A MARKETING DIRECTOR’S GUIDE TO THE POWER OF SPONSORSHIP ISSUE #1

Open House: MMC and

the Open Championship

Gulf Air’s Bahrain

Grand Prix

THE MAIN
EVENT
Building relationships, Land Rover’s greatest
Challenge
changing perceptions
and delivering return
on investment

Sony Ericsson and the

Empire awards
Your sponsorship
research in safe hands
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And because we understand that sponsorship is about more
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www.ipsos-uk.com
 IT WORKS!
BY NIGEL CURRIE, CHAIRMAN OF THE EUROPEAN
SPONSORSHIP ASSOCIATION (ESA)

Sponsorship Works - their sponsorship programmes they can

is it a statement of
fact or a sudden
statement of
acceptance and
realisation by
marketers previously
indoctrinated by the
belief that advertising was the only
marketing option worthy of serious
consideration? The fact is that
sponsorship does work and an increasing
number of forward-thinking companies
are using sponsorship to achieve specific
marketing needs. The amount spent each
CONTENTS year on sponsorship programmes
continues to increase and, most
importantly, the way brands are now
004 THE MAIN EVENT using sponsorship displays a much clearer
THE DEVELOPMENT OF EVENT SPONSORSHIP
understanding of its true marketing
potential.
008 FRONT OF THE GRID It is only in the last few years that
GULF AIR AND THE BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX
marketers have started to look in detail at
010 HOWZAT! what sponsorship can actually deliver
NATWEST’S CRICKET SPONSORSHIP beyond awareness and exposure.
Sponsorship has a unique ability to
012 SALES BOOSTER deliver a range of opportunities that no
CARLSBERG REFRESHED BY EURO 2004
other marketing discipline can.
Traditional marketing activity still
014 FIRM FAVOURITE dominates marketing thinking and leads
MARTELL’S WINNING GRAND NATIONAL
to a safety-first approach. However, as
with all marketing disciplines things
016 GETTING ACTIVE change. New market conditions,
NORWICH UNION GETS BRITONS MOVING
legislation, proliferation of the media and
018 WILD ROVERS increased expectations from marketers
LAND ROVER ACCEPTS A CHALLENGE and their brands. As tobacco money has
been forced out of the market so other
020 ASSESSING VALUE product sectors have increased their
FINDING AND DEVELOPING THE RIGHT SPONSORSHIP commitment to sponsorship. The drinks
industry, financial services and mobile
024 CHAMPION PERFORMER communications are now the major
FORD AND THE UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
players in sponsorship and they have all
been to the fore in developing a host of
026 EMPIRE BUILDING new ways to maximise their returns from
SONY ERICSSON’S MOVIE AWARDS
their involvement in sponsorship
programmes.
028 SENIOR PARTNERS The most significant development in
MMC AND THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP
recent years has been the realisation and
030 ASSESSMENT acceptance by marketers that by
BY THE EUROPEAN SPONSORSHIP ASSOCIATION committing extra funds and resource to
not only increase awareness but actually
sell more of their products and services.
In terms of growth, sponsorship has
consistently outperformed all other
marketing disciplines. Across Europe the
figure for sponsorship spend is just over
£5billion per annum. These figures don’t
show the increased levels of support and
promotional, advertising and PR budgets,
which are now being committed to enable
even more benefit to be extracted from
sponsorship programmes.
The steady menu of opportunities that
sport in particular is able to offer will
continue to fuel the sponsorship industry.
While the major global events tend to
operate on four-year cycles, major
continental and national events amply fill
any “gaps”. This enables the widest
possible range of opportunities for
companies to become heavily involved in
sponsorship programmes at all levels and
will ensure that the discipline continues
to develop and offer a wider range of
marketing options.
The greater commitment to sponsorship
shown by the marketing world and the
increased reliance on its ability to deliver
for brands, has in turn led to an
increasing number of outstanding case
studies of just how leading sponsorship
programmes should be developed and
used to maximise the returns for the
sponsor. Sponsorship Works shows some
of the most outstanding examples of
sponsorship in action. These programmes
in turn are run by sponsorship
professionals using a range of specific
skills as well as the full range of other
marketing disciplines. The sponsorship
industry can be proud of the impact it
has made and we look forward to many
more outstanding examples of the
discipline delivering outstanding results
for satisfied sponsors.
Nigel Currie is director of sports marketing
and entertainment agency GEM, part of the
CSS-Stellar Group.

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ISSN 1363 4553

SPONSORSHIPWORKS : 3
 EVENT SPONSORSHIP: DEVELOPMENT

ANDY FRY TRACES THE DEVELOPMENT OF EVENT SPONSORSHIP AND

EXAMINES THE TECHNICAL, COMMERCIAL AND MEDIA CHALLENGES
FACING TODAY’S MORE DEMANDING AND SOPHISTICATED SPONSORS.

Earlier this year, music lovers around the
world spent many fruitless hours
disagreeing over whether the release of
Elvis Presley’s first single, 50 years ago,
could be seen to signify the birth of rock
n’ roll.
While the King brought R&R to the
masses, there were plenty of music buffs
who swore blind that there were R&R riffs
lurking in pre-war Jazz.
You’d encounter similar problems if you
tried to specify the origin and inventor of
sport event sponsorship. Gillette was
among the early pace-setters, in both the
USA and UK - sponsoring one-day cricket
in England as early as 1963. And beer
brand Mackeson rates a mention for
picking up the Cheltenham Gold Cup
sponsorship in 1968, says European
Sponsorship Association (ESA) chair Nigel
Currie. Others at the forefront of the
sector’s development included tobacco
brand John Player - which entered cricket
in 1969 - and Gold Leaf, which became
sponsor of the F1 Lotus Team at the 1968
Monaco Grand Prix. A few years later,
mass-market newspaper ‘The News of the
World’ stepped in as title sponsor of
famous steeplechase, The Grand National.
While all these are landmarks in their
own right, the reality is that event
sponsorship emerged as a professional
marketing discipline on a number of
fronts over a period of around 20 years -
starting not long after WW2. At the Rome
SPONSORSHIP
AND THE
MAIN EVENT
1960 Olympics, for example, there were
46 sponsor/suppliers providing everything
from technical support to toothpaste. By
Tokyo 1964, there were 250 partners -
including cigarette brand Olympia which
generated $1million for the Organising
Committee. Jump forward to Montreal
1976 and a total of 628 sponsors and
suppliers generated $7million for the
Organising Committee - not much by
today’s standards but a sign of things to
come.
Of course, most federations were not
known for their commercial instincts (and
even today are often dismissively referred
to as the badge and blazer brigade). So it
was left to entrepreneurs like Patrick
Nally, Peter West, adidas heir Horst
Dassler (who later set up ISL), Bernie
Ecclestone and IMG founder Mark
McCormack to drag sport kicking and
screaming into the modern commercial
era. It was Nally and Dassler, for
example, who helped Dr Joao Havelange
take control of FIFA from Sir Stanley
Rous in the early 1970s and start
globalising the structure of soccer. Along
the way, they persuaded the likes of
Coca-Cola, Gillette and Seiko to come on
board as sponsors of Argentina 1978. The
late Peter West, meanwhile, played a key
role in setting up commercial packages
around English cricket’s Benson & Hedges
Trophy and Snooker’s World
Championship.
It would be wrong to suppose, however,
that any of these individuals came in
with a preconceived notion of themselves
as event sponsorship specialists. Nally, for
example, recalls teaming up with West to
create West Nally: ‘a PR agency
specialising in sport’.
Once the early entrepreneurs started
rewriting the rule books, the opportunities
afforded by owning a high-profile event
franchise were not lost on other sports.
Rights-holders like the IOC and FIFA
which already had a big event were not
static. Instead, they started to explore
ways of sweating their assets as hard as
possible. This not only gave rise to better
broadcast rights management but the
segmentation of sponsorship into
categories. The IOC, for example,
introduced three categories of sponsor at
the 1984 LA Games - with 34 companies
signing on as official sponsors, 64
purchasing supplier rights and 65
becoming licensees. Four years later at
Calgary 1988, the IOC launched its

