoming the club’s official kit partner from the 2024/25 season onwards. The value of the deal has not been confirmed.
Adidas previously had a kit sponsorship arrangement with the club between 1995 and 2010, some of which coincided with a highly successful period for the club.
Photo courtesy of Newcastle United FC
Newcastle, which has new owners and management, finished in the top four of the English Premier League last season and thus qualified for this season’s prestigious UEFA Champions’ League competition.
While Newcastle is a popular club with massive home support, the real value of the deal is in the huge global TV and media coverage given to the English Premier League and the Champions’ League.
“This collaboration brings together two iconic names known for their history, innovation and commitment to excellence within football,” said Nick Craggs, Global Football General Manager for Adidas.
Agreement coincides with a new chapter for Newcastle
“As Newcastle United Football Club embarks on a new chapter for the men’s and women’s team [which recently became fully professional], Adidas is honoured to provide them cutting-edge sportswear technology. Our previous partnership delivered some of the most iconic kits of the 90s and we look forward to creating many more unforgettable moments, inspiring fans and players alike.”
A vital element of this new agreement will see Newcastle United rebuilding its own retail operations, both in store and online, locally and globally.
“This partnership will help us to deliver on our ambitious brand and commercial strategy. Importantly, it will allow us to rebuild a direct retail relationship with our current and future local and global fanbase,” said Peter Silverstone, the club’s Chief Commercial Officer.
In July, Adidas extended its current partnership with the famous Manchester United Football Club. The deal is said to be worth US$1,1-billion over the next 10 years.
“The relationship between Manchester United and Adidas is one of the most iconic in world sport, forged through a shared commitment to style, flair and, most importantly, high performance,” the club’s CEO, Richard Arnold, said at the time.
“With its roots in the 1980s, our partnership has been reinvented over the past decade with some of the most innovative designs and technology in sportswear. We are now looking forward to refreshing this powerful partnership again through the remainder of this decade and into the 2030s.”

Participants challenged to identify, articulate and commercialise the cultural assets that make their brand ready for a global audience.

Second outlet planned for Nairobi before year end, with Nigeria, South Africa and Morocco said to be future target markets.

Online search behaviour has changed significantly with the rise of AI. How can African brands adapt to this new marketing landscape?

Researchers propose a framework for packaging that senses, learns and acts – making packaging an active, AI-powered tool against food waste.

Country needs marketers to build recognition and consumer trust around Malawian products and national brand, says Deputy Minister.

Fashion brand suspends giant lingerie high above the city’s streets, using shadows to create a moving billboard for pedestrians and motorists.

Researchers describe AI influencers as having a ‘dual identity’. Consumers evaluate both ‘person’ and ‘technology’ identities at once.

Reputation and trust, once modest influences on hotel choice, have become some of the strongest predictors of patronage, study finds.

South African brands are increasingly setting the global benchmark for customer loyalty strategies, organisers say.

Global influences among younger consumers are still present, but they are being filtered through a distinctly Zambian lens.

Researchers find that lack of perceived ‘genuine care’ is the mechanism connecting AI involvement to lower trust ratings.