Will we see Guinness as the new official beer partner of the Premier League soon? If the latest reports are to be believed, the deal is all but signed.
After Budweiser had replaced Carling in 2019, the partnership was up for renewal recently, it had quickly become clear that both Heineken and Guinness were very much in the running to replace Budweiser as from the start of the 24/25 season. Both Heineken and Guinness have been investing in high-profile sport sponsorships throughout the years, but I think it's safe to say that the Premier League partnership is one of the most valuable out there. This even resulted in a bidding war in the end, if current reports are accurate.
Why is there so much interest in becoming the official beer partner of the Premier League, when such a partnership does not offer the partner any traditional visibility inside the stadiums? The value lies, for me, in the IP rights the partner gets to claim. The Premier League brand is one of the strongest in the world, and positioning your own brand on a global level by using one of the strongest sports brands out there while doing so, is of tremendous value.
While Guinness as a brand is incredibly strong within the UK itself, its ambitions are clearly on increasing its global presence. Using the Premier League as their partner might just be the right move for them and their ambitions to "conquer the world".