By Patrick Avenell
SYDNEY, NSW: Bing Lee is not worried that its arrangement with Sony to sponsor Sydney FC in the upcoming A-League season will irk or cause consternation at rival suppliers, though general manager Phil Moujaes did say this was considered.
Speaking to Current.com.au this afternoon, Moujaes said that Bing Lee is very happy to be sponsoring Sydney FC again, with the retailer taking the home games and Sony the away games. Showing that ‘Everything’s Negotiable’ on both sides of the table, Moujaes said Bing Lee took longer than normal to make the decisions, with many variables to consider.
“We have been with Sydney FC since 2007, and we basically took our time to make the decision, to sign the new contract, and we decided to go ahead with a new contract based on the fact the club has players with a plan to improve across the board. On the field and off the field, there is new management, new owners, new coaches, and we are hoping that the club is going to do a lot better this year than last year.”
Moujaes confirmed that Bing Lee and Sony negotiated the new sponsorship deal collaboratively. Whilst it is known in the industry that Bing Lee and Sony work well together – New South Wales Sony Centres are operated by Bing Lee – this public show of unity could worry rival brands. We asked Moujaes if he thought this was an issue.
“No. We considered it but it shouldn’t be an issue at all.”
With Bing Lee now back on board as a major football sponsor in Australia, and Sony clearly establishing itself as the brand most closely associated with the World Game, is Bing Lee set to become the retailer of choice when sales spike in the lead up to the 2010 World Cup?
Moujaes said that is “something we’ll be looking at doing”, though no firm strategy has been put in place yet for 2010.