Procter & Gamble signs global Olympic sponsorship deal with the IOC

At a global news conference in London, Procter & Gamble and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) yesterday announced what has been dubbed "the most far-reaching global partnership", to cover the next five Olympic Games from London 2012 through to the 2020 Olympic Games.

The breadth of P&G's portfolio, which includes twenty-two brands each generating $1 billion or more in annual sales, and the depth of P&G's reach to four billion people worldwide, would certainly seem to justify such a description. Some of P&G's most iconic brands participating in the partnership include Pampers(R), Tide(R), Ariel(R), Always(R), Whisper(R), Crest(R), Pantene(R) and Olay(R).

"P&G is proud to support the Olympic Movement for the next ten years", said P&G Global Marketing and Brand Building Officer, Marc Pritchard. "But we know from our successful results in Vancouver that this is about much more than a sponsorship. For P&G, it's about partnering with the IOC to make life better for athletes, moms and their families as we take the Olympic movement to our four billion consumers around the world that our brands already serve".

IOC President Jacques Rogge (right) said: "Procter & Gamble is a first class company and we are absolutely delighted to announce we will be partnering with them through 2020. P&G's global reach and consumer insight will be a real boost in our efforts to communicate the Olympic values to a worldwide audience and their financial support over the next decade will benefit the entire Olympic Movement including the athletes themselves".

P&G's portfolio of brands will sponsor athletes and national teams. Corporately, P&G will continue its support of families of Olympians by reapplying on-site activities from the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games and once again support mothers by globally expanding its Proud Sponsor of Moms campaign.

P&G will continue helping athletes, mothers and families immediately. As part of the 'Proud Sponsor of Moms' campaign, the company will continue its Thank You Mom programme in conjunction with the IOC's inaugural Youth Olympic Games, to be held in Singapore from 14th to 26th August, 2010. P&G will help twenty-five mothers of Youth Olympians from around the world with their travel and lodging costs, so they can be in Singapore with their children as they compete.

To celebrate the dedication and sacrifice of mothers, families and their Olympians, P&G will produce a documentary video series called Raising an Olympian, The P&G Momumentary Project. The video series will tell the stories of Olympians as seen through the eyes of their mothers. It will be shown leading up to and during the London 2012 Olympic Games and will aim to answer the question, "What does it take to raise an Olympian?"

P&G has partnered with the mothers of six high-profile Olympians from across the world and the mother of a U.S. Paralympian. They will provide, says P&G, the type of insight only the mother of an Olympian can share in an effort to most effectively deliver 'Proud Sponsor of Moms' programmes to touch and improve the lives of athletes, mothers and families around the world.

The mothers include: Jennifer Bolt (mom of Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt), Rosemary Jones (mum of Australian swimmer Leisel Jones), Cao Lihua (mum of Chinese beach volleyball player Xue Chen), Aster Menagesha (mother of Ethiopian long-distance runner Meseret Defar), Debbie Phelps (mom of U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps), Pat Radcliffe (mum of British long-distance runner Paula Radcliffe) and Marlene Shirley (mom of U.S. Paralympic sprinter Marlon Shirley).

The offer will be targeted at rights holders, sponsors, brands, agencies and other investors in sport, and services will include measuring sponsorship opportunities and optimising sponsorship objectives.

Frank Saez, founder and Managing Director of SMG Insight, commented: "Many traditional sports and sponsorship market research services have become less insightful and obsolete.

"YouGov has a strong reputation for incisive international consumer research and this exclusive partnership provides SMG Insight with an opportunity to provide the sports and sponsorship industry with higher added value services, delivering much more than traditional media valuations”.

Tim Britton, UK CEO of YouGov said: "We are delighted to join up with SMG Insight. Their deep understanding of the sports sector combined with our unparalleled ability to pinpoint and monitor consumer behaviour in this area will provide the sports industry with a great new stream of insight".

On announcing the new four-year contract, Mark Pearce, ECB head of sponsorship, said: "Red Bull is an established partner of the England cricket team and we are delighted it continues to see great benefit from its association with the team.

"Having recently regained the Ashes and been crowned ICC World Twenty20 champions, this is an exciting time for the England cricket team.