4 : SPONSORSHIPWORKS
worldwide TOP programme - a model
based around partnering a limited
number of top-tier sponsors in distinct
business categories across the full
Olympic four-year cycle. Despite a few
modifications (notably the alternation of
Summer and Winter Games every two
years), the basic blueprint is the same
today (though the money on the table is
of a magnitude which would have been
unthinkable then).
Creative and dynamic though this early
era of event sponsorship was, it was a
period in which there seems to have been
a sense of equilibrium between the
various parties involved. Rights-holders
generated extra revenue from their prize
assets, sponsors secured exposure for their
brands and broadcasters were still very
open to the prospect of creating an
appointment-to-view at the heart of their
schedule. “It was a triangular relationship
based on a common commercial interest,”
argues Karen Earl Sponsorship chief
executive Karen Earl - who started her
career with West Nally. “It was possible to
create new events that slotted neatly into
the annual sporting calendar.”
SHIFTING GROUND
But all that began to change in the 1980s
and 1990s when the tectonic plates
beneath sports marketing began to shift.
Perhaps the most significant development
was the emergence of television as the
dominant partner in the equation. First
came the growth of international free-to-
air coverage - which promised fantastic
new levels of exposure for sports and, by
corollary, sponsors. Then came PayTV -
which added a lucrative new revenue
stream to the mix. As broadcast rights
fees began to surpass traditional revenue
streams like ticketing and sponsorship in
value, event sponsorship entered a
dynamic new phase.
There’s no question that the changing
dynamics of the broadcast market had a
number of major implications for event
sponsors. Firstly, as their influence
increased, broadcasters wanted to ensure
the best possible returns from their
coverage. The result was increasing
pressure on rights-holders to deliver
events which fit the demands of
competitive TV schedules. Event sponsors
had to adapt to this shift in editorial style
and visual grammar accordingly.
Secondly, the growth of PayTV raised the
prospect of big mainstream audiences
being lost to sponsors as sports migrated
to thematic channels. Although some
major events like Six Nations and
Wimbledon did not show any desire to
join the PayTV gold rush, others took
PayTV’s money but saw ratings dive.
Thirdly, the late 1980s and early 1990s
(depending on which territory you were
in) saw the advent of broadcast
sponsorship; a new form of on-screen
exposure which threatened to drown out
the event sponsor’s voice. Such
developments sparked another wave of
By Sydney 2000, the IOC had again taken
the lead - buying up outdoor space
around the city and clamping down
heavily on attempts to flood venues with
marketing materials.
Perhaps it would have been possible to
control the sponsorship space - had it not
been for the rising power of team and
individual talent. Today’s event sponsor
often has to fight for share of voice with
rival brands which have secured precious
space on player apparel and equipment -
or in related above-the-line advertising
executions.
They have fought back well - utilising
every inch of space that is available to
them (eg npower branding on cricket
stumps). But this kind of lateral thinking
is overshadowed by an ongoing battle for
control of communications which, for
shorthand, is called the conflict over
image rights. In recent years, every major
event has been preceded by a row
involving international governing bodies
about what branding is or isn’t allowed in
a venue.
While the emergence of talent as the
fourth major force has created some
jurisdictional difficulties, it’s also
important to point out that it has given
rise to new event dynamics.
A good example is the rise of made-for-
TV events which depend specifically on
the involvement of key talent. In the US,
for example, Tiger Woods (another IMG
star), has been involved in head-to-head
golf duels with the likes of Dave Duval
on ABC network. Perhaps the ultimate
expression of this gladiatorial format has
been the migration of boxing to Pay-Per-
View.
Our kinda town...Coca-Cola makes its presence felt at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games Getty Images Sport
SHAPING EVENTS
innovation and development across the sponsorship. This was evident in a It’s not just broadcasters and agents that
industry. Rights-holders, for example, number of ways. Gillette, for example, have been playing around with the
tightened their rules so that contracted was a pioneer in the arena of ad-funded format and profile of events. Leagues (e.g.
broadcasters had to offer first refusal of programming through its support for Major League Baseball) and teams (e.g.
broadcast sponsorship weekly magazine show Real Madrid and Manchester United) have
to event sponsors. In “LOSS OF MEDIA Gillette World of Sport. been actively involved in creating events
some cases, they went EXPOSURE Like car manufacturer as a way of broaching new geographic
even further - by BROUGHT ABOUT Ford, it also became a markets.
bundling-up broadcast BY THE ARRIVAL mainstay sponsor on Over the years, of course, corporate
rights as part of the OF PAYTV PayTV networks such as sponsors have also explored the potential
event sponsor’s ENCOURAGED SkySports and Eurosport. of creating and owning their own events.
entitlement. In the SPONSORS TO At the other end of the Owning events, the thesis supposed, was
case of UEFA events, TAKE THE NOTION sponsorship exploitation a way of preventing a rights-holder
for example, agency
OF THROUGH-THE- spectrum, corporate revamping its event without asking or
LINE SPONSORSHIP
TEAM Marketing MORE SERIOUSLY” hospitality moved from ditching a sponsor after three years -
packages the being a soft, unmeasured thereby ripping the heart out of its
broadcast sponsorship marketing option to a communications strategy. At the same
centrally for all contracted broadcast sure-footed industry based on solid time, it might even generate additional
partners. business-to-business objectives. revenues. Notable examples which have
At the same time, the loss of media stood the test of time include the Stella
exposure brought about by the arrival of CHANGING DYNAMICS Artois Tennis Championships and
PayTV encouraged sponsors to take the At the same time sponsors found Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race
notion of through-the-line sponsorship themselves having to deal with the rapid (now Volvo Ocean Race). But these are
more seriously. Instead of viewing rise of so-called ambush marketers. The exceptions rather than part of a strong
sponsorship as a glorified media buy, the purchase of outdoor advertising space emerging theme, argues Earl.
loss of TV exposure forced clients to put around venues and free hats and shirts “The key lesson over the years is that
more effort into building activities around for fans bearing a corporate logo were the sponsors owning events has its
their core investment. hallmarks of ambush in the mid-late limitations,” she says. “Firstly, there’s a
In this respect, the arrival of PayTV 1990s with the 1996 Atlanta Olympics problem of ubiquity - people losing the
could be seen as a step forward for regarded by many as a high-water mark. ability to distinguish between the brand
SPONSORSHIPWORKS : 5
 EVENT SPONSORSHIP: DEVELOPMENT
UEFA Champions League...fewer sponsors deliver greater value. Getty Images Sport
and the event. Secondly, it makes it
harder for brands to change direction
when business demands it. Finally,
running events is a non-core business
which many marketers are not suited to.”
Besides, many sponsors have created the
illusion of event ownership around third
party events. The Flora London Marathon,
Vodafone Derby, Cornhill Tests (now
npower) and Embassy World Snooker are
just a few examples of sports events
where the sponsor is/was synonymous
with the activity. Of course, long-term
association with a third-party event can
raise the same differentiation issues as in
the case of wholly-owned events, says
Earl. It also presents problems for rights-
holders. What after all is golf’s Dunhill
Cup without the word Dunhill - and how
do you replace the Benson & Hedges
Snooker Masters when you withdraw the
B&H name? “Rights-holders and sponsors
have started to realise there is a need for
balance,” says Earl.
Adapting to developments in broadcast/
technology, event management, image
rights and ambush marketing bred a new
generation of sponsor which is able to
roll with the punches. And the challenges
didn’t end there. The last five years, for
example, has seen Europe’s regulators
desire to kick tobacco out of sport reach
its inevitable endgame. While tobacco’s
long-term role in developing a
sophisticated sports marketing sector is
unquestionable, the incompatibility
between smoking and sport had long
been obvious and eventually became
unsustainable. As yet, however, sports like
snooker and darts have not found a
satisfactory alternative to the likes of
Embassy and B&H - key commercial
supporters down the years. On balance,
regulators have caused sponsors more
problems than not. While Europe’s listed
events legislation - a hot topic in the
1990s - went some way towards keeping
6 : SPONSORSHIPWORKS
big events on free TV (good for sponsors), quality for granted. Consumers want to
attacks on tobacco have been mirrored by buy products or do business with
the French dislike of alcohol advertising companies that make them feel good,
(which affected Budweiser during France challenge them, fit into their lifestyles
1998) and the current move towards and provide them with a social identity.
control of the snack food and soft drink In other words, they want branded
sector. While the prospect of Coke and experience.” This argument has relevance
McDonalds being kicked out of top-flight for the way event sponsors exploit their
soccer is highly unlikely, the upshot is association. But IMG Consulting’s Daniel
that more investment than ever before is Zammit thinks many players in the field
channelled into the community support have failed to learn the lesson. “Most
elements of such sponsorships. clients focus on areas like association and
A recession in marketing naturally had media without ever delivering a
an impact on sponsorship but rights- memorable experience. You’ve got to
holders and agencies have put a clever create an immersive brand experience
spin on the issue by characterising this that touches your audience directly. It’s
latest phase as an the biggest missing
example of the industry “THE EVENT component in most
adopting a ‘less is more’ SPONSORSHIP sponsor deals.” Part of
approach. Fewer partners SECTOR HASN’T the problem, says
engaged in deeper JUST SURVIVED – Zammit, is that clients
relationships at the IT’S GROWN TO don’t think about how
venue, on TV, in retail THE POINT THAT to express brand
and promotions is the RIGHTS HOLDERS behaviour upfront.
preferred option. This NOW TALK ABOUT “You need to hunt out
trend is evident
SPONSORS AS sponsorships that give
PARTNERS”
everywhere you look - you the freedom to
with the IOC drastically create experiences.”
reducing the number of partners it Some clients and rights-holders have
worked with after Atlanta 1996. worked hard.
At Salt Lake City Winter Olympics 2002,
FACING THE CHALLENGE for example, agency Momentum was
Assuming all is working well in event given the job of linking Coke to the spirit
sponsorship, what are the challenges and of the Games by celebrating everyday
opportunities facing today’s commercial heroes. Working with sister agencies such
partner? Well, perhaps the biggest single as McCann Erickson, MRM, FutureBrand
issue in an era of media-savvy consumers and Weber Shandwick, Momentum put
is ensuring that there is a genuine together an experiential strategy for the
connection between event sponsor and Torch Relay and The Games. During the
target audience. Recognising that it takes Torch Relay, people were invited to go
more than official sponsor status to earn online and vote for ‘someone who
the respect of fans, clients have been inspires you’. According to Momentum,
talking up a concept called experiential this secured 125,455 nominations,
marketing in recent years. So what is 70million TV impressions and grew sales
experiential marketing? Berndt Schmitt, a volume. For the Relay itself, the PR
leading commentator, says: “Consumers effort reached 436million consumers via
increasingly take product function and 1,000 TV news stories and 2,000 print
articles. During the Games themselves,
Coke backed the creation of an impressive
On The Ice installation - a 20,000 square-
foot structure which featured high-tech
simulations of key Winter Games events.
Members of the public were able to use a
110-foot luge course with a 90-degree
turn, a 50-foot long sheet of ice for
curling, a bobsleigh on a 45-foot track
and a 40-feet-by-12-feet ice hockey rink.
The whole affair was backed up by live
news from the main event, competitions,
star appearances and entertainment. Coke
also used Salt Lake to showcase
biodegradable cups and its commitment
to recycling plastic. The other big
challenge for events is how to adapt to
the arrival of digital media. As many
industry sectors have learned, digital is
both an opportunity and a threat to the
status quo.
DIGITAL DILEMMA
On the upside, digital media enables
sports rights-holders and sponsors to
extend the shelf-life of partnerships by
maintaining a presence on a range of
digital media. Extra capacity on digital
TV and online also means it’s possible for
minority audiences to get drilled down
coverage of favourite sports. Packaging of
event content as special promotion DVDs
or for use in museum exhibitions
provides spin-off opportunities for both
rights-holders and sponsors.
On the debit side is the possibility that
event sponsors will be marginalised. This
could happen through the use of virtual
media - which superimposes brands and
logos on the field of play. At best this
creates clutter, at worst it’s a tool which
broadcasters could use to rub out event
sponsors - or as a way of extracting
incremental revenues from them. The
move towards on-demand viewing
through personalised video recorders
(PVRs) like TiVo and Sky+ could also
have an unexpected twist. Research
evidence shows that people do not record
and playback live events and that some
other TV genre is likely to go downthe
recorded on-demand route. This will
make the ability of sports events to draw
live audiences even more highly prized -
good news for rights-holders but a sign
that the price of event and broadcast
sponsorship prices may have to rise
considerably again.
As in all phases of event sponsorship
history, however, the parties involved
have an option to embrace or reject
change. “The key observation from the
last 40 years is that sponsors have always
found a way to adapt to changes in the
market,”says ESA’s Currie. “The event
sponsorship sector hasn’t just survived –
it’s grown to the point that rights-holders
now talk about sponsors as partners -
delivering both cash and support services
which helped the event run more
smoothly. “It’s an inherently strong
relationship - which is likely to weather
any impending storm.”
 Picture: Dan Ljungsuik

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 SPONSORSHIP WORKS : CASE STUDY
2004 Gulf Air Bahrain Formula 1 Grand Prix
Agency: Global Marketing Communications

Agency Profile:

Although we work in a variety of sports

including golf, football and sailing, it is in
the highly demanding world of Formula 1
that we are best known. In its review of
Formula 1 marketing agencies,
BusinessF1 magazine said that London
based Global Marketing Communications
“is now generally recognised as the
market leader…….No other agency
comes close.”

With offices in the UK, Germany,

Australia, America and China, we work
with many brands including the British
Grand Prix, Sony, Lucky Strike and
WilliamsF1. Our PR, hospitality
management and merchandising
services can also be provided as an
integrated outsourced sponsorship
management service that has proven to
be very cost-effective for Gulf Air, Ford
and others.

Ian Forbes
International Strategy Director
159-163 Great Portland Street,
London W1W 5PA
Direct Phone: +44 (0)20 7307 5113
ianf@global-marketing.com

GULF DRIVES CHANGES

How Gulf Air’s sponsorship of F1’s Bahrain Grand Prix delivered major benefit

BACKGROUND • Build business opportunities for Gulf transfers

The first Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix
was the single greatest sporting event
in the entire region. Appointing Global
Marketing Communications to manage
the sponsorship exploitation just 12
weeks before the event, the national
airline sought to ensure its management
of the naming rights to the event was
handled in the most professional and
effective manner.
The agency based a team within the
Marketing department at Gulf Air HQ
that provided a fully integrated service
including;
• Consultancy services on the title
sponsorship contract
• Sponsorship Management
• Public Relations
• Merchandising
• Event Management
• Hospitality & logistics
• Formula1 staff training
• Research
OBJECTIVES
• Help put Bahrain, and Gulf Air, on
the world map
Air
• Through the hospitality experience
showcase both the traditional Arabian
hospitality and warmth for which the
island is famous, and the Gulf Air
brand and its core values
• Create strong brand identification at
the event including the development
of signage and merchandise
• Develop linked events including a
Grid Fly-over
• Manage media events in & out of
territory
STRATEGY
• Develop the overall Event
Sponsorship strategy and exploitation
plan with detailed actions and
responsibilities
• Develop PR Strategy and messages,
including coordination of efforts by
Gulf Air’s in-house communications
department and its London, Paris,
Frankfurt and Dubai based consumer
agencies
• Develop Event Hospitality strategy
including communications to invitees
and all logistics, ticketing and
• Plan the staging of a VIP Gala Event
• Oversee relations with Formula 1 and
the Bahrain International Circuit
• Develop a Merchandise range
ACTION
• Implement event hospitality strategy
for over 1,200 high level guests,
including fully branding and
dressing hospitality suites, production
of guest communication materials,
and providing all guests logistics
support
• Secure all accommodation
requirements and manage all off-
track hospitality including the VIP
Gala event
• Source the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand
Prix merchandise range. Create and
staff a free standing on-track
merchandise complex that included a
Gulf Air F1 show-car, and two
Formula 1 simulators
• Negotiate for on-circuit signage,
manage Grid display with Gulf Air
flight attendants and the Gulf Air
race day ‘fly-over’.
• Develop and manage media events in

8 : SPONSORSHIPWORKS
 SPONSORSHIP WORKS : CASE STUDY
2004 Gulf Air Bahrain Formula 1 Grand Prix
Agency: Global Marketing Communications

Opposite page - Eye-catching images for press use worldwide

Above - Fully dresssed paddock club hospitality
Above right - Gulf Air staff used in hospitality and as grid girls
Right - Inside merchandise unit
Below right - Selection of merchandise on sale at event

and out of territory including media the world helped educate many people
receptions at the Grand Prix, and that there was an alternative to travel
follow-up media post-event to the region than the high profile
• Provide a media guide, an Image and competitor Emirates Airline.
VNR library, and exposure research This has directly translated into sales
from the region, and from people using
RESULTS the region as a stop-over between
Success can be measured in a number Europe and Australia / India.
of ways – for Gulf Air a key measure
was to enhance the esteem of the Other success measures included;
airline in the region, with both the • Integrated agency service achieved
corporate and political decision-makers. very high levels of coordination and
In that respect, anecdotal evidence was effectiveness
uniformly very positive for how well • Gulf Air management and guests
Gulf Air acquitted itself on a world feedback on the event experience was
stage. very positive
Success is also about the tangible • Gulf Air’s sponsorship played a strong
Return on Investment the sponsorship role in the perception of the
generated. These measures were professionalism and success of the
primarily media exposure, and sales of first Bahrain Grand Prix
tickets and cargo over the Grand Prix • Gulf Air branded photography
period and subsequent months. On both showing event lead-up and the Grand
these critical measures Gulf Air Prix was used extensively around the
experienced a very strong ROI multiple. world by major media groups
Media exposure from signage alone was • Media editorial coverage of the event
valued at over US$40 million. If one was uniformly positive and strongly
factors voice mentions in, then the featured Gulf Air
media worth is considerably more. • Merchandise complex enjoyed high
This weight of media exposure around traffic during the event

SPONSORSHIPWORKS : 9
 SPONSORSHIP WORKS : CASE STUDY
NatWest and Cricket
Agency: Octagon

Agency Profile:

Opening day at Yankee Stadium. The

2002 FIFA World Cup Final. An Eric
Clapton concert. Few things elicit more
passion. Helping organisations tap into
that passion to engage consumers and
deliver results is Octagon’s business.

