Aviva’s Tom Whiteside on the long-term strategy behind its naming rights expansion

Aviva has expanded its venue portfolio once again, confirming it will become the naming rights partner of the new Aviva Arena in Bristol, set to open in 2028.

The move adds a third major UK & Ireland venue to the insurance brand’s portfolio, alongside Aviva Stadium and Aviva Studios, reinforcing what has become a clear strategic position: Aviva believes in naming rights.

“With a business that is more than 325 years old and with the most valuable insurance brand in the UK, it is imperative to Aviva that we protect and invest in the long-term future of our brand,” says Tom Whiteside, Head of Group Sponsorship at Aviva. “Central to this is consistency – in the way that we show up, in the way that we act and the way that we do business. And our approach to sponsorship is no different.”

That philosophy explains why Aviva has maintained a relationship with the Aviva Stadium for more than 15 years, committed long term to Aviva Studios in Manchester, and is now backing the transformation of the historic Brabazon Hangars into the Aviva Arena in Bristol.

“These venues enable us to build enduring associations, to deliver consistent customer experiences and to build social action strategies that are genuinely outcome focused,” Tom explains.

How much does it cost to sponsor a stadium?
Access the fair market naming rights values for 75 of Europe’s largest stadiums here.

Standing apart in a crowded category

The decision to invest further in naming rights comes against the backdrop of an increasingly competitive financial services market.

“We began to see a lack of differentiation in a crowded financial services category,” says Tom.

Rather than default back into the usual sponsorship properties often favoured by financial brands, Aviva has leaned into physical spaces. For a company without retail stores or tangible products, that matters.

“We don’t have retail stores or physical products,” Tom adds. “Venues like these give us a tangible way to express who we are.”

The logic is both emotional and strategic.

“These venues are places where customers, clients and colleagues can experience our brand in new, unexpected and impactful ways,” he says. “They allow us to build emotional connections and deliver brand-led experiences rooted in what people genuinely care about.”

More than signage

Crucially, Aviva is clear that naming rights are not symbolic.

“These aren’t just feel-good investments,” Tom says. “We’re a financial services business, so we need to speak the language of the boardroom.”

That means measurement across multiple levels: brand tracking, econometric modelling, first-party data acquisition, colleague engagement and B2B activation.

“We use every lever available to deliver business value,” Tom explains. “We look at how sponsorships help us attract talent, engage our workforce, and even build thought leadership case studies based on our business expertise.”

Social outcomes are tracked with similar rigour, from course graduation rates to longer-term employment and behavioural change across academy programmes linked to its venues.

This diversified approach reflects both Aviva’s scale and the nature of the insurance category. The brand may be intangible, but the impact it seeks to create is not.

A once-in-a-generation opportunity

In Bristol, Aviva saw strategic timing as well as geography.

“These buildings don’t get built very often — and they certainly don’t get built outside of London,” Tom says. “We saw a once-in-a-generation opportunity to be part of something ambitious and progressive.”

The Bristol partnership, like Manchester before it, aligns with Aviva’s stated mission to back the UK, supporting regional economic growth, job creation and community regeneration.

Naming rights, in this context, are not about short-term exposure. They are about embedding the brand into places that matter.

Building for the long term

If there is a common thread across Aviva’s venue strategy, it is patience.

Fifteen years in Dublin. Long-term commitments in Manchester. A multi-year investment in Bristol before the doors even open.

“With a brand of our scale and heritage, consistency is everything,” Tom says.

Successful long-term partnerships are not improvised. They are planned, structured and nurtured over time.

In a sponsorship market often driven by short cycles and headline moments, Aviva’s approach is notably deliberate. The company is not chasing short-term noise. It is building enduring brand associations in physical spaces that will stand for decades.

And in doing so, it is making clear that for Aviva, naming rights are not a tactic. They are a long-term strategy.