Vodafone bid farewell to David Beckham |
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Published
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Thu, 28 Jul 2005 03:20
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LONDON: The one-man conglomerate that is David Beckham suffered a minor hiccup, as it emerged that Vodafone Group PLC has decided not to renew its sponsorship deal with England's soccer captain.
The world's largest mobile phone operator reached this decision after three years of successful partnership, which netted Beckham an estimated £1 million per year. "Following three successful years, Vodafone and David Beckham confirm that there will not be a further renewal of their sponsorship agreement," Vodafone said in a statement.
Vodafone signed up the Real Madrid star in 2002. His initial contract of two years, which ended last year, was given a 12-month extension that expired in July this year. Peter Bamford, Vodafone’s chief marketing officer, issued a statement saying that the contract had ended by mutual consent, “We would like to take this opportunity to thank David for his contribution and involvement with all of our marketing initiatives over the last three years,” the statement said.
Mr. Bamford also acknowledged that Beckham had contributed significantly in the recognition of the Vodafone brand, "We wish him continued success both on and off the pitch," he concluded. David Beckham was used extensively in the company's advertising campaign to launch its 3G services last year. His face had been splashed across Britain, the US, Spain and Japan. Beckham's popularity was very visible when the England soccer team toured the US, generally recognized as a non-soccer country. Fans in America went berserk trying to get a glimpse of their star.
However, in recent times, Beckham's image as a family man has taken a beating after his much-publicized vulgar text messages to Rebecca Loos, his personal assistant with whom he is alleged to have had an affair. He has also been plagued by unfavorable press in Japan where he is currently on tour with Real Madrid. However, his Asian fan following remains huge.
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