Employing over a thousand people in 23

countries around the world, Octagon is
the global sports, music and
entertainment group of IPG (NYSE:IPG),
one of the world’s leading organisations
of advertising and marketing services
agencies.

Matt Hales, Planning Director

Telephone: 020 7862 0000
Email: matt.hales@octagon.com
Website: www.octagon.com

BANKING ON CRICKET
How NatWest’s long-term involvement in cricket keeps the bank front of mind

Background Objectives Strategy

From the early days of premier domestic
one-day knock-out competition (The
NatWest Trophy) to One Day
International cricket today (The NatWest
Series and The NatWest Challenge),
cricket has been, and remains, an
integral part of NatWest’s brand
marketing strategy.
A partner of cricket since 1981,
NatWest has recently shifted the focus of
its activity around the game to reflect
the changing nature of its competitive
environment. Coloured clothing, white
balls, flood-lit matches and action-
packed entertainment still has to deliver
for NatWest against clear business
objectives!
In any purchase cycle keeping your brand
‘front of mind’ is critical. The cricket
sponsorship allows NatWest to do this
with some very important segments of
their target audience.
More recently NatWest has also used the
cricket sponsorship to directly
communicate the brand’s new identity and
personality, an important part of which
has become communicating NatWest’s
corporate citizenship credentials.
On another level, time and time again it
has been proved that using the brand’s
association with cricket as a marketing
platform has allowed NatWest to directly
increase the propensity of consumers to
use NatWest products and services.
NatWest has worked with Octagon since
1996 to develop innovative and
impactful strategies that maintain the
brand’s relevance and freshness in the
game. In an era of increased competitive
investment and activity this has proved
to be the major challenge facing Octagon
and NatWest over the last few years.
The most recent strategy evolution has
been the positioning of NatWest as an
innovator in the game. A key element of
this is adding value to the fans’
experience and thereby encouraging the
perception that NatWest is a vital
stakeholder in cricket. Without a
relevant and credible role in the game, a
brand cannot hope to genuinely engage
with the fans.

10 : SPONSORSHIPWORKS
 SPONSORSHIP WORKS : CASE STUDY
NatWest and Cricket
Agency: Octagon

The Client’s View:

Steve Day, Head of NatWest Brand Strategy
“Our cricket sponsorship campaign, heading into its 25th year, is a highly effective marketing tool that
continues to be fresh, creative and innovative, successfully driving NatWest to the forefront of
consumer’s minds and differentiating us from our competitors. Two nominations and a winning Hollis
award this year was testament to the hard work and success of what has been achieved to date.”

Left, England fast bowler Darren Gough in action at The NatWest Series
Above, Vikram Solanki runs through NatWest's guard of honour at Old Trafford
Above right: Kids patiently wait to enter the NatWest Speed Stars fast bowling Competition
Below, Brighton seafront provides a stunning backdrop for the NatWest cricket Interactive roadshow

“Cricket is in great heart at

the moment - NatWest play
a major part in this - they
should take great credit for
the part they play”
David Lloyd,
Sky Sports cricket commentator

The corporate social responsibility
strategy has focussed on both
positioning the brand at the heart of
the community and also identifying a
cause directly relevant to the game.
Action
A host of new initiatives, some of
which are outlined below, were
activated to compliment the traditional
leverage activity. These ensured that
whether you were at the match,
listening on the radio or watching on
TV, NatWest would be adding value to
your enjoyment of the game and be
seen as integral to the game.
• NatWest became the first sponsor to
animate the Third Umpire decision
and introduce Man of the Match
interactive and text voting.
• NatWest identified a powerful
opportunity to team-up with Banana
Boat and Marie Curie Cancer Care to
highlight the dangers of prolonged
exposure to the sun.
• The NatWest Interactive Cricket
Roadshow and Speed Stars
competition visited 44 venues across
the UK, allowing children of all ages
and ability to play the game and win
tickets to matches, equipment and
coaching sessions with England
players. This perfectly complemented
NatWest’s sponsorship of Inter Cricket
which provides much-needed support
to secondary schools cricket.
• NatWest recognised the invaluable
and important work undertaken by
thousands of volunteers at clubs
across the UK by supporting the ECB's
Outstanding Service to Cricket
Awards. In conjunction with the ECB,
NatWest also created a framework
and video to help recruit new
volunteers.
Results
NatWest employs a number of measures
to evaluate the effectiveness of its
activity.
• 8% higher spontaneous '1st name
bank mention' by those aware of the
sponsorship vs those unaware
(Source: IPSOS)
• Significant difference in brand
attribute association between those
aware and unaware of the cricket
sponsorship (Source: IPSOS)
• The majority of non NatWest
customers aware of the cricket
sponsorship said that they would be
likely to use NatWest in the future
(Source: IPSOS)
• 85% of people agreed strongly that
the NatWest Interactive Roadshow
was ‘good because it got children
playing sport’ (Source: IPSOS)

SPONSORSHIPWORKS : 11
 BRAND OPPORTUNITIES
BACKING THE EVENT
OR THE TEAM?
David Stubley
“Back the event not the individual” is an
interesting mantra gathering momentum
within sponsorship. Brands are attracted
to the exposure and fame offered through
association with sport, but, only if their
new found fame is positive and
sustainable.
In our media-frenzied world this is
becoming increasingly hard to guarantee.
Today, our superstars are the news and
round every corner lurks the danger of a
mike, a camera or mobile phone. “Tell my
Mum you love her” someone shouted to
John McEnroe at the recent Superset
Tennis event. He responded by taking the
phone and doing just that!
The risk of not saying the right thing, of
not winning, of not being seen, or worse,
being the centre of a scandal is a growing
worry. Gone are the days when the media
could be controlled through edited
highlights or a carefully placed interview. In
an increasingly conservative marketing
world, sport is becoming more edgy.
Events on the other hand are far less risky.
For a start it matters less who wins. For
the growing number of "global" brands
there are limited options, with four
Champions League sponsors (see Ford
case study), 15 FIFA partners and 11 TOP
Olympic Partners. As more brands seek
global leverage we are therefore seeing
interest in owning events (e.g. Volvo
acquiring the Whitbread Round the World
Race) or creating events from scratch (e.g.
The Land Rover G4 Challenge). Dictating
the course of events in this way provides
brands with significant benefits.
Determining where the event will take
place to tie in with brand strength is one.
Deciding which commercial partners can
get involved, managing media output and
insuring against being held to ransom over
future rights negotiations are further
benefits. But the risk of getting it wrong is
considerable. So too the time it takes to
establish a successful new format.
The growing interest in events is not just
consigned to sport. As regularly discussed
within the pages of SportBusiness, an
increasing share of the sponsorship dollar
is flowing into entertainment marketing.
Unlike most sports, movies and music
engage both men and women
passionately. They also appeal to the
increasingly elusive 16-34 demographic.
Heineken, Miller and Carling are examples
from one sector working hard to
differentiate themselves through creating
music events. Many more brands are
turning to Hollywood and the trend is also
gathering momentum within the TV world
through a growth in advertiser-funded
programming. The creation of events,
event sponsorship, event ownership, co-
marketing of movies and creation of
original TV programmes is accelerating up
the strategic agenda.
No question that each represents the hard
work option, but, unlike celebrities or
teams, if executed well, they are seen by
many to be far less susceptible to a swing
in fortune or personal indiscretion.
David Stubley, CEO, Performance
Sport Ent Worldwide
12 : SPONSORSHIPWORKS
THE ROLE OF EVENTS
IN SPONSORSHIP
HOW EVENT SPONSORSHIP COMPARES WITH OTHER CATEGORIES, USING DATA DRAWN FROM
WORLDWIDE MEDIA REPORTING OF SPONSORSHIPS COLLATED BY SPORTS MARKETING SURVEYS
Total number of reported
sponsorships by type Jan-Sep 2004
Team
Sponsor
31%
Personality
Sponsor 10%
Organisation
Sponsor 18%
Share by type of sponsorship for 2003
Team
Sponsor 29%
Personality
Sponsor 7%
Organisation Sponsor 21%
Source: www.theworldsponsorshipmonitor.com
EURO 2004 LIFTS CARLSBERG
TO BRAND LEADER
UEFA Euro 2004 was probably the most
successful European nations football
championship to date, with audiences in
major European markets up by 20 per
cent compared to Euro 2000. With the
visibility of the tournament at a high,
how did the some of the key sponsors
fare in terms of return on investment?
One of sponsorship’s and indeed
marketing’s age-old questions is “did we
sell any more”? This is generally a tricky
question to answer given the difficulty of
isolating the impact of any single piece of
marketing activity. Whilst it may be
difficult, TNS lead the thinking and
analysis in isolating the sales impact of
sponsorship. The combined use of media
analysis and panel data has provided
clients with unique insights into the sales
impact of sponsorship.
The TNS Superpanel is a continuous
market research study which looks at the
grocery purchases (including alcohol)
made by the 15,000 panel members
through Multiples and Co-ops. The results
from TNS Superpanel are detailed here
and enable us to evaluate how beer sales
have been affected through sponsorship
of the tournament.
Beer sales peaked during June 2004 to a
Total value of sponsorships reported
by type Jan-Sep 2004
Team
Event
Sponsor Sponsor
41% 30%
Personality
Sponsor 10%
Total value of reported sponsorships
($’s) Jan-Sep 2004
1,710,028,631
1,363,442,945
Event
Sponsor 43%
Organisation
Sponsor
RICHARD AMES OF TNSSPORT STUDIED THE SALES
IMPACT OF CARLSBERG’S SPONSORSHIP OF EURO 2004
higher level than any other period outside
of Christmas, but how did Carlsberg fare
as the only beer sponsor? Having spent
most of the year as the number three
Standard Lager brand, behind Carling
(number one) and Fosters, Carlsberg sales
increased dramatically during the
tournament promoting them to brand
leader position.
Carlsberg peaked at a 33 per cent share
of sales in the week leading up to
England v France (see Chart 1 overpage)
and actually overtook Carling on a
weekly basis over this period for the first
time in at least three years.
Watchers v Non-Watchers
To further analyse whether it was indeed
the sponsorship that caused the swing in
buying patterns, the panel looked at the
behaviour of watchers of the tournament
in comparison with non-watchers.
Forty-four per cent of beer buyers
during Euro 2004 were ‘Watchers’ of the
tournament and these people are also
more likely to be heavier beer buyers,
with 20 per cent of them buying beer on
Event
Sponsor
22%
Organisation
Sponsor 38%
992,003,670
458,266,500
Team Event Personality
Sponsor Sponsor Sponsor
12 or more occasions in the past year.
Chart 2 shows that Carlsberg enjoyed a
greater share of spend by ‘Watchers’ than
Carling during the relevant four-week
period in June.
During the week leading up to the
England v France game, 62 per cent of
Carlsberg buyers were ‘Watchers’, versus
only 40 per cent of Carling buyers.
Premium Lagers
If we look at the share of premium lagers
during the tournament it is clear that
Carlsberg Export was the only one of
these beers to enjoy a significant increase
in share during Euro 2004. See Chart 3.
Furthermore, Chart 4 shows that this
leap in share was more marked amongst
‘Watchers’, demonstrating clearly that the
effect was not solely due to in-store
promotions.
Share of Beer Spend during Euro 2004
The impact of the Euros is further
understood by looking at volume of sales
compared with the same period in 2003.
The average Carlsberg Export buyer
spent nearly £60 on beer during the nine-
week period before and during Euro 2004,
up 11 per cent on the same period in
2003. It made Carlsberg the biggest seller
per buyer, according to spend.
The average Carlsberg Standard Lager
buyer bought seven litres of beer per
shopping trip during the nine-week
period. Again, this is up 17 per cent on
the same period in 2003 and made
Carlsberg the biggest seller per buyer by
volume.
Market Share
In summary, Carlsberg saw market share
increase more markedly amongst Euro
2004 Watchers than Non-Watchers.
This pattern was at its strongest for
Carling Export where market share
amongst ‘Watchers’ rose by 133.6 per
cent during the competition in relation to
its average market share for the year. The
corresponding rise amongst ‘Non-
Watchers’ was less, at 99.3 per cent,
demonstrating that this peak in sales was
not simply attributable to in-store
promotions.
Competitor brands generally increase
marketing activity during such high-
profile events and this was certainly the
case with Carling, who advertised heavily.
Whilst there was some impact, the real
consumer effect was experienced by
Carlsberg. Carling’s market share among
‘Watchers’ of the competition fell by five
per cent during the competition in
relation to its average market share for
the year. The corresponding fall amongst
‘Non-Watchers’ was almost the same at
5.7 per cent.
There is little doubt that Carlsberg’s
sponsorship of Euro 2004 added clout to
the brand during the event. It is also
likely that this increased pulling power
will have a persistent legacy after the Here’s lookin’ at you... UEFA’s president Lennart Johanson at the announcement of Carlsberg’s sponsorship Getty Images Sport
event.

