Manchester United kit launch already worth £1.5m to Adidas in social media value
Adidas' record breaking £750m kit deal with Manchester United is already beginning to pay off thanks to a successful social media launch.
Read more: Even at £750m Adidas' Man United kit deal could prove to be a bargain for the sportswear giant
The launch of United's new kit – the first from Adidas in a 10-year deal valued at £75m per season – has already generated over $2.3m (£1.5m) in social media value, according to figures compiled by sports industry researcher and adviser Repucom.
Max Barnett, the group's head of digital in UK and Ireland, commented:
This was the big one for Adidas. They needed to show they made the right decision following their world record deal to kit out Manchester United for the next decade. Value generated through social media was always going to play a huge role and the and the figures so far for the brand are encouraging.
United's enthusiastic promotion of the new kit across its social media channels helped it become the fastest value generating football kit launch in Adidas' history.
The size of United's fanbase and the strength of its brand is demonstrated by the fact that Real Madrid generated $2.6m in social media value for Adidas in well over a month compared to their $2.3m in three days.
"The 20-time league champions have been relentless in this campaign and as a result, the club will certainly provide more value through social media than Adidas' other clubs this summer," explained Barnett.
"This shows that building an engaged social fan base is key and something other teams around the world should be looking at."
Repucom, whose social media valuations are developed in conjunction with leading rights holders and brands in sport, say that Adidas has enjoyed $4.6m in social media value from Chelsea, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and AC Milan while Manchester United's introduction to the stable would boost that to "well over" $7m.
Social media value means the potential monetary value raised by a brand's social media exposure and takes into account the level of engagement with a brand through social media, fans' digital behaviour in relation and their location.
Adidas said it expects to make $2.5bn in sales from its decade-long partnership with United.