Leicester City deal helps Puma outstrip rivals Adidas and Nike in Brandwatch study
Puma is outperforming bigger rivals Adidas and Nike to achieve the best return on investment from its football kit deals, according to a new study published today.
The German sportswear manufacturer’s contracts with Leicester and Arsenal rank highest for value in Brandwatch’s Brand Visibility Report, which is based on data from social media.
Every image shared on Twitter or Instagram of a Leicester kit that featured Puma’s logo cost the company the equivalent of 68p, making it by far the cheapest per image.
Read more: Leicester bank more money from Champions League than champions Real Madrid
Puma’s association with Arsenal cost £2.30 per image but was still second best for value.
Adidas’s deal with Manchester United was third, at £4.45, despite costing the company around £75m per season.
Nike’s contract with new Premier League champions Manchester City was fourth, at £4.71.
Puma’s success may be due in part to including its logo on the sleeve of football shirts and not just on the chest, as manufacturers traditionally have, thereby maximising visibility.
The value derived from Leicester is also due to its unusually low cost – said to be £1m a year. The deal was struck before the club’s against-the-odds league title win in 2016.
Adidas is the leading brand across all sectors for sheer volume of images appearing on social media, however. Its logo appeared in more than 6.6m unique images per month – or three every second – according to the study.
Nike was second, with 5.1m, followed by Google, Emirates, Puma and Coca-Cola. Starbucks, McDonald’s, Disney and Apple completed the top 10.
Puma placed first when images views were adjusted for revenue, however, followed by Under Armour, Adidas, the BBC and Vans.
Club
Sponsor
Images per year
Spend per year
Cost per image
Leicester
Puma
1,465,575
£1m
68p
Arsenal
Puma
14,781,495
£34m
£2.30
Manchester United
Adidas
16,848,255
£75m
£4.45
Manchester City
Nike
3,180,975
£15m
£4.71
Roma
Nike
629,550
£3.5m
£5.55
Paris Saint-Germain
Nike
3,349,260
£19m
£5.67
AC Milan
Adidas
2,026,185
£19m
£9.37
Real Madrid
Adidas
8,946,765
£85m
£9.50
Tottenham
Nike
3,047,565
£30m
£9.84
Chelsea
Nike
5,424,285
£60m
£11
Newcastle
Puma
390,945
£5m
£12
Juventus
Adidas
1,536,960
£20m
£13
Barcelona
Nike
8,031,240
£140m
£17
Bayern Munich
Adidas
3,531,240
£65m
£18
Inter Milan
Nike
199,785
£15m
£75