Chart 1: Share of Standard Lager Spend – Carling Vs Carlsberg Chart 4: Share of Premium Lager Spend amongst ‘Watchers’
%
50 %
Eng v Fra
45
18
16.4
40
16
35
14
30 12.3
12
25
20 10

15 8
10 6
5 4
0 2
24 ug 3
07 ug 3
21 ep 3
05 ep 3
19 ct 3
02 Oc 3
N t 03
N 03

14 ov 3
28 ec 3
11 ec 3
25 an 3
08 Jan 4
22 eb 4
22 eb 4
21 Feb 4
04 ar 4
18 pr 4
02 Ap 04
M r 04

30 a 04
13 ay 4
27 un 4
11 un 4
Ju 04
4
A l0
A 0
S 0
S 0
O 0
0

N 0
D 0
D 0
J 0
0
F 0
F 0
0
M 0
A 0

M y0
J 0
J 0

l0

0
16 ov
03 ov

M y
10 Ju

02 a
27

27 Jul Sep 14 Oct 12 Nov 09 Dec 07 Jan 04 Feb 01 Feb 29 Mar 28 Apr 25 May 23 Jun 20 Jul 10

n Carling
2003 2003 2003 2003 2003 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004

n Carlsberg n Watchers
n Non-Watchers

Chart 2: Share of Standard Lager Spend amongst Euro 2004 ‘Watchers’ Chart 5: Average Spend/Buyer during
Euro 2004 competition & build-up
% £
70
50
45 60 £57.79 £56.58
40 £51.10 £50.92 £49.78
50 £47.88
35 £43.62 £42.53
£40.54
30 40
25
30
20
15 20

10 10
5
0
0
rs

rs

rs

rs

rs

rs

rs

rs

27 Jul Sep 14 Oct 12 Nov 09 Dec 07 Jan 04 Feb 01 Feb 29 Mar 28 Apr 25 May 23 Jun 20 Jul 10
er
ye

ye

ye

ye

ye

ye

ye

ye
uy

2003 2003 2003 2003 2003 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004
Bu

Bu

Bu

Bu

Bu

Bu

Bu

Bu
rB

n Carling
rt

64

rg

is

ch

s
se
ck

er
lin
po

to
be
16

ls

ei

st
Be
ar
Ar
Ex

ro

n Fosters Lager
ls

dw

Fo
K

C
G
ar

la
C

Bu
C

n Carlsberg Lager
el
St

Chart 3: Share of Premium Lager Spend amongst ‘Watchers’ Chart 6: Average volume bought during
Euro 2004 competition & build-up
%
50 Litres
45 8
40 6.9
7 6.6
35 6.1 6.0 5.9
6
30 5.2 5.1 5.1
25 Carlsberg Export 5
the clear number
20 two brand 4
3.3
15
3
10
2
5
0 1
27 Jul Sep 14 Oct 12 Nov 09 Dec 07 Jan 04 Feb 01 Feb 29 Mar 28 Apr 25 May 23 Jun 20 Jul 10
0
2003 2003 2003 2003 2003 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004
r

rt

is

ch

64

n Stella n PL
ge

se

ge

ck
lin
po

to

16
ls

ei
La

La

Be
ar

Ar
Ex

ro

n Grolsch n Carlsberg Export

dw

rg
C

G
rg

s
la
rg

ou
er
Bu
el
be

n Budweiser n Becks
be

st

nb
St
ls

Fo
ls

ne
ar

ar
C

ro
C

Source: TNS Sport

SPONSORSHIPWORKS : 13
 SPONSORSHIP WORKS : CASE STUDY
Martell Cognac Grand National
Agency: SBI
Agency Profile:
Founded in 1985, SBI is one of the
leading sponsorship agencies in the UK.
SBI Group, the parent company, has
recently expanded through its own
properties ChallengerWorld, Europe’s
leading inter-company team-building
events business, and the London
Triathlon.
But it is SBI’s outstanding track record in
consultancy, creative sponsorship
exploitation, PR and event management
which has driven the growth of the
business, with all four areas now offering
best-in-class services.
SBI’s consulting client list has included
Martell, Robinsons, Daily Telegraph,
Citroen, Cisco Systems, BenQ, Coca
Cola, Intel, Hitachi, Dr Martens,
Prudential, AA, Cantor Sport, Guinness,
Sandown Park, Barbarian FC.
Contact: Rob Mason,
SBI Group Managing Director
rob.mason@sbi.co.uk
BACKING A FAVOURITE
How Martell’s title sponsorship of the Grand National
became a text book example of best practice
BACKGROUND TO THE CAMPAIGN
Martell Cognac inherited sponsorship of
the Grand National in 1992 from former
parent company Seagram.
The objectives behind the sponsorship
required delivery in both the UK and key
international markets, specifically South-
East Asia at the outset of the campaign.
Martell’s core brand values of heritage
and quality were undoubtedly shared by
Aintree. Martell’s repositioning, based on
changing consumer attitudes to cognac,
provided the impetus for a fresh
campaign strategy 1998 onwards.
The relationship with Aintree developed
into a true partnership with shared
objectives of broadening the international
scope of the event and building an
outstanding three-day sporting and
entertainment festival in the North West.
OBJECTIVES
The initial objectives for the project were
split across the mature UK marketplace
and the fast-growing South-East Asian
region.
Martell, as market leader in the UK,
wanted to reinforce this position via
association with a best-in-class property
which could drive promotional activity
and develop trade relationships in the
UK. Later on in the campaign, the core
objective was to communicate a more
14 : SPONSORSHIPWORKS
contemporary image for cognac-drinking.
In Asia, Martell was a challenger brand
so it was vital to build brand equity.
Horse racing, especially in the key market
of Hong Kong, was considered prestigious
and stylish and therefore an excellent
vehicle for brand-building and
development of trade accounts.
STRATEGY
Worldwide, the key requirement at the
outset was to establish Martell’s
association with the race – a long-
established sporting event.
The primary focus was split between
PR, particularly within the sports media,
ideally elongating the campaign beyond
the confines of Grand National week, and
maximisation of TV coverage worldwide,
both in terms of branding and
distribution.
Internationally, there was a need to
provide relevance in the key overseas
markets, while across the board an
outstanding hospitality experience was
critical to delivering the trade relations
objectives.
For the second phase, ‘brand
experience’ became a key theme to
communicate the changing face of
cognac-drinking, via consumers on-site
and associated media coverage and
promotions.
ACTION
Martell put in place a series of media
‘events’ to provide a series of pre-event
hooks for the racing and sports media in
the UK. This was supported by a media
pack (later a media CD-Rom), video news
releases and a dedicated press service to
provide constant reinforcement of the
Martell message.
Internationally, the media campaign
centred on hosting international
documentary TV crews to visit Aintree,
driving additional coverage over and
above the live broadcasts, with the
hosting of China’s main broadcaster
CCTV paving the way to full coverage of
the race.
The brand experience was delivered via
the creation of a temporary ‘style bar’ at
Aintree, the Martell Mood Bar, with
specially-themed cocktails and music.This
provided hooks for promotional activity
including the “Looking Good” best-
dressed racegoer competition, tie-ins with
style bars and other activity designed to
broaden the message into a wider
environment.
To create relevance in Asia, Martell
initiated L’Or de Martell Cup day in Hong
Kong. Martell sponsored the evening’s
racing at Sha Tin and Happy Valley
racecourses and the ‘National was
broadcast live on course with full betting.
“The Grand National, a folk ritual, a bringer of spring, has
become one of the marketing miracles of sport” The Daily Telegraph
This formula was subsequently used in
Singapore, Malaysia, Bombay and
Taiwan.
The hospitality experience included
Orient Express charter in the UK and
renowned chefs working alongside the
racecourse caterers, and a VIP guest list
generated lifestyle press coverage.
RESULTS
Media coverage was tracked and
measured and – in the final two years of
the contract – delivered over £8 million
of advertising cost equivalent value.
In the UK, with promotional spend
focused around the event, Martell
maintained its market-leadership despite a
much lower above-the-line spend than
key competitors. Annual brand tracking
research demonstrated that the
SPONSORSHIP WORKS : CASE STUDY
Martell Cognac Grand National
Agency: SBI
The Clientside View:
Crispin Stephens, Marketing Manager, Martell Cognac
“Over the term of the sponsorship, the Grand National has
delivered major benefits to Martell in the UK and internationally,
especially in terms of brand equity and trade relationships. We have
leveraged it hard across all areas, and so it was extremely rewarding to
receive the Hollis Sponsorship of the Decade Award in 2004 – our final
year of sponsorship.”
Above left - Martell Cognac print design 2003
Above - the stylish Martell Mood Bar for
specially-themed cocktails
Below - Monty’s Pass and Barry Geraghty win
the 2003 Martell Cognac Grand National
sponsorship created front-of-mind
awareness and drove brand preference.
Internationally, Martell’s sponsorship in
Hong Kong significantly accelerated
growth in the region and provided a
promotional platform in other key
territories. International TV distribution
increased from 40 countries in 1994 to
120 in 2004.
Throughout the campaign, Martell
received six sponsorship awards,
including the Hollis Sponsorship of the
Decade Award in 2004, the final year of
the sponsorship. Above all, the
partnership with Aintree delivered for
both parties, and with over 140,000
people visiting a racecourse that sees new
facilities opened virtually every year, the
new sponsor will inherit an event that is
at the top of its game.
SPONSORSHIPWORKS : 15
 SPONSORSHIP WORKS : CASE STUDY
Tackling Obesity through Sport
Agency: MEC:Sponsorship

Agency Profile:

MEC:Sponsorship is part of global

communications specialist
Mediaedge:cia (MEC) and a WPP group
company. A full service global
sponsorship consultancy,
MEC:Sponsorship offers clients a range
of services from strategy, negotiation,
activation and evaluation across all forms
of sponsorship. Clients include:
Norwich Union (UK Athletics), Visa
(Olympics, Paralympics, Rugby World
Cup and Disney), Xerox (Olympics,
Paralympics and World Superbike
Championships), and Specsavers
(Scottish Football Association and Celtic
Rugby Referees).

