Carabao is holding the first-round draw for the English Football League Cup (EFL Cup), which will be known from the 2017/18 season as CARABAO CUP, in the Thai capital Bangkok on June 16 at 7 pm. The event marks the first time the EFL Cup draw to be made outside England. The draw will be live-streamed to countries around the globe. The event marks Carabao’s latest sport marketing strategy to create a platform to promote sales overseas and pave the way for its global expansion.
Khun Sathien Setthasit, Chief Executive Officer of Carabao Group Public Co. Ltd. (CBG), says that CBG have signed a three-year deal as a sponsor of the English Football League from 2017 to 2020. Under the sponsorship agreement, the EFL Cup will be known from the 2017-2018 season as CARABAO CUP. The first-round draw is to be held outside England for the first time.
“Our sponsorship of the EFL Cup, a prestigious league competition of England, will result in the EFL Cup being known as CARABAO CUP. The deal is part of our sport marketing strategy that will help raise awareness of the brand in the international markets. Football is an international sport. Fans all over the world enjoy playing, watching and cheering their favorite football teams. It’s hoped that as a sponsor, Carabao as a Thai brand will be able to gain international recognition. Carabao already sponsor a Premier League club, Chelsea, and a Championship club, Reading. We have set up an office in London to expand our sales in the UK and European countries, the demand made possible through our sport marketing strategy. I hope the deal will lend the brand more strength,” says Khun Sathien.
In Thailand’s energy drinks market, which is valued at Bt35 billion, Carabao had a 25 percent market share in the first quarter of this year and reported a 30 percent rise in sales from the same period last year. The robust growth is attributed to a dramatic increase in sales of Carabao energy drink and new products including bottled water, 3-in-1 and Ready-to-Drink coffee. In overseas markets, energy drinks are popular among consumers of all ages and genders and are even considered as premium products. In the last quarter, Carabao reported a 25 percent increase in sales from the same period last year in most of Carabao’s foreign export markets.
Carabao is also organizing a marketing campaign titled “Submitting Carabao Bottle Caps for the Chance to Watch the Carabao Cup Final in the UK with Aed Carabao” to promote the Carabao Cup. The campaign targets Thai fans of English football and has lots of prizes up for grabs including “Carabao-limited” Honda Wave motorcycles and a seven-day-four-night package tour to the UK, altogether worth Bt 6.3 million. Winners will get to watch the Carabao Cup Final together with the famous Thai folk singer Yuengyong Opakul, better known as “Aed Carabao”, who is also the brand founding partner. The campaign, which started on June 1, runs until October 25.
Up to 70 teams will be in the first-round draw for the 2017-2018 season. CARABAO CUP will kick off on August 7. Premier League clubs that didn’t make it to UEFA Champions League will join the competition from Round Two. Teams joining in Round Three include Manchester United that won the EFL Cup last season. The 2018 Final will be at Wembley on February 25.
Joining the first-round draw in the capital Bangkok are EFL Chief Executive Mr. Shaun Harvey and the British Ambassador to Thailand H.E. Brian Davidson. Joining the two at the draw will be Emmanuel Petit, a former French international footballer who also played for Arsenal and Chelsea as a midfielder and represented France at the 1998 FIFA World Cup Final. The CARABAO CUP first-round draw is on June 16, at 7pm, local time. The event will be live-streamed to countries around the globe via the Facebook pages of Carabao Cup and Carabao UK and also via SkySports.com.
