There is nothing wrong with a little frivolous social media struggling to get people talking.
Using Twitter and Instagram in a fun and innovative way is something that football clubs and brands have become quite good at. It can humanize business units and make fans feel involved in conversations that they would otherwise be excluded from.
- Advertisement -
However, Dulux can read the room next time …
Good morning Tottenham, we have been royally removed by the Dulux dog for a couple of cans of paint pic.twitter.com/KQwPHqPV7p
– Jude Summerfield (@judesummerfield) April 15, 2021
Britain’s favorite brand for international color was announced as Tottenham’s latest commercial partner on Thursday. Within minutes – literally minutes – they were on Twitter telling about the club’s lack of cutlery.
Apparently they did not realize how much pain it is for the supporters, or how seriously the posts should be taken. Intended as a bit of light-hearted fun, it has been universally panned by Spurs fans, and questions are already being asked about the vitality of the partnership in the future.
Still, cute dog though.
We are pleased to announce @duluxuk, the nation’s premier color brand, as our first official color supplier ever. # THFC ⚪ # COYS
– Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) April 15, 2021
While the first hours of the Spurs-Dulux partnership have been a bit of a hassle, it’s worth remembering that it’s not the worst PR mistake in Premier League history. Oh, far from it …
Ayoze Perez: not a fan of Wonga, apparently | Michael Regan / Getty Images
Newcastle’s shirt sponsorship deal with payroll company Wonga was announced in 2012 to almost general outrage.
There were moral concerns: this was a company that made a lot of money on high-interest, short-term loans, and striker Papiss Cisse initially declared that he would not play with the Wonga logo on his shirt.
There were also aesthetic concerns: Newcastle would literally have to play with the word Wonga displayed on their coffins. In vivid blue.
The club promised that Wonga’s money would help them compete in the top of English football. Four years later, they were demoted and the partnership ended.
Sebastien Schemmel sports Ty brand Dave Etheridge-Barnes / Getty Images
Who would have thought that a Premier League club working with a company that made the most money on a children’s toy line called ‘Beanie Boos’ would not have gone well?
It is safe to say that Ty missed his target audience with this one.
They pulled out all the stops to make it work: they even released a special “Pompey Bear” that hardly anyone bought before the two went head to head in 2005.
Di Canio did not go as Sunderland hoped | Tony Marshall / Getty Images
Paolo Di Canio was once depicted making a Nazi salute while playing for Lazio. He has described the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini as a “deeply misunderstood individual” and has been quoted by a press in Italy as declaring himself a fascist.
So yes, his appointment as Sunderland manager was … divisive.
The Italian kept the black cats afloat in 2012/13, but the negative publicity that came from his leadership style – described as “brutal and vitriolik” by CEO Margaret Byrne – was soon too much to bear.
He was fired five games next season, six months after his appointment.
These shirts only came in one size Shaun Botterill / Getty Images
When West Ham merged with XL in 2007, it initially looked promising. They were the third largest holiday operator in the UK, and a three-year deal worth £ 7.5 million in total promised to increase cash significantly.
Then, just a few days after Gianfranco Zola was appointed CEO in 2008, the company joined the administration. West Ham terminated the deal shortly afterwards and had to leave notes on the front of the shirts so that they no longer advertised an old sponsor,
It gets even more messy when you realize that West Ham’s owner Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson was also the main owner of Landsbanki … one of the banks that financed XL Leisure.
Just not a nice look around.
The power of the fans. The return of decisions to the employee of Liverpool and now Tottenham shows the importance of the supporters’ opinion. Well done to both clubs for listening. And well done for followers trusting that they express concern. @THSTOfficial
– Emma Sanders (@em_sandy) April 13, 2020
Back in April 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic began to be felt, the British government announced a furlough system aimed at keeping workers in jobs while the country is shut down.
The idea was that the government would pay 80% of the salary for non-essential staff that companies could not afford to pay themselves while the business was paused.
One would think that the top club’s Premier League clubs and their multi-million pound margins would not have to take advantage of it.
But Liverpool and Tottenham did both … initially.
Both clubs fought from all sides, with both fans and kennels blasting a lack of solidarity and unwillingness to take responsibility for their ground level staff being paid.
That was the definition of a PR disaster and both clubs soon reversed the decision.