MEC:Sponsorship, 1 Paris Garden,

London, SE1 8NU

Contact: Jeremy Clark, managing

director, Europe
Martin Johnston, director on
Norwich Union account
Tel +44 (0)20 7803 2020

GOING FOR GOLD

How Norwich Union’s sponsorship of UK athletics is activated
to promote healthy lifestyles among young people
BACKGROUND
Norwich Union has been the principle
sponsor of UK Athletics since 1998 with
title sponsorship of seven televised
events, the GB Team at all levels and four
strong grassroots athletics schemes. But
the company needed to re-invigorate the
sponsorship to engage a wider audience
and enhance the brand personality to
create a better emotional bond with
consumers.
As Britain’s biggest insurers, the
company has a vested interest in the long
term health of the nation. Faced with the
impending obesity crisis, Norwich Union
commissioned a survey into the attitudes
to sport and exercise amongst children
and launched a CSR campaign in 2003
called ‘Do the Right Thing’ to engage
more people in more sporting activity.
Since then, participation levels in
Norwich Union’s grassroots athletics
schemes have doubled and now involve a
million children annually.
OBJECTIVES
• To take the sponsorship to a broader
audience, while aligning all activity to
the core athletics sponsorship
• To reinforce Norwich Union as the
number one sponsor of UK Athletics
and the GB Team
• To educate people about the benefits of
increased activity levels
• To inspire more people to engage in
sporting participation – particularly
children
• To facilitate access to sporting
opportunities
• To provide business opportunities to
drive sales leads
STRATEGY
• Maximise brand exposure levels at
televised events
• Create high profile, mass appeal
athletic-themed events in high footfall
areas to support and enhance the
televised events in key cities.
• Support this event activity with media
partnerships, schools marketing & PR
using visiting top GB athletes – inc
Paula Radcliffe, Denise Lewis, Darren
Campbell and Kelly Holmes - as role
models for visitors
• Direct visitors towards the Norwich
Union grassroots schemes to further
their interest in athletics
• Maximise media interest in the
Olympics through PR
ACTIVATION
Core Event Promotion:
Through empirical research and working
with the event promoter and the BBC,
best perimeter board positions and other
branding opportunities were gained and
monitored to ensure best possible brand
exposure
Creative photography was taken of six
key medal hopes for Athens and placed
alongside feature interviews across all
press.
Enhancing and Supporting the events in
key cities – Glasgow, Sheffield,
Newcastle, Manchester, London,
Edinburgh:
Norwich Union Sportsparks, high profile
athletics events, were created for local
schools and communities in high footfall
locations.
Visitors could learn about and take part
in a variety of fun, interactive activities
which were all intrinsically linked to the
core Norwich Union grassroots athletics
schemes and formed a natural
introduction to athletics.
Showcase event in Trafalgar Square to
provide an iconic focus for the campaign.
The 2002 Commonwealth Games track
was laid around the Square and wider
disciplines were incorporated from pole

16 : SPONSORSHIPWORKS

vault to javelin, and shot putt to sprinting
against a virtual Darren Campbell. A big
screen showing all the action from the
Norwich Union London Grand Prix was
also installed, and a send-off for the
British athletes to wish them luck in
Athens was organised.
Maximising Olympic Interest
Due to Norwich Union funding, most of
the GB Team were able to go to Cyprus
for warm weather training. A press trip
was therefore organised for 25 key media
to showcase the facilities of this pre-
Olympic holding camp and give
journalists the opportunity to interview
key athletes during their build up to the
Olympics
Sponsorship of the Olympic editorial
coverage of the Daily and Sunday
Express, including a special 16 page
supplement.
RESULTS
Core Event Promotion:
The televised events delivered a
cumulative live audience of 13.2m, were
broadcast for a total of 18h20m, of which
41% was Norwich Union branded.
Press features generated by the creative
photography of key athletes ranged from
national newspapers to consumer titles
and had a cumulative circulation of
21.2m (readership – 63.6m)
Over 100,000 branded giveaways were
distributed at events and business leads
and sales are currently being tracked.
“Norwich Union’s efforts are much
appreciated and supported by the
government” Richard Caborn, Minister for Sport
Norwich Union Sportsparks:
Over 40,000 people visited the events
Total reach for the media partnerships
was 7.9m with an ROI of 2.9:1.
4 page pullouts and pre-promotion in
regional press; pre-recorded and live
trails, plus broadcasts from the events by
regional radio
Highlights included Capital FM’s Katy
Hill’s show being broadcast live from the
event in Trafalgar Square
The Mayor of London and London 2012
supported the event in Trafalgar Square
15 top athletes attended the Athens send-
off in Trafalgar Square
Media coverage included live network TV
interviews - BBC and ITN - and several
national press and photographers in
attendance, whilst radio interviews were
syndicated via IRN.
Maximising Olympic Interest:
Media coverage from Cyprus included
network BBC News, daily Radio 5 Live
reports, and features in all national and
some consumer press.
The Express editorial sponsorship is
expected to delivered an ROI in excess of
15:1
The CSR campaign has been embraced by
all areas of the business and is now fully
integrated into Norwich Union’s ATL
campaigns.
SPONSORSHIP WORKS : CASE STUDY
Tackling Obesity through Sport
Agency: MEC:Sponsorship
The Client’s View:
David Czerwinski, head of sponsorship at Norwich Union
“We have legitimate business reasons for trying to help fight obesity and
promote a healthy, active lifestyle. The creativity around the event marketing
that supports and enhances the core sponsorship platforms of the televised
events, the GB Team and our grassroots schemes has been critical. The event
in Trafalgar Square provided the focal point and was extremely well received
by all visitors. The campaign has really taken off and we will continue to
evolve it to create more opportunities to enhance consumers’ lifestyles”
Opposite page -
Trafalgar Sqaure is
transformed into a
Sportspark
Top left - Thousands of
children were introduced
to athletics in a fun and
engaging way
Top right - Strong
primary branding ensures
excellent visibility
Right - New
photography
commissioned by
MEC:Sponsorship and
Norwich Union used for
event promotion and PR
SPONSORSHIPWORKS : 17
 SPONSORSHIP WORKS : CASE STUDY
Land Rover G4 Challenge
Agency: Prism

Agency Profile:

Founded in 1993, PRISM (Public

Relations & International Sponsorship
Marketing) is a global below-the-line
specialist agency in sponsorship
marketing, public relations and brand
experiences. With more than 120
professionals, a network of 9 offices in
Europe, the Americas and Australia, a
number of partnership agreements with
sister WPP companies particularly in the
Far East, and proprietary tools like the
Six-Sigma Brand Sponsorship Valuator
6.0, PRISM has become the preferred
choice of results-driven brand managers
globally.

Contacts:
Brian Greenwood
CEO – PRISM UK
Tel +44 20 7611 6145
e-mail: bgreenwood@prismteam.com

Nick Horne
Communications Director, Land
Rover G4 Challenge
Tel +44 1483 441 009
email: nhorne@prismteam.com

A GLOBAL ADVENTURE
How Land Rover’s G4 Challenge helped create a distinct position for the brand

INTRODUCTION
The Land Rover G4 Challenge is a global
adventure competition that takes in both
urban and remote locations with a
common theme of discovering adventure.
The mix of iconic urban settings and
remote rural locations will provide the
backdrop as young men and women from
20 nations, and all walks of life tackle
multi-sport activities and tough 4x4
driving.
The scope and rigour of the Challenge
could only be conceived and carried
through by a brand with Land Rover’s
credentials; honouring the brand’s legacy
as the original 4x4 motor manufacturer
and illustrating the active lifestyle to
which its customers aspire.
Following the huge success of the 2003
event – which visited the USA, South
Africa and Australia – the second Land
Rover G4 Challenge will travel through
Thailand, Laos, Brazil and Bolivia, starting
in April 2006, with an anticipated $100m
value for 2006.
OBJECTIVES
Land Rover has one of the most
distinctive brands in the motor industry,
defining an entire class of vehicle for over
50 years. As Land Rover has evolved to
meet new generations of customers, so it
has sought to create distinctive brand
positioning for its increasingly
contemporary vehicle range, with the
Land Rover G4 Challenge as the flagship
programme.
The Land Rover G4 Challenge embodies
the adventurous personality of the brand
and takes it to a global audience, focusing
on the active, outdoor lifestyle that Land
Rover customers identify with.
Another invaluable component of the
Land Rover G4 Challenge is in
establishing long-term marketing
partnerships with like-minded brands to
join the programme such as clothing,
sports goods and camping equipment.
“Our products are of interest to a far
wider global audience than we can reach
through traditional activities alone,” Bob
Campbell, marketing director of kayak
manufacturer, Piranha.
“The Land Rover G4 Challenge allowed
us to team up with a major motor
manufacturer, allowing us to share
expertise and resources. The result was a
very credible event with far greater PR
and marketing support and a huge global
audience.”
STRATEGY
The design of the Land Rover G4
Challenge was conceived to encapsulate
the past, present and future of the brand
and deliver a unique brand experience.
Traditional images of Land Rovers
crossing seemingly impassable terrain are
an integral part of the design, but
modified to achieve this both in remote
and exotic locations and relevant urban
environments for Land Rover’s modern
customer base.
The Challenge succeeds in generating
positive global media coverage through
every element of its design, including its
deference to environmental issues. The
image of off-road driving being
potentially harmful to remote habitats has
been redressed through the thorough and
obvious attention to detail in the event
design.
In order to maximise the effectiveness
of the Land Rover C4 Challenge, Land
Rover undertakes an integrated marketing
campaign (below and above-the-line)
over a twenty-two month period to
support the Challenge. This works
nationally across all Land Rover markets,
with tailor-made programmes for both
competing nations and non-competing
markets.
Key among the elements of each national
campaign is the securing of TV broadcast
partners in each participating country,

18 : SPONSORSHIPWORKS

“It is one of the world’s greatest and
toughest off-road motoring adventures.”
Ken Gibson, The Sun
integrated e-marketing programmes and
point-of-sale displays at public events
and Land Rover dealerships.
Similarly the commercial partners
leverage their involvement in the
programme to increase awareness,
building wider exposure for a global
audience. “The global aspect of the
Challenge helped us to build our brand
message in new and important markets,”
said James Bailey, Manager, Corporate
Communications, UK Operations,
Goodyear.
“The Challenge also provided an
invaluable platform for us, from which to
support a new product launch.”
ACTION
The Land Rover G4 Challenge enjoys a
sustained PR and marketing programme
that lasts more than 30 months, building
to a crescendo during the four weeks of
the Challenge.
Following the initial launch of the
programme comes competitor
recruitment, through both point of sale
and Internet applications. These are
handled at a national level by each
competing market and culminate in
individual National Selections, from
which the top three contenders will move
forward to the International Selections
stage.
At International Selections the three
competitors from each country will
compete to be the sole national
representative on the Land Rover G4
Challenge. The winners will then prepare
SPONSORSHIP WORKS : CASE STUDY
Land Rover G4 Challenge
Agency: Prism
The Clientside View:
Niki Davies, Project Director, Land Rover G4 Challenge
“The Land Rover G4 Challenge proved itself as one of the
toughest, most spectacular adventure challenges in the
world. Its authenticity and global reach allowed us to
deliver on our global commitment of creating, inspiring
and delivering a spirit of adventure. And in 2005 we
will be doing it again”
Opposite page, left - New York’s Broadway is taken over for the start of the 2003 Land Rover Challenge
Opposite page, right - The first urban event involved a spectacular and specially designed 4x4 driving course
Left and above - GQ discovers real Land Rover adventure first-hand
for the Land Rover G4 Challenge itself:
the four-week adventure of a lifetime.
RESULTS
Based on the results achieved from 2003
Land Rover G4 Challenge:
• $85.5 million Advertising Value
Equivalent of editorial coverage
without any multipliers added.
• 375 hours of TV broadcasting in over
50 countries
• 3547 media articles and TV broadcasts
• 81% of all media articles contained
visuals and branding
• 76% of all coverage contained key
message communication
• Over one million unique website users
• 45% of website users viewed 5+ pages
per visit
• 10,000 applicants for the Challenge
SPONSORSHIPWORKS : 19
 ACHIEVING VALUE

WHICH ONE WILL

WORK FOR ME?
RICHARD GILLIS LOOKS AT THE ISSUES FACING BRANDS
WEIGHING UP EVENT SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
Media coverage of event sponsorship
tends to follow a set formula. The first
paragraph is an unreliable answer to the
question, “How much does it cost to
sponsor the Olympics?”
The title of the event in question can
be changed depending on geography or
the time of the year. So, for Olympics
read Euro 2004 or Ryder Cup or the
BMW International, and so on.
The answer is nice and short. And
quite often wrong. (The price of rights
quoted in the press is sometimes inflated
by up to two-thirds according to people
who have taken part in such
negotiations.)
Once a figure has been established,
then a discussion of the relative benefits
of event sponsorship takes place. This is
done by the use of third party post-event
research that lists event sponsors so that
they can be recalled by members of the
public.
The results lend themselves to
headlines such as ‘Coke sponsorship a
success’ or ‘John Hancock fails to
deliver’. The copy will include statements
such as ‘despite paying over $60million
to be TOP partner, fewer than 20 per
cent of the French public could list
Sports Illustrated as being sponsors of
the Games’.
Such coverage of major events is also
driven by the PR benefits available to Heineken... massive branding - but not in France Getty Images Sport
the market research industry. Agencies
are able to use recall data to create
stories, most of which appear to “MOST SPONSORS HAVE TO LEARN THAT
undermine the commercial value gained SPONSORSHIP WORKS ONLY WHEN USED TO
by sponsors. After the Sydney Olympics
in 2000, CIA Medialab published
TARGET CONSUMERS THROUGH THE CREATIVE
research showing that 50 per cent of
USE OF PROMOTIONS, DIRECT MARKETING,
adults questioned did not know the PUBLIC RELATIONS AND ADVERTISING”
names of any sponsors, even though 80 CAMERON DAY, THE WORKS
per cent had watched the Games.
Similar figures were paraded post Euro
2004 and following the Athens AIM OF THE GAME about what sort of people it reaches, down to which particular sport, event or
Olympics. “Different events bring different things teasing out information as to their personality will help to deliver the
The impression is given that event in terms of the watching audience, so it beliefs and value systems. It is important message.
sponsorship is a high-cost, high-risk must start with the objectives,” says to be able to define that and see how it Walshe highlights the next stage in the
game, only available to a small number Peter Walshe of research company overlaps with the core brand. process: why choose event sponsorship
of global super brands. It also makes Millward Brown. “Where’s the brand coming from? You over other forms? Why not attach the
sweeping judgements as to the marketing Walshe assumes a level of self- have to understand what it is that makes brand to a team and access the passion
objectives of the sponsor, assuming knowledge on the part of marketers those people buy your product.” of the fans in a more direct way? Or
brand awareness to be the only goal. about their brands, and their strengths Once this information is gathered the associate with a celebrity or sports star
And, whilst no one would dismiss cost and weaknesses. This is taken from events themselves can be viewed as who can deliver a highly personalised
as a central part of the decision as to broader brand research rather than that targeting tools, delivering relevant message on behalf of the client.
whether to sponsor an event, the above specific to sponsorship. consumer or business audiences in The relative strengths and weaknesses
scenario tends to simplify the notion of “It goes way beyond how many people significant numbers. of each form of sponsorship is a
value. the event reaches,” says Walshe. “It’s Only then does the decision come complex stew of factors. In the events

