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Manchester United and Qualcomm Technologies’ Snapdragon brand are making room on jerseys for (RED) while renewing one of global soccer’s most noble—if sporadic—sports marketing traditions.
Announced at Davos earlier this year, Qualcomm is exercising an option in its front-of-jersey sponsorship deal with United that allows it to nominate a charitable organization to replace its Snapdragon logo once a year for men’s and women’s teams. This year, Qualcomm chose One Campaign’s (RED), which was founded nearly 20 years ago by U2 frontman Bono and activist Bobby Shriver to raise funds for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria in Africa.
The (RED) logo will appear on Manchester United jerseys during a men’s match against West Ham on May 10 and a women’s fixture against Arsenal on May 11. The (RED)-branded jerseys will be available to fans for sale, with profits donated to the Global Fund and matched by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
“For Qualcomm Technologies to leverage its iconic sponsorship with the world’s most famous football club into a force that saves lives with (RED) is exactly the smart, creative, and global firepower the fight to end health injustices needs,” Jennifer Lotito, president and COO of (RED), said in a statement to ADWEEK. “The energy and passion of football fans, paired with Qualcomm’s long history of driving real impact in communities around the world, make this a particularly exciting partnership as we can educate people about the fight, and give them exciting, tangible ways to get involved and support it themselves.”
In a more than four-minute video launching the campaign, Qualcomm, (RED), and Manchester United make their case for supporting the effort. Qualcomm CMO Don McGuire posits that Snapdragon technology has helped bring healthcare and treatment options to corners of the world that ordinarily wouldn’t have access. An ambassador for (RED) notes how the organization—which says it has raised more than $785 million for the Global Fund since 2006 and helped more than 325 million people as a result—gave her access to medication that not only helped her survive HIV, but give birth to her child who was born without HIV.
Gary Neville, a former Manchester United captain with eight Premier League titles and two Champions League trophies to his credit, appeared in the video advocating for simple children’s access to healthcare. He sees both soccer and initiatives like Manchester United’s jersey branding as positive steps toward a more difficult goal.
“By donating the front-of-shirt logo for one men’s and women’s match, Snapdragon is showing the world that football can drive real change,” Neville said. “Together, we can unite millions of fans to fight global health injustice, harnessing the power of football to make a difference and create a brighter future.”
Swapping jerseys
The world’s biggest football clubs occasionally use their wearable brand space for a loftier purpose than bolstering the club accounts.
From 2006 to 2011, FC Barcelona reached an agreement with the United Nations to place the UNICEF logo on the front of its jerseys and pay the children’s organization roughly $1.5 million a year. From 2012 onward, the UNICEF logo and that of the refugee relief agency UNHCR have graced the back of the team’s jerseys beneath player numbers.
Manchester United’s Premier League rivals Liverpool FC, meanwhile, have regularly teamed with financial company and jersey sponsor Standard Chartered on “Seeing Is Believing” jerseys for World Sight Day to promote charitable efforts aimed at ending preventable blindness. In the U.S., wearable charity efforts have included Major League Soccer’s Portland Timbers constructing an entire jersey around The Nature Conservancy conservation group and the National Women’s Soccer League’s Orlando Pride offering its sleeve partnership and team volunteer work to the Heart of Florida United Way.
Omar Berrada, CEO of Manchester United, said the (RED) partnership is possible because Qualcomm “shares our ambition to use football as a force for good.” But Qualcomm’s marketers just seem to know the value of occasionally yielding the stage to other players.
“As the front of shirt partner for Manchester United, we understand the power of the team’s front of shirt placement, with one Manchester United Premier League match providing the same exposure as a championship level sporting event,” Qualcomm’s McGuire said.
