Piaras Kelly PR - Public Relations in Ireland

Common sense is the knack of seeing things as they are, and doing things as they ought to be done - Harriet Beecher Stowe

Sony is a master of branding and sponsorship as can be seen by their dominance in the console market. They have engaged in numerous sponsorships and any event they run is very professional and usually entertaining.

However I was watching the UEFA Champions League round-up (a weekly look at how European Soccer teams fared in the continent’s biggest competition) and when the programme went to a break, the Sony PS2 sting sting ran.

I was quite surprised because the PS2 is at the end of its lifecycle and it would have made more sense to transfer the sponsorship over to the PSP, Sony’s latest games gadget for the year. The sponsorship, if continued, will be switched to the PS3 next year anyway, so it would have made sense to give the PSP some extra momentum and position it in the minds of the European audience (especially in light of its late European launch and the run up to Christmas)

One thing any company should consider before entering any kind of sponsorship is whether to associate it with an umbrella brand or focus on one of their subbrands/products. Having the ability to change the brand would have made a tremendous difference to Sony’s sponsorship of the Champions League, and as a result the value of it.

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