20 : SPONSORSHIPWORKS
‘pro’ list is the flexibility of its use
beyond its media value. Larger events
have long been the backdrop to the
development of business relationships
using the sponsors rights to hospitality
and corporate entertainment
opportunities. And whilst beer sponsors
are able to take the product to the
consumer in the most direct way
possible through exclusive pouring rights
deals, other categories of partners are
finding new ways to interact with their
customers through some experiential
marketing of their own.
Peter Walshe believes that to make a
link between an event and a brand takes
more time than it would in other forms
of sponsorship. “It’s harder to make the
connection instantly,” he says. “The
sponsor has to work hard to leverage it
around the event and it’s rare that the
event works strongly enough in its own
right.”
If this leveraging work is done well,
the event can be a long-term support for
the whole marketing effort, which not
only acts as a positive lever for the
brand but also as a defence to keep
competitors out.
“The event is the one thing they won’t
zap,” says Walshe, referring to the extent
to which many television viewers are
going to avoid watching the advertising
breaks between television broadcasts. His
point is increasingly relevant as brands
struggle to make an impression in a
changing media landscape, which sees
the proliferation and fragmentation of
media and the development of hard disk
recorders such as Tivo and Sky Plus.
These changes to the way that media is
consumed feeds directly into the cost
paid by the sponsor. The price of entry
to event-based sponsorship is dictated
largely by the media coverage gained by
that event. The higher the viewing
figures the greater the potential audience
and the higher the price of a sponsorship
slot.
The key stat for all sponsors or
prospective sponsors remains the
equivalent media value gained by the
coverage. But the wisdom of this
approach is questioned by Alastair
Macdonald, of sponsorship consultants
Connexus. “If sponsors are driven solely
by the media value of an event they
should probably look elsewhere because
most generate very little. We also see
that the event generates the coverage
but the sponsors do not, even if they are
in the title.”
TITLE OR PARTNER?
This makes the decision to pay a
premium for the title of an event a more
complex issue. However, the ability to
stand out from the crowd was the key
driver for the sponsors of rugby union’s
pan European club competition the
Heineken Cup. The event has helped to
reposition the Dutch beer brand in its
push upmarket. Lizzie Younghusband,
Sally Gunnell
“THE SPONSOR HAS TO WORK HARD
TO LEVERAGE THE BRAND AROUND
THE EVENT AND IT’S RARE THAT THE
EVENT WORKS STRONGLY ENOUGH
IN ITS OWN RIGHT”
PETER WALSHE, MILLWARD BROWN
international sponsorship manager, says:
“Having the title is absolutely essential.
We wouldn’t look at any other form of
relationship. If we didn’t have the title
we would find something else to do.”
So, what happens if the title is not
available?
“The partners tend to have to construct
a more tightly defined dialogue,
particularly at the event itself,” says
Macdonald. “The positive side of this is
that the sponsor is engaging in an active
way rather than in through the media
which is essentially a passive form of
communication.”
Macdonald likens the relationship to
that of a soccer club’s official shirt
sponsor with the fans compared to that
of the official supplier category. “Most
people know that Emirates have been the
sponsor of Chelsea but few would make
the link between Budweiser, who are the
beer supplier, to the club. But the fans
who go to the ground would definitely
make the link and that can form a much
stronger bond.”
It also means that a one-to-one
dialogue can be developed which is
aimed at more concrete metrics such as
sales volumes rather than the softer
brand measurements. It can also help in
developing customer databases or
accessing those of the event rights
holders.
“It is more of a revenue-generating
focus than a brand-building exercise,”
says Macdonald.
LOCAL ISSUES
With global events such as the Olympic
Games, the issue of waste becomes more
important - at these prices it’s best
avoided. So, a key question centres upon
the degree by which the event resonates
in the sponsor’s core markets.
This is an issue that tests the
relationship between global
headquarters, which normally signs the
deal and the company’s regional offices,
who will ultimately use the property to
drive business.
Cameron Day, of sponsorship
consultancy The Works, says that more
money is being spent on messaging
through sport than ever before, but that
the majority of this is wasted because
sponsors fail to make the relevant sales
connections with consumers.
“It is ironic that those who buy an
association with the biggest property of
all, the Olympics, are most likely to fail,”
he says. “Such a global event is by its
nature remote. And rarely do the global
purchasers of Olympic sponsorship make
provision for marketing departments at
national level - the people who
understand their customers best.”
The level of autonomy given to local
marketing departments is the one key
factor in the success or failure of a
major sport sponsorship agrees Nick
Walford, managing director of WPP’s
Performance SportEntertainment agency,
who feels that creating a sense of
ownership is the key to achieving a
return on investment.
“Problems arise when head office
decides upon the sponsorship of a major
property without the ‘buy-in’ of key
markets,” says Walford. “Naturally this
has a detrimental effect on local teams
as they feel obliged to support a
property for which they do not see a
brand or business benefit, or they refuse
to support the property with all the
internal ill feeling that this can bring”.
The issue of how to make its
sponsorship fit with local needs is one
which the UK marketing team of Visa, a
TOP Olympic partner since 1986,
confronts head on. The payment card
company has a complex audience for its
product based on regional boards
representing the 21,000 member banks
which together own Visa. Getting
consensus from such a constituency is
the key to making the sponsorship work,
says Antonella Socci, head of
sponsorship at Visa Europe.
“If we don’t have member support it
will not work effectively,” she says. “We
cannot talk directly to card holders, so
our network of member banks is critical
to the success of the sponsorship.
“We don’t launch activities where we
don’t get buy-in from the member
banks,” says Socci, “because if they are
not going to use it we will not get
sufficient return on our investment to
make it worthwhile”. The cost of the
rights fee is divided between the
company’s regional boards including
Visa UK. Activation is paid for locally, a
figure that amounts to around three
times the value of the rights fee.
Critically, this conversation takes place
ahead of any cheque being sent to
International Olympic Committee (IOC)
headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.
“The contract is decided upon by Visa
head office in San Francisco, but by the
time we sign the agreement with the IOC
we have sought the agreement of the
regional boards. This means they have
already acknowledged that this is
something they want to be associated
with on a commercial level.”
Another long-term partner of the
Games is Xerox, which has been a
sponsor of every summer and winter
Olympics since Innsbruck in 1964 - a
40-year relationship that ended in
Athens. The organisation’s Olympic
involvement is driven by its US
headquarters, which has decided that the
2004 Games will be the final time the
document company’s Digital X logo
would appear alongside the five rings. In
the UK, the company’s above-the-line
activity was been limited to two national
press advertisements - handled by Young
and Rubicom agency Harrison, Trout and
Wunderman - with much of the PR
focused on the technical press.
David Millican, head of corporate
communications, says the company used
the relationship with the Games as a
basis for sales staff incentive schemes
and motivational activity within Xerox
UK. To ensure some local flavour the
company employs Sally Gunnell, winner
of the 400-metre hurdles in Barcelona
’92 and now a BBC athletics pundit.
Gunnell acts as a keynote speaker at
sales conferences and has contributed to
recent product launches.“It’s easy to get
a link from Sally to our sponsorship of
the Olympic Games,” says Millican.
“Both customers and our internal
audience can see how our equipment
supports the running of the event and
the teams,” he says. “The Games needs
documents and that is our business.
Customers understand that the
underlying message is if the IOC can
depend on Xerox, they can too.”
EVENT CREATION
The marketing strategy is in place and it
is agreed that sponsorship of an event is
the perfect tool with which to breathe
new life into a tired brand. But the right
event is not out there.
What then?
One solution is for the brand team to
SPONSORSHIPWORKS : 21
 ACHIEVING VALUE
create its own, free from complicated
rights-holder agreements on what it can
and cannot do. No clutter as yours is the
only brand attached to the event.
“If what you want is not available in
the market place then you have to go
and create it,” says Steve Leonard of
MediaCom’s sponsorship arm
Sponsorcom Live, which worked with the
Masterfoods’ brand Snickers to create the
Snickers Game On international skate
and BMX competition.
“It is the only option unless you are
prepared to compromise your objectives
or brand in order to achieve a solution”
says Leonard. “If its not there it doesn’t
mean its not possible. It may mean that
no other company has faced what you
are facing and seen the solution as you
have seen it.”
The underlying strategy was to re-
engage teen and young males to the
confectionary brand. Part of the research
phase was focused on seeking common
denominators linking that age group.
“The planning phase is about getting
excited by creating something that will
matter to these people and make a
difference to their lives,” says Leonard.
The boardsports and BMX cycling were
identified as having a strong appeal, one
that had the potential to leave a
considerable legacy for the brand.
“Even if they are lapsed in terms of
their consumption (of the sports) there
will have been a stage when it was very,
very important to them” says Leonard.
“It’s a rites of passage thing. Most guys
go through a skate phase in their early or
late teens and they retain a feeling for
the language or the fashion which goes
with the whole scene to the next stage in
their lives, regardless of whether or not
they are still active participants.”
Perhaps the biggest stumbling block to
brand-created events is the level of risk
attached to such a venture. Signing a
cheque to stand in line as an event’s
22 : SPONSORSHIPWORKS
partner sponsor is one thing - owning
and running the whole show is quite
another. It is the flip side of 100 per cent
ownership – the benefits of which
include decisions on content,
presentation and branding – that the
sponsor also takes 100 per cent of the
risk. “Those two forces work against each
other at all times,” says Leonard, “the
balance of risk versus ownership is a
form of cost-benefit analysis”.
“We could have gone to a different
person within Masterfoods at a different
time and could well have got a ‘no’. But
you need a strong idea with some lucid
thought attached to it that is an
integrated plan.”
RISKY BUSINESS
It also needs a culture of risk, both on an
individual level and as a feature of an
organisation. Brand managers are being
asked to step into unknown territory, one
that may have considerable implications
for their own careers.
“Those who are risk-averse by nature
will not be tempted to divert their
marketing spend out of the tried-and-
trusted and into event creation,” says
Leonard.
“The company needs to have a set of
seasoned marketers sitting at the top of
the decision-making process,” he says,
“who are wiling not just to take a risk
but who encourage the people in the
organisation to strike out of the ‘same
old, same old’. The philosophy is that if
you do what you did last year you know
what will happen. But, ultimately,
somebody has to make a stand and the
client has to put their hand in their
pocket - which is often where these ideas
come apart. It is such an easy thing to
say ‘no’ to.”
The extreme sports sector allows brands
some clear ground to create and own an
event, an option less plausible within
more established sports markets such as
soccer. “We had to look beyond the very
obvious,” says Leonard. But the issue of
credibility has been a thorn in the side of
other brands attempting to break into
this genre. “When coming into an arena
which is addressing a young adult or
teen audience you have to bring
something fresh. Or you will be faced
with a ‘so what?’ attitude,” he says.
MUSIC EVENTS
This sort of response is also facing the
companies moving their sponsorship
spend into the music arena. However,
there are brands who are committed to
raising the bar in terms of the on-site
experience of their clients. “The
winnebagoes lined up backstage at V2
(Virgin’s music festival) this year are as
much a part of ‘doing’ the festival as the
yachts which form such a fundamental
backdrop to Cannes or Monaco,” says
Adrian Pettett, director of brand
entertainment agency Cake. “How else do
the uber-babes and boys from the
catwalks and movie sets look so chic in
the all-important press photo on the
front page of the Times?”
So what’s in it for a brand and why do
they do it? In 1994 there were 17 brands
actively sponsoring live music and
festivals in the UK. In 2004 that figure
has risen to over 60. “Because as anyone
who has been will tell you, the festivals
and live concerts are by their very nature
exciting” says Pettett. “Brands that
commit large pots of marketing budget to
having a presence at them are
increasingly looking at more
sophisticated ways of entertaining key
customers and guests.
“The summer festival circuit, whilst not
yet on the scale of the Grand Prix
season, is certainly going that way with
events such as Glastonbury now viewed
in the media as a key part of the
‘summer season’ alongside Henley, Ascot
and Wimbledon”.
ACROSS THE BOARD
It is clear that an effective event
sponsorship is a complete solution, a
platform upon which other marketing
communications can be based. For this
reason the risk can be spread across the
whole marketing function and not
focused on a discrete sponsorship
department.
This company-wide approach can help
in justifying the cost and the risk, “rather
than thinking of it as a dirty great big
investment in one year which you are
hoping will take the brand in a direction
that works,” says Leonard.
This is very much the view of Coca-
Cola, one of the world’s biggest spenders
in sports and music sponsorship. The soft
drink giant is active at all levels of the
sponsorship market, from official
partnership with the World Cup and Euro
2004, to buying into the game’s
heartland by sponsoring the English
Football League and supporting a range
of grassroots initiatives.
“World Cups and Euro Championships
give us the credibility amongst genuine
football fans,” says Liz Lowe, head of
brand PR, Coca-Cola GB. “We have
weekly planning meetings with the
integrated team, which includes brand
managers, sponsorship specialists, PR,
promotion and events people and our
bottling partner.”
DAY IN DAY OUT
It seems there is no easy route to success
- just hard work and joined-up thinking.
When it comes to event sponsors, all
have to work significantly harder to lever
the benefits of rights packages.
“This is something most have been
universally poor at, even at a basic
level,” says Cameron Day of The Works.
“Most sponsors have to learn that
sponsorship works only when used to
target consumers through the creative
use of promotions, direct marketing,
public relations and advertising.”
“Cutting and pasting logos and strap
lines into sporting arenas and onto
merchandise does not make a compulsive
connection as far consumers are
concerned,” he says. “This has to be done
through other media channels and, what
is more, it must be through formats that
consumers elect, not what is easiest
given the sponsorship rights package.
When consumers are bombarded with
sports coverage in any given summer,
only the best at utilising sponsorship will
make significant sales from their
investment.”
Liz Lowe’s message to other sponsors
looking for clues as to best practice is
also more focused on perspiration than
inspiration. And to be prepared for the
long haul. She says that building an
association with a major event is not a
question of running some promotions a
few weeks before and doing a mopping
up exercise afterwards. “It’s day in, day
out,” she says.
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 SPONSORSHIP WORKS : CASE STUDY
FORD UEFA Champions League Destination Football
Agency: Performance

