4) Emirates Sponsorship Involvement

Emirates has been involved in numerous sponsorship deals over the years, however the trend has been that of sports sponsorships. This includes sports such as football, rugby, to even horse racing. 

Past Sponsorship

FIFA and FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup 2014 list of partners & sponsors

One of the most prominent sponsorship deals that Emirates has had in recent years was FIFA and FIFA world cup. This was before the sponsorship was stopped in 2015 due to corruption allegations surrounding the FIFA committee. For the FIFA World Cup in 2014, Emirates was name as one of the main partners of the mega sporting event. One possible objective of sponsoring FIFA was due to the sheer size of the world cup. It has been reported that 3.2 billion people watched 2014 FIFA World Cup. The sporting event is a great platform for worldwide expansion of Emirates Airlines through exposure to the massive global audience. In addition, being associated with a mega and grand event such as the World Cup, builds on the brand image of Emirates which is luxury and grandeur. 

That being said, Emirates could have sponsored another type of event of that scale, such as the arts. Hence, underneath lies other objectives that brought about the FIFA sponsorship. One conceivable intention of Emirates was to appeal to the general audience demographic of the event, men. When it comes to bookings when planning trips, men are usually the ones that are making the final decisions. Hence, when comes the time, these men would recall the memory of watching their favourite teams playing, thus making a positive association with Emirates, the sponsor.

Emirates Airlines medal crew

Current Sponsorship

Formula One

One current sponsorship deals that Emirates has is with Formula One. Signed in 2013, a 5-year sponsorship deal between Emirates and Formula One that costs £127 million. The sponsorship is very suitable for Emirates as it allows them to communicate effectively with one of their main target markets. Many audience and fans of Formula One fall under the psychographic group of enjoying high end entertainment and services, and the demographics of men. This is similar as the target market of Emirates are customers who are willing and able to pay top prices for high value products and services. This means that there is a fit between sponsor and the event, which will lead to many positive outcomes such as improved sponsorship effectiveness and enhanced sponsor brand recall. The customers will more likely have a positive recollection of Emirates sponsoring their favourite sporting event due to the great fit.

Formula One global partner - Emirates Airlines

References:

2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Sponsorship Insights. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.sponsorship.com/Latest-Thinking/2014-FIFA-World-Cup-Brazil-Sponsorship-Insights/Emirates.aspx

Sport, T. (2013, February 05). Bernie Ecclestone signs £125m F1 sponsorship deal with Emirates. Retrieved from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/motorsport/formulaone/f1news/9849299/Bernie-Ecclestone-signs-125m-F1-sponsorship-deal-with-Emirates.html

FIFA World Cup 2014 Sponsors. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.thedaisycutter.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/World_Cup_Sponsors1.png

Emirates FIFA World Cup Image. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.fifa.com/marketinghighlights/canada2014/assets/images/pictures/emirates_1.jpg

Emirate Formula One Image. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZxxFFVHmnsQ/UlazyBiWc2I/AAAAAAAAABI/guD3K5-2MOA/s1600/Emirates is the global partner of Formula One.jpg