By Princewill Ekwujuru

Before now, Guinness, a beer brand from the stead of Guinness Nigeria Plc had been  involved in sponsorship of various  football competitions involving the Super Eagles of Nigeria, but the  01-06-11 friendly against the
Argentine national team remains the biggest Match event ever to happen in Nigerian football history.

Football analysts had said that for  the Guinness brand to bring a Match of such magnitude to Nigeria, is a plus for the brand.

The Match which is happening  at a time the Nigerian national team is re-building it’s arsenal and when football lovers are yearning for first class friendly,  is part of the rebuilding process, football analysts  say.

Taking sponsorship as a topic in the overall interest of brand promotion.  In effect, sponsorship, promotions and place branding overtime have become major criteria with which brands connect with  existing or prospective customers.

For this, reasons have been advanced why firms entering  into sponsorship activities, which excuses are  to increase brand awareness, establish, change or strengthen brand image or loyalty.

This explains why for many years companies fall over themselves to sponsor major events like football fiestas, awards, lectures, musical concerts, cultural festivals and carnivals.

In Nigeria today, top companies see sponsorship as a tool to drive their brands. The story of MTN and Coca-cola, GLO, as the official telecommunication company and the official drink for the 2010 world cup and the Nigeria premier league respectively explains the rational behind sponsorships.

Beyond sports, brands that have both the global and local appeal have also began to invest in the sponsorship of cultural activities. While sports appeals to elites and youths, cultural activities, carnivals are used to connect the grassroot, as well football.

In what seems like a response to this global trend, Guinness Nigeria is now leveraging on its existing sponsorship and recent sponsorship drive to bring Argentina, Super Eagle tie to Nigeria which eventually will be a major connecting tool for the brand.