Agency Profile:

Performance
• A newly formed sponsorship company
of 40 people in Europe
• Developing, managing, activating and
measuring sponsorship campaigns for
clients; new integrated approach
• Specialising in the arena of sports and
entertainment
• Created to guide and enable clients
• Harnessing the strengths within the
WPP Group
• Absolutely no selling of rights

Mike Rich
Performance London
40 Strand
London WC2N 5RF
Great Britain
Tel: 020 7969 4130
email: mike.rich@performance-
worldwide.com

Above - Large inflatable banner outside Auf Schalke, the 2004 UCL Final Venue
Opposite page - bottom right - Where traditional outdoor media sites did not exist, bespoke sites were created to take ‘ownership’ of the Auf Schalke, the 2004 UCL Final

CHAMPION STYLE
How Ford harnessed a shared passion for the UEFA Champions
League to drive cutomers to its showrooms

INTRODUCTION OBJECTIVES ‘The greatest journey… Take it with

There is sponsorship ‘badging’ and there
are real integrated marketing programmes
that actually meet business objectives.
Well, actually, no there aren’t that many.
We all hear a lot of talk about associative
marketing, buzz marketing, and branded
content – often, simply mutton dressed as
lamb! Ford’s association with the UEFA
Champions League is different.
Ford has just entered its 13th season as
a UEFA Champions League (UCL) partner,
coming out of the back of it’s most
successful season ever, in terms of direct
business return from this relationship. A
relationship that was initially driven by
basic media value, it has proven to be the
jewel in this European marketing giant’s
crown.
Despite being one of the most
recognised brands in the world and
manufacturing some of the most
technically excellent cars in their class,
Ford has been somewhat unfairly
perceived as unexciting and a little bland.
However, their long term partnership with
what is the world’s most popular and
exciting club football competition has
enabled them to tackle this key business
issue head on.
The objectives of the relationship were
very clear. To drive more positive
perceptions of the Ford brand by tapping
into the passion & emotion that
consumers have for football. Once this
connection had been made Ford hoped to
encourage customers into the dealerships
and demonstrate that Ford shares their
passion and commitment for the sport by
providing exclusive access to ‘money
can’t buy’ assets, that only Ford as a
sponsor could source.
STRATEGY
To achieve these objectives, it was critical
for Ford to take a real position within
football. A position that they could
legitimately own and that was credible
both for the brand and the consumer.
This would then form the backbone of all
Ford football communications, delivering
a consistent message across Europe and
providing a platform from which to
launch football based consumer
promotions.
The positioning:
‘Ford facilitates journeys and is helping
to facilitate fans’ journeys to football,
physically and emotionally’
Ford…’
All communications were to deliver a
single message; Ford understands how
important getting to football is and
wherever you are we will do everything
we can to get you there: Destination
Football.
The creative execution of this message
needed to work across 44 European
territories, in broadcast sponsorship, in
tv spots, in press ads, through below the
line promotions, online and in
dealerships.
On air, Ford took ownership of each
televised match through broadcast
sponsorship i-dents, commercial airtime
spots, matchbumper creative (a new 8”
contractual spot that airs within the
programme) and perimeter boards.
Online destinationfootball.net was
created to provide a relevant and

24 : SPONSORSHIPWORKS
 SPONSORSHIP WORKS : CASE STUDY
FORD UEFA Champions League Destination Football
Agency: Performance

Sponsor trend anaysis (%) (Chart 1) Image Profile of Ford and UCL Germany (Chart 2)

n Ford n Pre-Season
n Sponsor A 25 25 n Mid-Season
n Sponsor B
Interesting
23
23
n Sponsor C
22

19
18 18
17 17 UEFA Champions
14 League
14 17 Ford
14 13 15
14 Unpopular
13 Popular
10 10
10% = Excellent 10
9 10
8 8
5% = Good Pan 6 7
European awareness

Boring
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
Source: Sport & Markt Source: Sport & Markt

Ford Consideration - Would Consider (Chart 4) Image Profile of Ford and UCL UK (Chart 3)
n Aware Ford sponsor UCL
n
n Not aware
Pre-Season
n Mid-Season Modern

78
UEFA
72 74 Champions
67 League
69
66 65 66 Ford
62
Substandard Premium
44

Britain Germany France Italy Spain Old fashioned

Source: GCI/Millward Brown Source: Sport & Markt

credible site where fans could interact STRONG BRAND RESULTS

with Ford and UCL in a fun and
involving way. The website provided
useful football info, fun and interactive
content and games where fans were
given the opportunity to win tickets and
merchandise. The website provided an
arena to communicate product messages
with a football theme, which led to data
capture and an increase in sales leads.
Below the line promotions ran
throughout Europe, where fans were
offered the chance to win or take part in
real ‘money can’t buy opportunities’ like
the centre circle kids promotion.
Hundreds of kids were given the chance
to appear on the pitch and wave the
centre circle flag prior to the kick off of
a UCL game. Lightshows, mascots,
vehicle displays, and interactive
promotions for data capture all
contributed to the consumer and fan
experience at the event.
To specifically increase dealer traffic, a
pan-European retail concept was created.
A simple incentive mechanic was
implemented; visit a Ford showroom now
for your chance to win a trip to the Uefa
Champions League Final and if you take
a test drive you’ll walk away with a
special edition UCL football.
Studies through Sport & Markt proved
The Clientside View:
that the awareness of Ford as a sponsor Joanne Sheehan, European Media Manager,
of the UCL has risen to 25%, the highest
of all sponsors (see chart 1).
Ford of Europe
They also showed a positive impact on “Destination Football has been very successful for Ford in football, and
the perception of the Ford brand,
becoming more interesting and popular,
Performance has been pivotal in ensuring that Ford's football
modern and premium for the German sponsorship programme is maximised to the full. They have directed the
and UK markets. (see charts 2 and 3). project, from the first positioning statement through to creative
Millward Brown data demonstrated that
those aware of Ford’s sponsorship across implementation, ensuring that our campaign continues to build brand
Europe were also more likely to consider image and return on investment.”
Ford as a brand, than those that were not
aware. (see chart 4).
STRONG RETAIL RESULTS
• An increase of 8% in Italian car sales
over the promotional period year-on-
year.
• Dealer traffic in Spain increased year-
on-year by 12% during January and 24%
during February.
• 10,000 test drives were booked as a
result of the call to action in Germany,
and dealer traffic saw a 25% increase
year-on-year.
• In Denmark, the first weekend of the
promotion saw 6,500 test drives booked.
• A 28% increase in Swedish car sales
over the promotional period.

SPONSORSHIPWORKS : 25
 SPONSORSHIP WORKS : CASE STUDY
Sony Ericsson Empire Awards
Agency: MEC:Sponsorship

Agency Profile:

MEC:Sponsorship is part of global

communications specialist
Mediaedge:cia (MEC) and a WPP group
company. A full service global
sponsorship consultancy,
MEC:Sponsorship offers clients a range
of services from strategy, negotiation,
activation and evaluation across all forms
of sponsorship. Clients include: Sony
Ericsson (Empire Awards), Norwich
Union (UK Athletics), Visa (Olympics,
Paralympics, Rugby World Cup and
Disney), Schwarzkopf & Henkel (Sex &
The City, This Morning), SeaFrance
(Meridian Weather), Xerox (Olympics,
Paralympics and World Superbike
Championships), and Specsavers
(Scottish Football Association and Celtic
Rugby Referees).

MEC:Sponsorship, 1 Paris Garden,

London, SE1 8NU
Contact:
Jeremy Clark, managing director,
Europe
Karen Lunny, senior media
sponsorship executive on Sony
Ericsson account
Tel +44 (0)20 7803 2020

EMPIRE STRIKES UP
How Sony Ericsson achieved extensive high profile media coverage
and enhanced its position in film in partnership with the Empire Awards

BACKGROUND • To communicate the latest technology on www.empireonline.co.uk with

Empire is the UK’s premier film brand
and next year will be celebrating their
10th anniversary of the Empire Film
Awards. An event in which the best of
British and American film meet for a
star-studded night, cited as the best film
awards there is. Previous attendees
include: Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Spacey,
Cate Blanchett, Cameron Diaz, Hugh
Grant, Sir Ian McKellen, Christopher Lee
and Sigourney Weaver, who received a
Career Achievement award in 2004.
Sony Ericsson began their association
with film through product placement in
Tomb Raider and more recently Charlie’s
Angels 2. In order to build on this and
increase their presence with the film
genre, a natural partnership with Empire
was formed in 2002. The activity has
continued to grow from strength to
strength since, enabling the brand to
communicate key product attributes,
brand personality and build an
emotional bond with core consumers.
OBJECTIVES
• To align the Sony Ericsson brand with
film
• To promote the brand and the
extensive product range and attributes
behind the P900 handset in particular
the ability to download complete film
trailers on widescreen
• To communicate the latest mobile
technology from Sony Ericsson, with
the ability to playback and record
video, listen to MP3s, fully utilising an
all in one mobile device.
• To take the sponsorship to a wider
audience, whilst aligning all
exploitation to the core sponsorship
STRATEGY
• Development of a cross-media
partnership with the Empire brand,
centring upon title sponsorship of the
Empire Film awards
• Creation of an activation and PR
strategy generating awareness of the
sponsorship and strengthening Sony
Ericsson’s association with film
• Broadcast TV sponsorship of the event
live on Sky movies
ACTIVATION
• Sponsored features, advertorials and
competitions within Empire magazine
to promote specific Sony Ericsson
product attributes
• Creation of a bespoke microsite hosted
downloadable film trailers/scenes
• Competitions across press, radio and
digital, to win VIP tickets to the first
ever live screening of the awards at Vue
cinema, Leicester Square. Sony Ericsson
marketing team were in attendance
promoting the handset range
• Solus branding at the awards ceremony
and the creation of a unique branded
award ‘Sony Ericsson Best Scene’ to tie
in with the downloadable film
trailers/scenes
• TV broadcast sponsorship of the live
ceremony on Sky movies
• Extensive PR utilising press and radio
to win tickets to the Aftershow party
and post campaign coverage across
numerous TV channels
RESULTS
Aftershow Party
Ticket giveaways to Aftershow Party;
media coverage secured:
- Empire online
- BBC London 94.9FM
- T4
- Daily Star
- Daily Express
- Metro
- Kiss FM

26 : SPONSORSHIPWORKS
 SPONSORSHIP WORKS : CASE STUDY
Sony Ericsson Empire Awards
Agency: MEC:Sponsorship

The Clientside View:

Ben Padley, Marketing director of sponsorship
“The Empire film awards has proved to be a very strong vehicle for us
over the past few years. The link between our handsets and films is
growing through the convergence of multi-media devices, allowing
video playback, video and still capture and MP3 playback.”

