In what is claimed to be the largest sponsorship deal yet for a single series on British television, Nestlé Rowntree – a unit of Nestlé, Switzerland – is to spread the ITV Network with a rich creamy coating of currency, £6 million ($9.99m; €9.09m) to be precise.
The show thus honoured is the second series of Pop Idol – also a smash hit stateside for Rupert Murdoch’s Fox channel under the title American Idol . The UK version will receive a second primetime run later this year. Last year the ITV series averaged 7.4m viewers, a 37% share, while the final attracted 13.1m, 57% of all UK viewers.
Nestlé Rowntree will support the sponsorship with a raft of promotions – instore, online and onpack. It may also launch a range of special edition chocolate and confectionery products to tie-in with the show.
The sponsorship strategy was ‘engineered’ by M&C Saatchi [English translation: it was their idea] and the deal arranged by BroadMind, the sponsorship division of WPP’s MindShare.
Data sourced from: BrandRepublic (UK); additional content by WARC staff
