Barclays, which has lent its name to the Premier League since 2001, became the latest global brand to signal a wide ranging review of its sponsorship priorities, UK newspaper, The Guardian reports.
According to the paper, the company, currently in the second season of a £66 million three-year deal will conduct a review of all its sponsorship properties in 2009.
Barclays Global Retail and Commercial Banking chief marketing officer, Libby Chambers, told trade magazine Marketing Week that the Premier League deal was "very much" part of the review, which will also take in its sponsorship of the Scottish Open and Singapore Open in golf, the Barclays Churchill Cup in rugby union and the Barclays Dubai Tennis Tournament.
"There will be a thorough review of our sponsorships to make sure that we are getting a strong return on investment across the board," she said.
The Premier League agreement is generally agreed by most industry experts to have been a mutually beneficial one but some expect banking and financial services brands to cut back on their brand building investment in the current economic climate. Barclays has sponsored the Premier League since 2001, when it attached its Barclaycard brand to the competition, before switching to its main brand in 2004.
The Premier League is not expected to begin discussions about renewing the sponsorship deal until the second half of next year, following the conclusion of its domestic and overseas TV rights deals.
