I’m a Manchester United fan and marketing expert but Arsenal are cool
Arsenal’s long-awaited success on and off the field has been earned with smart, patient planning, says Pitch founder (and Man Utd supporter) Henry Chappell.
As a Manchester United fan since before the Fergie years, Arsenal’s march to Premier League glory and a Champions League final is a tough watch. And it’s just as hard to admit that they’ve also claimed the title of being the leading brand in British sport.
They might not quite have the global social media following of United or Liverpool (yet). And beyond football, the likes of McLaren, Wimbledon or Team GB could be in contention. But Arsenal’s brand is stronger than any rival Premier League club or British sports brand right now. And it’s no accident.
Unlike United, and the likes of Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal have greatly benefited from a settled ownership structure ever since Stan Kroenke, one of America’s richest men, took full control of the club in 2018. Now with his son, Josh, actively involved, and an excellent management team in place, the business is booming.
They weren’t popular at first, but Kroenke Sports & Entertainment has an impressive track record of running highly successful sports franchises in the US, winning Super Bowls and NBA Finals, always with the longest of long-term views.
And that’s precisely what’s needed, because building a great brand takes time. Never mind Mikel Arteta’s mantra of “trust the process”, in brand-building you need to trust the patience. In football it needs capital investment, a successful sporting strategy and, off the pitch, a fan-centric approach that connects with audiences.
That’s exactly what Arsenal have been doing, slowly but surely, ever since “Silent Stan” took over. And now it’s paying dividends.
Elite partners and celebrity fans
Just look at the commercial numbers. For 2024-25, Arsenal had record revenues of nearly £700m – almost double their income from just a few years ago.
With broadcasting, commercial and matchday revenues all growing faster than any of their Premier League rivals, and with Arsenal set to benefit from a huge financial uplift from becoming champions, they will be alongside Real Madrid and Barcelona with revenues of more than £1bn within the next two financial years.
Even more impressive is the quality of Arsenal’s commercial partners. Their two main sponsors, Emirates and Adidas, have been with the club since 2004 and 2019 respectively.
Emirates’ involvement with Arsenal is one of the longest running and most recognisable sponsorships in world football, while Adidas’s partnership has helped Arsenal to become a leading global lifestyle brand and cultural powerhouse.
Their award-winning CSR campaign “No More Red”, for instance, is a multi-year initiative launched in 2022 to tackle youth violence and knife crime in London. The partnership is now so strong that Arsenal kits are likely to outsell United’s in Adidas stores worldwide this summer.
Beyond these flagship partnerships, the quality of Arsenal’s sponsors far outweigh other clubs, with Google, Guinness, L’Oreal, Persil, Meta all top-tier, global brand leaders. Chelsea, meanwhile, can’t secure a long-term shirt sponsor.
Where Arsenal are doing deals with lesser-known B2B companies, such as their shirt sleeve sponsor, Deel, or fintech partner Airwallex, they are commanding a hefty premium and launching them with high-profile brand films directed by the likes of Spike Lee.
Beyond their line-up of sponsors, Arsenal’s roll call of celebrity fans now reads like the guestlist at Chiltern Firehouse. Idris Elba, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston and Robert Pattinson are all Gooners these days. Not to mention Anne Hathaway, whose cringeworthy Instagram rendition of Arsenal’s new anthem, North London Forever, went viral several times over.
Arsenal’s growing global fanbase
To Arsenal’s great credit, this success has all been achieved by giving equal billing to their women’s and men’s teams. It is a great example of the club’s smart, long-term strategic decision making, delivered consistently across everything they do.
As well as driving the commercial revenues for the women’s team to the top of the Deloitte Money List, it has positioned Arsenal as a pioneering, progressive brand that is looking to the future.
It is because of all these elements that Arsenal have created a deep and meaningful connection with their fans, not just in the UK but all over the world, where their fanbase is growing rapidly. In the US for instance, Arsenal America, their membership club, now has 86 active branches across every state.
And they aren’t just winning on the pitch and on the balance sheet. They’re also winning in culture, through a series of high-profile lifestyle collaborations with leading fashion brands like Places + Faces, Labrum London and Aries.
That’s ultimately why their brand is leaving the rest behind. Because Arsenal are more than just Premier League champions these days; dare I say it, they’re cool.
Henry Chappell is founder and CEO of Pitch Marketing Group.