Anshuman JoshiFollowing are the companies and organisations that serve as sponsors and brand partners to the Russian Premier League club Zenit Saint Petersburg and enjoy a strong branding presence across their physical and digital assets.
SPONSORS
Nike
Nike has served as Zenit’s official kit supplier since 2010, when it replaced fellow German sportswear rival Puma.
Gazprom
The Moscow-headquartered multinational energy supergiant began its affiliation with the Zenitchiki in 1999. Six years later, it had acquired a controlling stake in the club.
As the principal owner of Zenit, Gazprom has invested substantially in the club, ensuring that the club not only remain in the upper echelon of Russian football but also impress in UEFA’s flagship European competitions – the Champions League, the Europa League, and the Europa Conference League.
Gazprom and its subsidiaries enjoy a grand brand exposure across the club’s assets, with Gazprom’s logo emblazoned at the front of Zenit’s kits. This has also come under a serious, almost ever-present scrutiny of the club and Gazprom, who has been accused of severe financial doping and has been the subject of multiple investigations by UEFA.
Here’s a list of Gazprom’s most prominent subsidiaries associated with the club.
GAZPROMBANK
The Moscow-headquartered financial institution is the third-largest bank in Russia.
GAZPROM NEFT
Gazprom Neft is the third-largest oil producer in Russia, 96% of whose shares are owned by Gazprom. The company is headquartered in St. Petersburg.
G-ENERGY
G-Energy is a premium motor oil brand from Gazprom Neft that has its products manufactured primarily in Bari, Italy.
The G-Energy logo features on Zenit’s matchday shorts.
G-DRIVE
G-Drive is Gazprom Neft’s motor fuel brand which was launched back in 2011.
The G-Drive logo features on the back of Zenit’s matchday shirts, right below the kit numbers.
GAZPROM MEZHREGIONGAZ
Gazprom Mezhregiongaz is Gazprom’s wholly-owned subsidiary that focuses on natural gas sales within the Russian Federation.
GAZPROM INVESTHOLDING
Gazprom Investholding is Gazprom’s wholly-owned subsidiary that was founded on July 28, 1997. The company provides securities brokerage and asset management services.
GAZPROM GERMANIA
Gazprom Germania is Gazprom’s wholly-owned subsidiary headquartered in Berlin that engages in marketing, trading, exploration and production of Russian and Central Asian natural gas across Europe, USA, Central Asia and Singapore.
GAZPROM SCHWEIZ
Gazprom Schweiz is a Zurich-headquartered Swiss subsidiary of Gazprom Germania that specializes in exploration, production, and selling of hydrocarbons.
Winline
The Russian bookmaker is the global betting sponsor of the club since August 2020. The deal sees Winline’s logo feature on the front of Zenit’s matchday shirts, right above the club crest and the kit supplier’s logo. Winline also offers Zenit’s fans exclusive offers on matchdays.
Rossiya Airlines
The Saint Petersburg-headquartered largest Russian carrier is the official carrier of the club since July 2014.
MegaFon
Moscow-headquartered MegaFon is one of the largest Russian telecom services providers. It also serves as an official sponsor to Zenit Saint Petersburg since March 2015, although the association between the two parties can be traced back to 1999.
SIBUR
SIBUR is a Russian petrochemicals company headquartered in Moscow. It also serves as an official sponsor to Zenit Saint Petersburg. SIBUR also sponsors Zenit’s basketball team’s home court.
SOGAZ
SOGAZ is a Russian insurance company headquartered in Moscow. It also serves as an official sponsor to Zenit Saint Petersburg.
Apart from branding rights, the deal sees SOGAZ provide medical services and insurance coverage against accidents and diseases to the club’s players and staff.
OMV
Vienna-headquartered Austrian integrated oil and gas company OMV also serves as an official sponsor to Zenit Saint Petersburg.
PepsiCo
New York-headquartered American multinational food, snack and beverage corporation PepsiCo is a long-time partner of Zenit Saint Petersburg.
PepsiCo’s partnership with Zenit sees its brands Pepsi and Lay’s hold branding rights across the club’s physical and digital assets. PepsiCo and Zenit also work together to produce several promotional adverts.
Nissan
Japanese automobile manufacturer Nissan replaced Audi as Zenit’s exclusive automotive partner in May 2015. Nissan’s logo features on Zenit’s matchday shorts.
World Class
World Class is one of Russia’s oldest chains of fitness centres. It also serves as an official sponsor to Zenit Saint Petersburg.
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Long-distance telephony provider Rostelecom signed an initial three-year deal with Zenit in March 2017 worth US$564k approx.
The deal would see the Moscow-headquartered company provide the club with integration services for an SAP implementation to create a relationship management platform, after which it would continue to provide the club 24/7 technical and administrative support for the established IT infrastructure.
The deal also granted Rostelecom branding rights across the club’s physical and digital assets.
Lay’s
The Frito-Lay-produced potato chips brand also serves as an official sponsor to Zenit.
Nevsky Centre
The Saint Petersburg-based shopping mall also serves as an official sponsor to Zenit.
Chistaya Liniya
Dairy products manufacturer Chistaya Liniya also serves as an official sponsor to Zenit Saint Petersburg. Apart from branding rights, the deal also sees production of Zenit-themed ice cream.
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Taxi VKontakte is a Russian online taxi booking platform.
MEDIA PARTNERS
Dugout
International digital football platform Dugout became an official media partner of Zenit Saint Petersburg in March 2018.
Apart from branding rights, the deal sees Zenit work with Dugout to provide exclusive club content for fans worldwide.
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“??????? ??????” is an online platform dedicated to all things Zenit Saint Petersburg. It contains a detailed account of news, stats, and historical facts concerning the Zenitchiki. “??????? ??????” also serves as an official media partner of the club.
