Deal with TLC Marketing will expand the Swans' reach massively
News which will surely be greeted warmly by all Swansea fans, the club have agreed a deal with TLC Marketing which will give the club better access to sponsors who, until now, were hard to approach given our standing as a "new kid on the block" - in Premiership terms, at least.
In a strange twist of fate, I actually worked for TLC Marketing once. They used to have an office in Princess House in the city centre, and while I was only there a short time they seemed a nice enough bunch. I seem to remember doing something to do with Nectar points... it was at a point in my life though where things were up in the air and it was one of a few jobs I had in a year or so, so I'd be lying if I said I remember too much about it.
Fast forward a few years, and the next mention I saw of TLC was on Twitter, in the bio of one Alec Johnson - blogger, ex-Swan, ex-agent... and director of TLC! It never seemed worth mentioning that I briefly worked in the Swansea office, but with news of the Swans' linkup with TLC it seemed appropriate to have a look at their website and whatnot, to see what they bring to the table. For starters, here's the club's statement on the new deal:
"We are delighted to welcome TLC as part of our Premier League team. As the club continues to grow on and off the pitch, this partnership agreement is a major step forward for us.
"It’s also an exciting step because TLC manages strategic marketing activity for over 50 of the top 100 global brands. They are major players who will help introduce us to top brands that are normally difficult to access.
“Their experience and expertise will assist us to secure and commercialise new and current partnerships; identify licensing, sponsorship and revenue opportunities and grow our brand awareness globally." Leigh Dineen (Swansea Vice-Chairman)
http://www.swanseacity.net/news/article/swans-go-global-with-tlc-marketing-2126828.aspx#ep5d8AmuAqyUlaip.99
Personally, I think this is a very good move - not least because of TLC's ties to Swansea (they still maintain an office in the marina). Marketing and pushing the Swansea "brand" globally should be high, if not top of our priority list in terms of commercial activities, as (and I do believe I'm being objective here) we've got such a good "brand" to push. I've worked in sales lots, and there isn't much to dislike about our club. No debt, rags to riches story, lots of nice players who don't go about making enemies left right & centre... there are much harder sells, that's for sure.
What's more, this is the kind of avenue I'd like to see the Swans exploring before seeking investment from third parties. I've said on numerous occasions, and I stand by this, that even if we were to finish, say, eighth for the next five seasons, then we'd still be able to grow off the field considerably. Huw has made no bones about how far behind some clubs we are in terms of infrastructure, and by maintaining our current footing we'd have more than enough money to facilitate any off-field improvements which are needed, as well as improving the squad year on year too.
TLC's list of clients include Coca Cola, McDonalds, Sony, BMW, Orange, Vodafone, Ikea, Samsung, Audi, Virgin, Pirelli, Microsoft, Panasonic, L'Oreal... as you can see they have links with some major players and like Leigh Dineen says, we now have access to these global brands. The potential to raise funds from this sector must surely be huge, and any deal where we get money for sponsorship as opposed to selling a percentage of the club is obviously massively preferable.