Opposite page - Sponsored 8 page post-awards feature within Empire magazine

Above - And the career Achievement Award goes to...
Top right - Branded promotional trails across all Sky channels, Right - solus event branding
Bottom - TV Sponsorship of the live event broadcast on Sky Movies
Vue Cinema screening roll was created to send to broadcast
Over 100 people attended the VIP ‘Live’ media
screening. Competition giveaways - Liquid News The Clientside View:
received the following coverage: - ITV Morning News
- Empire online - GMTV Entertainment Today Richard Dorman, Marketing manager
- Time Out newsletter - BBC1 Newsround
- GMTV online - VH1 Girls Night In “The Empire film awards gives Sony Ericsson a property that is very
- BBC London 94.9FM - MTV UK Screenplay valuable, both in terms of the event itself, the PR that we gain and the
- The Daily Express Post campaign TV coverage reached
overall brand exposure in print and on television.”
- The Daily Star an audience of 23,470,000
- Metro
- Kiss FM Online
- Consumer Press - Delivered 4.7m impressions
- Celebrity photography was taken at
Consumer Press the event and posted on
Sony Ericsson Best Scene clips sold in www.empireonline.co.uk the next day,
to consumer technical press along with quotes and video footage
- Mobile from the night
- New Media Age
- Brand Republic The Empire Awards sponsorship
- Mobile Choice package gave Sony Ericsson a ROI of
The combined print campaign reached 5:1, and a TV broadcast sponsorship
an audience of 10,367,446 ROI of 3:1… Based on the successes of
the 2003 and 2004 sponsorship, Sony
TV coverage Ericsson is repeating their sponsorship
Broadcast sponsorship of the live for a third year!
ceremony on Sky movies, which
including all pre-promotion across
various Sky TV and digital platforms,
reached a total of 4.5 million 16-34 adults
To maximise broadcast coverage a b-

SPONSORSHIPWORKS : 27
 SPONSORSHIP WORKS : CASE STUDY
MMC: Patron of The Open Championship
Agency: Lighthouse

Agency Profile:

Lighthouse is an independent partnership

marketing company. We have
international expertise and high-level
relationships within the sports &
entertainment worlds and specialise in
bringing them together to drive business.
In our opinion, if it doesn’t drive business it
isn’t worth doing! Our strength rests in
our ability to identify the right partner,
negotiate the rights you want and to
manage & deliver a programme of activity
that generates business for you.

Angus McGougan
Lighthouse Communications
River House
37 Point Pleasant
London
SW18 1NN
Tel: +44 20 8812 3400
email: angus.mcgougan@lighthouse-
world.com

OPEN ALL HOURS

How MMC’s partnership with The Open delivers promotional, relationship
building and motivational opportunities amongst staff and clients

BACKGROUND STRATEGY marketing communications manual.

In 2001, Marsh & McLennan Companies
(MMC), a global professional services
firm with 60,000 employees and annual
revenues exceeding $11 billion signed
up as one of the Patron’s of The Open
Championship. As the parent company
of Marsh Inc., the world's leading risk
and insurance services firm; Putnam
Investments, one of the largest
investment management companies in
the United States; and Mercer Inc., a
major global provider of consulting
services, the main focus of the campaign
is B2B.
KEY OBJECTIVES
• To build an association with an event
that reflects MMC’s heritage, expertise
and position as a world leader
• To provide MMC companies & its
employees with a unique corporate
entertainment platform to develop
relationships with existing and
potential clients
• To use the patronage to motivate,
reward and aid employees across MMC
• To create a communications platform
that generates awareness of MMC as
an intrinsic part of The Open
• To create unforgettable and unique
experiences for MMC and its guests
• To enable MMC to activate the
patronage in key territories
• To negotiate rights that allow MMC to
communicate itself as an integral part
of The Open Championship
ACTION
• An exclusive Golf Day for 40 people
is hosted annually by the R&A at the
current Open Championship Course in
the presence of a past Open Champion
and the Claret Jug
• Two four-balls on The Open
Championship course on the Monday
after The Open
• Exclusive Double-decker Patrons’
Hospitality facility located in the heart
of the action on one of the fairways
of the closing holes
• The Orient Express was chartered
exclusively to take MMC and its
guests from London Victoria to
Sandwich in Kent every day during
The Open 2003.
• The creation of an MMC ‘Open
Championship’ intranet site containing
information about the event,
including: ticket & hospitality booking
systems, merchandise shop and
• Use of The Open patronage as a
business development tool in Marsh’s
digital broking programme.
• Creation of Open-themed MMC break-
bumpers for use by ABC and TNT
during US coverage of the event
• Creation of The ‘MMC Shot of the Day
& Shot of the Championship’ where
players vote for the best shot of the
day / Championship. This was
promoted on-line through
opengolf.com and The Times
throughout The Open
• Exclusive branding & advertising of
the ‘Strokesaver’ course guide and the
Open ‘draw booklet’ detailing daily
tee-off times every day during the
event
• MMC Strokesavers sent to clients on
all 5 continents, prior to The Open
• Peter Alliss, the well known golf
commentator signed up as an MMC
Golf ambassador to provide after-
dinner speaking and articles for use
by the media
RESULTS
• Internal research has shown that the
R&A hosted Golf Day has
strengthened existing business
relationships with key clients and has

28 : SPONSORSHIPWORKS

“Quite simply, the experience
was immaculate. It would not
have been possible to have
shown MMC in a better light”
MMC Client at The Open, Royal Troon
lead to the creation of important new
relationships
• The R&A hosted golf day is being
replicated in other key MMC markets
• 99% of those surveyed rated the
Patron’s hospitality and the Orient
Express journey in 2003 as the best
ever corporate hospitality experience
• The Open Championship was attended
by employees and clients from 4
continents
• Open themed golf days have been run
internationally
• 96% of MMC’s top clients are now
aware of its patronage of The Open
SPONSORSHIP WORKS : CASE STUDY
MMC: Patron of The Open Championship
Agency: Lighthouse
Opposite page: 2003 - MMC becomes a Patron of the Open Championship
Left: The Claret Jug at the R&A Golf Day. Top left: Guests board the Orient Express’s Northern Belle
Above: Breakfast aboard the Northern Belle
Below: Patron’s advert, Royal Troon 2004
The Clientside View:
Richard Morgans, MMC Communications Director, Europe
“In just two years, our patronage of The Open Championship has been a
major success. The asscoiation has raised the profile of MMC both
internally and externally and has added a new dimension to many of
our business relationships.”
Championship
• The ‘MMC Shot of the Day & Shot of
the Championship’ on-line video
promotion and the ‘Strokesaver’
course guide attracted the most
viewers on the official website,
www.opengolf.com (60,000 MMC Shot
of the Day / Championship video clips
were watched)
• Peter Alliss articles (branded MMC)
have been used throughout the UK
and Ireland in the build up to the four
majors thus creating association with
golf throughout the year
SPONSORSHIPWORKS : 29
ESA is committed to promoting professional
standards and skills within the sponsorship
market. In this respect, information and data
is essential to help in the selection and
implementation of a sponsorship and also to
evaluate its return.
Within this publication we see eight case
studies reflecting a variety of different
sponsorships to meet the unique needs of the
brands. In line with the market situation the
majority are sports-related, but sponsorship’s
use in non-sport events and film is well
demonstrated. The territories also vary, as
well as the target markets – both consumer
and business-to-business are documented.
The case studies use research and
evaluation to prove that Sponsorship Works.
No sponsorship can be measured unless its
objectives have been clearly outlined and
understood. Much is quoted on return on
investment, which implies a monetary
measurement, but just as important is the
return on objectives which is far more
intangible.
ESA congratulates those who have
evaluated their sponsorship performance and
we would also like to provide some
additional areas that may be useful for the
future of these case studies and for other
sponsorships currently in place.
The most important starting point for any
sponsorship is to tell people about it, most
30 : SPONSORSHIPWORKS
SPONSORSHIP WORKS ASSESSMENT
likely through the media. Dependent upon
the scope of the event this can vary from
local press through to global TV coverage.
In most instances the brand exposure is
measured and given a value. However, in
the process of valuing the media, there is a
wealth of information that can be used to
link back to the more intangible objectives:
• Martell in its media evaluation process for
the Grand National would most likely be
able to analyse the number of press
cuttings by country to establish the level
of exposure in, say, Hong Kong, or the
words used to describe the Grand National
in articles to link them with their
communication as contemporary.
• Similarly Sony Ericsson had good media
coverage and, with the objective of
showcasing and communicating its
technology, could evaluate the number of
mentions of these elements along with the
profile of the press coverage to establish
the audience communicated to.
• The Land Rover G4 Challenge would be
able to delve into the viewing data from
all of its global coverage to measure its
reach amongst its target market.
• Norwich Union, in its link with athletics,
has clearly shown the reach of its media
activation and has, therefore, been able to
measure return on investment and take
this further to establish the cost of
individual contact within the target
market.
MMC has made great use of internal research
to evaluate its business-to-business impact.
It is now becoming far easier with email and
internet access to get quick feedback.
Gulf Air is able to monitor its corporate,
business and political effects by engaging in
discussions through key contacts to establish
reaction to its Formula One involvement.
Not just a good piece of research but also a
great PR exercise.
The length of time that a sponsor has been
involved changes the priority of information
requirements. Ford, with its high brand
profile and its 13 seasons with UEFA
Champions League, is not looking for brand
awareness and has clearly defined its
objectives as emotional and now at a stage
to drive sales. Often seen as the hardest
aspect to value, Ford, through effective
monitoring, has been able to link increased
traffic to dealers through their sponsorship.
NatWest, with its long involvement in
cricket, has also moved on a stage to assess
the sponsorship’s success in enhancing brand
attributes and any propensity to use their
financial services in the future. The
integration of its grassroots schemes has not
been lost in the research.
ESA is committed to ensure that as much
information as possible is available to the
market and its members to help them learn
from others and use data to its best effect in
assessing sponsorship and its performance.
A number of surveys will be conducted in
2005 by the association, one of which will
provide an in-depth insight into the
European Sponsorship Market.
We look forward to working with
SportBusiness on the next edition of
Sponsorship Works to provide more
background, information and case studies to
help educate and inform the marketplace.
ESA Information and Data Committee
www.sponsorship.org

World class rugby...
One of the world’s top ‘domestic’ competitions. Now provides
successful teams with entry to the northern hemisphere’s
premier club competition, the Heineken European Cup.
World class players...
Ireland’s Brian O’Driscoll (above),Wales’ Gareth Thomas and
Scotland’s Simon Taylor to name just three. All great players
and potentially great brand endorsees.
Extensive TV coverage...
Over half the League and Cup matches are covered live across
the three nations. Complimented by comprehensive highlights
coverage and BBC network broadcast of the Celtic Cup Final.
Increased attendance...
Already this season the Celtic League has enjoyed an increase
in attendance of over 25%
It’s an impact sport...
...So share in the impact
Great cities...
Promote in some of Europe’s most vibrant cities... Cardiff,
Dublin, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Belfast, Limerick...
Wide window of exposure...
Celtic Rugby provides a nine month window of sponsorship
and promotion opportunity.
Attractive demographics...
Games played and supported with passion, enthusiasm and
pride. Matchday at all grounds is a humorous, trouble free, fun
filled event attended by young and old of both gender.
Great opportunities...
Opportunities through tournament naming rights, television
advertising boards, programme advertising, branded backdrops,
club databases, website promotion and links...
To find out more about how you can make an impact through a
partnership with Celtic Rugby contact the Celtic Rugby office on...
t: 01509 889471
www.celticleague.com admin@celticleague.com