Nissan expands Digital Marketing Plans with UEFA tie-up

By Gaurav Sharma

Nissan has signed a sponsorship deal with the UEFA Champions League, Europe's top football competition from the 2014-15 season up to the 2017-18 season. 

The move is in line with Nissan's strategy for the expansion of its digital marketing footprint. It would see the Japanese car manufacturer replace American rival Ford, who had been partnering with the UEFA competition for 22 years. 

As part of the tie-up Nissan would get extensive rights and branding around Champtions League matches, including the final, pre-match training sessions, digital media and hospitality benefits. The company's European CIO Stephen Kneebone, who has placed top in the 2014 edition of the CIO 100, recently said that potential buyers' journey often begins at home on the internet. 

'Hence, we have identified that digital excellence as a key priority. In the automotive world Nissan is seen as a challenger brand, in digital we are positioning ourselves as leaders. The pace of digital in automotive is faster than retail. After all we compete in general retail for consumers, so it is to be expected,' he told CIO UK.