Ch. 7 - Business Marketing

Perhaps the most visible form of business marketing which Celtic engages in is the sale of “Sponsorship Packages” to businesses interested in advertising their firm on a match day. 

A standard package includes:

·         Advertisement in the bi-weekly team magazine.

·         Advertisement in the match-day magazine.

·         Advertising on the big-screens (jumbo-tron) before and during the game.

·         The opportunity to distribute promotional items and literature to the fans.

This is a useful tool for companies looking to generate interest and awareness for their products amongst Celtic fans. It is also a small source of income for Celtic which could potentially lead to larger business marketing opportunities and partnerships. The companies which choose to invest in these packages offered by Celtic can be quite diverse, from local automotive dealers to multi-national brands such as Powerade, Coca-cola, MBNA and Nike. 

It is interesting to note that when a company advertises to Celtic fans, they often choose to market to Rangers fans also. The rivalry between the teams is so intense that opposition fans will actively avoid or even boycott products deemed to be associated with their rivals. An example of such an instance was the sponsorship of Rangers by the McEwans brand of beers from 1987 to 1999. To this day, McEwans is considered to be a “Rangers beer” meaning popularity in pubs and bars associated with Rangers throughout Scotland and Ireland. Conversely, many Celtic fans will refuse to purchase the McEwans brand and establishments with leanings towards Celtic will simply not stock their products. 

Over the years, many sponsors haven chosen to strike deals with both clubs concurrently to avoid alienating supporters and losing business. Examples of joint jersey sponsorship can be seen below:

Celtic also offer corporate hospitality packages targeted specifically at businesses. The Business Class Lounges at the Celtic Park stadium are advertised as offering “the opportunity to entertain clients in an informal setting”.

These packages cost upwards of $6,500 a person each season and offer executive seating, hospitality and service. Whilst networking and personal selling of these corporate packages is the main source of sales, mail outs, email and internet promotion is also used.