"Over the coming 12 months the team has the chance to retain the Ashes Down Under and compete for the ICC World Cup in India in early 2011, so it promises to be a year in which cricket continues to attract huge media attention".

Photo: England cricketer Stuart Broad

Carling, the UK's best-selling lager, continues to be a leading sponsor of sport in Scotland and the UK. Today's announcement follows Carling's status as the Official Beer of Scottish Rugby. Carling invested over £20m in Celtic and Rangers during a seven-year association, was the founder sponsor of the Premier League in England and is current sponsor of the Carling Cup.

Carling, made with 100% British barley, is part of a wider portfolio of brands distributed by Molson Coors (UK), the global family brewer whose portfolio also includes Coors Light and Caffrey's, all of which will be available at all events at Scotland's national stadium, Hampden Park.

Carling promises fans an exciting range of marketing and promotional initiatives to continue to get football fans closer to the game and their teams, whether supporting the National Team or one of the eighty plus teams that compete in the Scottish Cup.

Paul Miller, Director of Sales, Molson Coors Scotland, said: "Carling has been a major sponsor of football for many years, and we are delighted to continue our involvement with football in Scotland as a partner of the Scottish FA.

"Scottish football fans are as passionate about the beautiful game at all levels as Carling is, and this link with the Scottish Cup and the Scotland team will allow us to share some fun experiences with a wider football loving audience.

"Our recent sponsorship of the Old Firm clubs produced a high level of awareness for Carling, and we are proud of the imaginative steps we have taken to building a good relationship with Scottish consumers and our trade customers and to promote sensible drinking and consumption of alcohol. We're really looking forward to building on this, joining with fans on the road to Hampden as they watch their team progress in the Scottish Cup, and celebrating with the nation as Scotland aim to qualify for Euro 2012".

"My top tip for entrants this year is ask others to take a look at the photos you are thinking of entering and get as much experience as you can and try to understand the industry".

The competition was launched in The Times last Friday and will run until 31st August, 2010. During September, judging will commences and six finalists will be selected and set an assignment by Paul Sanders, Picture Editor of The Times.

The finalists will have their work displayed at Canon's Pro Photo Solutions exhibition at the Business Design Centre, Islington, London on 26th and 27th October. The winner will be unveiled there in a reception hosted by the Editor of The Times, James Harding.

The judging panel will be co-chaired by Paul Sanders and Nick Millen from Canon Professional Imaging.

Paul Sanders, Picture Editor of The Times says: "Winning this competition has become one of the most prestigious prizes for young photographers; it has a proven pedigree of placing young talent in a position to fulfill their dreams. Each of the previous winners has gone on to launch very successful careers in news photography.

"With the continued support of Canon we are able to offer even greater support to the winner to establish themselves as professional photographers".

Lee Bonniface, Country Director Canon Consumer Imaging, UK and Ireland said: "We were extremely impressed with the calibre of last year's finalists and by the talent shown by the overall winner Matthew Lloyd. Canon UK is very proud to again be supporting the competition and helping to give a talented young photographer a solid start to their career".

A programme of forty-five Barclays Cycle Hire roadshows across central London were also launched by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson recently.

The roadshows are giving Londoners all the information they need to sign up, saddle up and set off on Barclays Cycle Hire.

Londoners can see all of the kit including the final bicycle, docking stations and terminals.

Illustration - artist's impression: Barclays Cycle Hire docking station on Albert Embankment

"Since the start of the partnership in 2008 it has been an excellent partner that has helped raise the profile of the England cricket team through its nationwide in-store marketing activity".

Rebecca White, head of marketing for Buxton, said: "We are proud to continue as the official water supplier to the England cricket team.

"Since we started the sponsorship, cricket has been a great platform to promote Buxton, with activities ranging from a limited edition cricket on-pack promotions to being part of last year’s Cricket in the Park event.

"Retailers have been very supportive of our plans and further promotions are scheduled to support the Ashes again later in the year. We are looking forward to see England win yet again!"

Technogym will also be responsible for the design and layout of the facilities, as well providing staff and ongoing maintenance.

London 2012 Chairman Sebastian Coe commented: "The needs of athletes are always at the forefront of our thinking and so ensuring we have top of the range equipment available for their use is vital. Technogym come to us with some fantastic previous Games-time experience and will help us to ensure that the needs of all competitors at London 2012 are met. We welcome them to the London 2012 family and look forward to working with them over the next two years".

