When branding goes bad: what the corporate world can learn from the Co-op Live crisis

With Britain’s largest indoor arena finally open to the public, James Moore assesses the reputational damage caused by weeks of gig cancellations (and a falling air-con unit) – and what else can go wrong with big-money sponsorships

Elbow fans queuing outside Co-op Live for the venue’s delayed opening night (Peter Byrne/PA Wire)

You have to feel for the Co-op. After paying a reputed £100 million to put its name to Britain’s largest, newest indoor area, a string of construction delays – and one unfortunately memorable incident involving an air-conditioning unit falling from a gantry during a soundcheck – lead to several sold-out gigs this month being rescheduled.

But despite a trail of angry and upset music fans, Manchester’s Co-op Live is finally open for business.

Why the group got involved is not hard to discern. Look at how successful O2’s sponsorship of what used to be the Millennium Dome (and was briefly the North Greenwich Arena during the London Olympics, because… sponsorship) has been.