What Getir Gets From Being Tottenham Hotspurs’ Training Wear Sponsor

The benefits Tottenham Hotspur get from having a training wear sponsor are obvious.

Having someone pay to have their logo on clothing staff and players must already wear is an easy way to bring in in revenue.

But what does the sponsor get out of it?

Well, the company who’ve paid Spurs for that privilege, food delivery service Getir, gave me an exclusive insight into precisely that.

The answer is; actually quite a lot.

First, there is the media exposure, which is vast.

Getir UK general manager Turancan Salur tells me the business calculated this benefit when the Turkish firm embarked on the deal.

“We’re going get this exposure every time there’s training, a game [or] a post-match [press] conference,” Salur says.

“That’s actually a lot of frequency when you look at how long the football season is. 

“Even after the football season comes to an end you have training, so it’s quite long period of time that we have this exposure.

“We’ve looked at those numbers [and] we’ve quantified the coverage. 

“That’s definitely one of the big advantages of sports partnerships.”

Buying an equivalent amount of time on TV channels around the world, during, for example, the North London Derby would be an astronomical expense. As would the cost of acquiring banner ads on all the UK’s back pages, that a training picture could get.

Walking billboards 

There is also the benefit that suddenly thousands of supporters are wearing jersey’s which are essentially walking billboards for the brand.

For a company like Getir, which is trying to establish itself in London, this is especially important.

“Everyone’s used to having a logo on the [jersey] of their favourite team,” Salur continues. 

“When that logo changes you might actually go out and buy a new [one] because every year [there’s a new range].”

Having supporters wearing the branding generates a better awareness about the company and fosters a positive association for fans.

“The more [people] see it, the more Getir starts to become something that you’re familiar with,” he adds. 

“Even if you don’t use it, you see it in lots of places [that] makes it much easier for you to try the service because it’s not something that’s unheard of. 

“Even if you support another team, when they’re playing Tottenham you see the name Getir.”

This effect should not be underestimated. 

As I’ve discussed before, there’s a reason why campaigners continually argue that gambling sponsorship should be banned, the consistent exposure to brand logos breeds familiarity and acceptability towards the companies involved.

That said, the commercial partnerships Premier League soccer clubs sign have changed a great deal. These days some club’s have sponsors it’s almost impossible for domestic fans to connect with.  

Flagship shirt sponsorship packages, for example, are often landed by companies that have little to no domestic association with the UK and, for the past few years, there has been a churn of foreign gambling companies swapping one club’s premium advertising slot for another. 

In this regard Getir’s goals with Spurs are something of a throwback, it wants to build brand awareness in the UK, although the global coverage is not unwelcome.

“We’re interested in the entire reach. But obviously, our primary focus is the UK market,” Salur says.

“This is where the majority of fans are [and] the vast majority of the effect we expect it to be at a national level.”

Buyers market 

Coronavirus disrupted the sporting schedule significantly and as a consequence meant soccer club’s had to find different ways to appease their commercial partners. 

However, it didn’t dull the appetite for deals, according to experts the disruption made it more of a “buyers market.”  

This might be reflected in the fact that Getir was approached by several soccer clubs before its deal with Tottenham Hotspur. 

“We had a number of clubs reach out to us, but […] we felt that Tottenham was the best fit,” says Salur.

The GM explains that the deal struck with Spurs is designed to supplement the company’s core marketing activities, rather than be the central tenet.

“It wasn’t as high priority as let’s say, digital marketing or outdoor advertising because those are more classic things that each brand uses. 

“But [sports sponsorship was] always something that was on our mind. So when the opportunity presented itself, when we had the talks, we just thought; ‘Well there’s a great opportunity here.’”

Luck or judgement?

Any company that ties itself to a sporting entity with the expectation that it is guaranteed an association with success is foolish. In soccer, like all sports, nothing is given. 

But doing the right deal at the right time can bring benefits that transcend the value of any contract.

Manchester United supporters surely can’t see the Sharp electronics logo without feeling a stab of emotion from the 1999 treble-winning season and Arsenal fans won’t look at the O2 branding without it stirring memories of its 2004 invincible team.

Long after those deals ended these brands still feature in nostalgic media coverage and have their logo worn proudly by supporters at games.

The image is an irrefutable element of those historic successes.

Having had a somewhat underwhelming season last time around, Tottenham Hotspur currently sits top of the Premier League and, even at this early stage, could be contenders for Champions League qualification.

Participation in the Europa Conference League also presents one of the best chances of a continental trophy in a long time.

The deal with Spurs could be a coup for Getir if the team deliver some long-awaited success.

“We had a great start to the season and if it continues to continues like that, [it’s] all the better for us.

“Sporting success definitely accentuates [the benefits for Getir]. 

“One of the reasons we went to this partnership, is because we think that both currently in the future that Tottenham will do well.”

One recent boost was Tottenham Hotspur captain Harry Kane announcing that he will be staying at the club.

The news was not only a benefit to Spurs fans but also their commercial partners like Getir. 

For a year a least, they can rely on the England captain wearing their logo.

So it’s not a surprise Salur welcomed the news.

“You want what’s best for the club, both in terms of, sporting success, but also in other aspects. 

“The club’s accomplishment becomes your joy.”