Sports marketing experts point out that the exposure on the Palmeiras uniform gave the company an unprecedented national projection
Leila Pereira, president of Palmeiras, has every right to defend that Crefisa, her company, would be great regardless of the partnership with the club she commands. In a recent speech to the Deliberative Council, she emphasized that the finance company was already successful before 2015 and continues to grow even after the end of the master sponsorship, ending in 2024.
It’s understandable that it has internal data to support this view. Crefisa, after all, has more than 60 years of history and a consolidated trajectory in the credit market.
However, sports marketing experts point out that the exposure on the Palmeiras uniform gave the company an unprecedented national projection. Amir Somoggi, from Sports Value, for example, highlights that the sponsorship was one of the most successful in recent Brazilian football: it elevated the brand from “known in a niche” to “famous throughout the country”, associated with victories and success.
The partnership, which lasted ten years and injected around R$889 million (updated values), benefited both sides. Palmeiras won resources for titles; Crefisa, massive visibility – with an estimated advertising return many times greater than that invested. There is no doubt that the size of Crefisa was strongly driven by the Palmeiras brand. It was a powerful “vitamin” for national growth.
