Bartercard used Miller Sports to successfully grow their brand exposure in the UK using a sports sponsorship strategy.
In 2013, Miller Sports was given the task of helping global business trade exchange Bartercard to gain greater brand exposure in the UK.
The company had seven branches spanning the south of the UK and had been operating successfully for over 10 years trading around £43million per year.
Following a management buyout the previous summer, the Australian owners wanted to revamp the service to members and create a fresh outlook and approach. In particular, they wanted to create new franchises and expand into the north of the UK.
Bartercard enlisted Miller Sports' help to identify and develop a sports sponsorship strategy, using the power of sports brand exposure as the platform to create both the customer base for the new franchises and major UK-wide exposure for the company as a whole.
In total, Miller Sports identified, secured and negotiated eight major level sponsorship deals for the client across two main sports - football and rugby league - which were targeted for their presence across the northern corridor between Yorkshire and Lancashire.
The clubs and inventory included:
Shirt Sponsorship
- Hartlepool United
- Huddersfield Giants
- Hull FC
- Sheffield Wednesday
Main Stand Sponsorship
- Doncaster Rovers
- Bolton Wanderers
- Crawley Town
- Bradford Bulls
Bartercard have reported an increase in the client base, new franchises have opened and there has been a general increase in trading because of the brand exposure on both TV and social media.
Bartercard said: "At Bartercard York we've seen the benefits of sponsorship for our own brand. We sponsor a number of sports clubs in the Yorkshire region, from Sheffield Wednesday and Huddersfield Giants to Hull FC, Hunslet Hawks and York City Knights, plus many more.
"It has been highly effective to help our brand stand out and has been perceived extremely positively by new customers.
"We've seen an increase in new Bartercard members as a result of sponsoring local sports clubs, so we know it is working!"