Inside the Man United Machine
In December of 2009 an unexpected package arrived at the headquarters of Concha y Toro, the 127-year-old winemaker in Santiago, Chile. Inside was an ornate box lined with black silk and holding a leather football. The Concha y Toro insignia was stenciled on the ball, next to that of the sender’s: Manchester United. Accompanying the gift was a book explaining the financial benefits of a partnership between the football club and the winemaker. Within 36 hours, United executives were on the phone with their counterparts at Concha y Toro, working on the outlines of a deal that was signed on May 17, 2010. An official ceremony was held four months later at Old Trafford, Man U’s stadium, where the club introduced the Chilean company as its first global wine partner. Under the arrangement, luxury boxes and lounges in Old Trafford serve only Concha y Toro’s Casillero del Diablo wines and the company’s ads appear on the digital “billboards” seen on broadcasts of United home games.