Nerio Alessandri, President and Founder of Technogym said: "This important achievement represents a victory for the whole Technogym team. We are very proud to have been chosen for the fifth time as the official supplier of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games".

He added: "London 2012 will represent a unique opportunity for UK to promote the wellness lifestyle and attract more people to regular physical activity".

Technogym has been a Summer Olympic Games sponsor since 2000 and also sponsored the Torino 2006 Winter Games. Established in 1983 in Italy, they currently supply over 100,000 pieces of equipment across 4,000 facilities in the UK.

The TV and online campaign will run on Boomerang, and will feature three products in the FurReal range - Newborns, Snuggimals and Furry Frenzies. Turner Media Innovations negotiated the deal with OMD, and also produced all campaign creative.

Rae Adam, Client Services Director at Turner Media Innovations said: "We're delighted to welcome Hasbro on board as the first ever sponsor of the Boomerang Pet Personality Awards. It's a great example of the added value we bring as a business to be able to offer advertisers the opportunity to sponsor an event of this scale.

"Most importantly, it's fun day for the kids, their families and their pets. Who said you shouldn't work with animals and kids!"

Sharon Fosbery, Senior Brand Manager Girls at Hasbro, said: "FurReal Friends are excited to be part of the Boomerang Pet Personality Awards and sponsor an event which will celebrate children's love and enthusiasm for their pets. We look forward to an event that will enable children to share and celebrate the place a well loved pet has within their daily lives".

As part of the relationship, Autonomy will work with Tottenham Hotspur across a wide range of activities including significant consultancy support for enhanced services to fans and for the Club's new Stadium and Training Centre developments.

Daniel Levy, Chairman, Tottenham Hotspur, said: "We are delighted to have Autonomy as our new global partner. I have been impressed with Autonomy's vision and growth for many years, having previously been an investor.

"Autonomy is the leader in its field and as such is the ideal partner for Tottenham Hotspur at a time when we continue to grow our existing operations and facilities with two major capital expenditure projects underway - a new Training Centre under construction and proposed new Stadium development - both of which will include state-of-the-art technology as part of their world-class designs".

The regional winners will go forward to a final held at London's Sway club in November chosen by an industry panel, where a winner will be presented with the Rising Star award and perform at the LAFTAS awards event in front of an audience of A-list comedians and industry representatives in January.

The winner will also receive £500, a laptop, and a "money can't buy" prize which will see the winner "Sim'ed" to appear in the new version of legendary computer game, The Sims.

"We've invested a lot of time and effort looking for and researching the right sponsorship opportunity, and we know that rugby fits absolutely with Aviva. It appeals to many of our customers, intermediary partners and to the other businesses we work with in the UK, so this sponsorship will give us exciting opportunities to connect with them and deliver significant business benefit.

"This is a fantastic chance for us to work with Premiership Rugby on a partnership with a sport that has values which closely mirror our own".

The sponsorship deal runs from September 2010 until May 2014 and will include more than 135 games each season, watched by 1.7 million people at the grounds, say the company, and many more on Sky, ITV and ESPN.

The deal also allows Aviva to extend its Grassroots programme, designed to encourage young people to get involved in sport. The twelve rugby clubs in Aviva Premiership Rugby will commit 15,000 man hours to work with 36,000 pupils at six hundred primary schools in England, as well as providing them with equipment and teacher training. It complements Aviva's existing sporting sponsorship with UK Athletics (UKA), giving the brand year-round visibility in the sporting arena with a major events through the summer and winter seasons.

The highlight of the opening weekend of the Aviva Premiership Rugby season sees Twickenham host the London Double Header on 4th September, 2010, where the four London clubs (London Irish, Saracens, London Wasps and Harlequins) will go head-to-head.

Mark McCafferty, chief executive of Premiership Rugby said: "A title sponsorship deal with Aviva, which is such a strong international consumer brand, is another significant milestone in the growth of Premiership Rugby and provides us with a long term partnership commitment to our sport and to our work in the community".

Photo: Mark Hodges, Aviva's UK chief executive, and Mark McCafferty, chief executive of Premiership Rugby, with the Aviva Premiership Rugby Trophy