By BEN KESLING
Delta Air Lines Inc. signed a sponsorship deal with London's Chelsea Football Club, becoming the first U.S. airline to partner with a top-ranked English Premier League soccer team.
Soccer's huge popularity in much of the world and its fast-growing following in Asia have already made it a magnet for international carriers looking to raise their profile.
Etihad Airways of Abu Dhabi and Dubai-based Emirates Airline already have sponsorship deals with some of Europe's biggest professional clubs.
U.S. airlines have long-established links with American sports, buying up stadium-naming rights in business centers such as New York and Los Angeles. But while AMR Corp.'s American Airlines has been the official trans-Atlantic airline partner of the Premier League's lower-ranked Fulham FC since 2006, they have had little presence in soccer.
"Airline advertising [in club soccer] is an area that's growing," said Simon Rines, editorial director at International Marketing Reports Ltd., a sponsorship analysis firm. "It's driven by the Middle Eastern carriers, and I suspect it will be driven by emerging airlines in Asia."
Delta's two-year deal with Chelsea, the newly crowned European club champions, is a relatively small step compared with the deals signed by its rivals in the Middle East and Asia.
Etihad sponsors the shirts of Manchester City FC, this year's English Premier League champions, while Emirates switched its marketing allegiance to Arsenal FC from Chelsea, and also bought the naming rights to the north London club's new stadium.
Tony Fernandez, owner of Malaysia's AirAsia, last year bought control of Queens Park Rangers FC, another London club.
Emirates has used sports sponsorships to fuel its aggressive marketing plans, and already has deals with six soccer clubs in Europe. As part of its U.S. strategy, it is considering plans to advertise during next year's Super Bowl broadcast.
The pricey TV spots would follow the pattern of advancing the brand that Emirates has successfully employed in Europe and Asia, backing everything from soccer-club jerseys to polo tournaments.
"The rationale for Emirates was they wanted to grow their branding quite quickly," Mr. Rimes said. "They were playing catch-up and now they've clearly caught up."
Chelsea's shirts will continue to be sponsored by Samsung Electronics Co., with Delta becoming "official airline sponsor," a deal that will put its logo on display at the Stamford Bridge stadium and at club events. The team is currently examining plans for a new stadium.
"It strengthens our brand in the U.K. and around the world," said Katie Hulme, a Delta spokeswoman. "There was an opportunity to work with Chelsea, and we've taken it."
As far as an initial push into European soccer, Delta is confident in its choice. Chelsea is hugely popular in London, a major Delta destination, and the team will be playing four exhibition matches this summer in the U.S., creating immediate overlap between domestic and international exposure.
Although the terms of Delta's deal weren't disclosed, analysts agreed that it probably didn't involve a major outlay of advertising funds and a way for Delta to get its name in front of soccer-loving European and Asian consumers for the carrier.
"The airlines have been very judicious in spending their money, because they don't have a lot of money to spend." said Helene Becker, analyst at Dahlman Rose & Co. "But they can't afford not to be associated with world-wide sport."
Corrections & Amplifications
An earlier version of this article incorrectly reported that Delta Air Lines' sponsorship deal with London's Chelsea Football Club made it the first U.S. carrier to venture into the world of European club soccer. AMR Corp.'s American Airlines has been the official trans-Atlantic airline partner of the English Premier League's Fulham Football Club since 2006. Also, Chelsea's home stadium is Stamford Bridge. An earlier version of this article incorrectly called it Stanford Bridge.