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UK sponsorship news update ...

July 2010

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29th July, 2010

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 will build upon the success of its Team USA partnership at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games which resulted in increased favourability ratings, greater market share and nearly $100 million in incremental sales. The company will leverage the IOC partnership to deliver on its purpose-inspired growth strategy and to help improve the lives of athletes, mothers and their families around the world.

Delighted

"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.

Dedication

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).

 

23rd July, 2010
YouGov enters strategic alliance with specialist sports marketing consultancy, SMG Insight

YouGov, the international market research company, has announced that it is teaming up with SMG Insight, a specialised sports marketing consultancy, in an alliance that will deliver higher value added services required within the global sports marketing industry.

The YouGov/SMG Insight combination promises to deliver a fresh approach to sports sponsorship research and consulting, bringing together YouGov's in depth knowledge of consumers and brands with SMG's understanding of sponsorship and rights ownership.

SMG Insight, powered by YouGov, will be led by senior industry executive Frank Saez, who was Vice President of international sports agency IMG for over eight years and more recently Managing Director of IFM Sports Marketing Surveys.

Incisive

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".

 

22nd July, 2010
Red Bull extends England cricket sponsorship deal by four years

The England and Wales Cricket Board has today announced that Red Bull has signed a four-year contract extension to remain the official energy drink partner to the England team until the end of summer 2013.

As part of the renewal, Red Bull, which first became an ECB partner in 2005, will supply the England team with products at all international matches.

In return, Red Bull will receive a comprehensive range of sponsorship assets that includes in-ground advertising, ticketing and hospitality, branded drinks boxes around the boundary edge and product placement around international cricket stadia.

Regained

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

 

21st July, 2010
Scottish Football Association sign new sponsorship deal with Carling

The Scottish FA has today announced a seven-figure, four-year sponsorship agreement with Carling.

Carling is the first brand to support a wide range of the Scottish FA’s commercial activities, becoming the Official Beer of the Scotland National Team and the Scottish Cup, and also the beer of choice at Scotland's national stadium, Hampden Park.

George Peat, Scottish FA President said: "This is an original and exciting deal and the Scottish FA is delighted to be in partnership with Carling, which has been a major supporter of Scottish football – and football throughout the UK – for a number of years.

"We are confident that the wide range of sponsorship opportunities made possible by this deal will enable the Scottish FA to engage with fans across the full spectrum of our responsibilities, with the national team and the Scottish Cup and also with our many events at the National Stadium".

Family

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.

Passionate

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".

 

19th July, 2010
Canon announces its sponsorship of The Times Young Photographer of the Year competition 2010

Canon UK has announced that for the second consecutive year it is to sponsor The Times newspaper’s search for The Times Young Photographer of the Year.

Now in its ninth year, the competition seeks to find the country’s best young photographer. The eventual winner will secure a six month placement with The Times newspaper where they will be trained in the skills of a photojournalist.

In addition to the placement the winner will also receive an award-winning EOS 5D Mark II camera body, EF 24-70 f/2.8 lens, EF 70-200 f/2.8 IS lens and a Canon 580EX II Speedlite flash. Each of the six finalists will also receive a year’s membership to the British Press Photographer's Association.

Last year the competition was won by Matthew Lloyd who says of his experience at the newspaper: "Working for The Times has been a fantastic experience. I've been allowed the freedom to do the job and shoot creatively whilst gaining invaluable support and feedback from the team there.

Assignment

"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.

Prestigious

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".

 

17th July, 2010
Barclays saddles up to sponsor London Cycle Hire scheme

Barclays is sponsoring London's eagerly anticipated Cycle Hire scheme, which launches in the capital on Friday, 30th July.

From that date Londoners and visitors to the city will be able to pick up and drop off one of thousands of hire bicycles at hundreds of locations across London's Zone 1 travel area, as part of what will now be known as Barclays Cycle Hire.

The deal, which is worth up to £25m over five years, also includes the Barclays Cycle Superhighways, with the first two of twelve planned cycle routes set to launch in the capital this coming Monday, 19th July.

Information

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

 

14th July, 2010
Buxton extends ECB sponsorship deal by two years

The England and Wales Cricket Board have today announced that Buxton Natural Mineral Water has signed a two-year extension to remain the official water supplier to the England team until the end of the 2011 international summer.

As part of the renewal, Buxton, who first became an ECB partner in 2008, will be the exclusive supplier of bottled water to the England cricket team for all its home international matches.

In return, says the ECB, Buxton will receive a comprehensive range of commercial assets that includes access to England cricketers for promotional purposes, specific branding opportunities around the England cricket team, in-stadia advertising and a variety of rights across England's fan community, TwelfthMan.

On announcing the two-year sponsorship extension, ECB head of sales Nick Moore said: "We'd like to thank Buxton for its continued investment in English cricket.

Proud

"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!"

 

13th July, 2010
London 2012 signs Technogym as fitness equipment supplier

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) today confirmed that Technogym has become the latest Tier Three supplier to London 2012.

Technogym will supply and install fitness equipment for athletes in the Athletes’ Village and other training venues, becoming Official Fitness Equipment Supplier.

The main gym facility will be located at the Athletes' Village and will provide thousands of competing athletes with top of the range fitness equipment for their event preparation. Alongside the facility at the Athletes Village, Technogym will equip several gyms within the other competition and training venues by installing a total of over 750 pieces.

Forefront

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.

 

13th July, 2010
Hasbro to sponsor the Boomerang Pet Personality Awards

Turner Media Innovations has secured an integrated sponsorship deal with Hasbro's FurReal Friends toy range, which will include TV sponsorship, a campaign website and event sponsorship of the Boomerang Pet Personality Awards.

The awards ceremony will take place on Saturday, 24th July and is a free event in London's Regents Park. Now in its second year, the awards promote Turner Broadcasting's popular kids' channel Boomerang.

FurReal Friends is the original lifelike animal toy range by Hasbro, which says they have great synergy with the Boomerang Pet Personality Awards. The range comes in a number of sizes, from the collectible Snuggimals, which are palm-sized puppies and kittens, to Go Go My Walking Pup, a life sized pet that can be taken for a walk.

Value

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".

 

12th July, 2010
Tottenham Hotspur announces new sponsorship deal with Autonomy

Tottenham Hotspur Football Club has announced a new shirt sponsorship agreement with Autonomy Corporation PLC, a global leader in infrastructure software for the enterprise.

The two-year shirt sponsorship, effective from Season 2010/2011, will see the Autonomy brand feature on the Tottenham Hotspur shirt in Barclays Premier League matches and in doing so will become only the fifth brand ever to appear on the club's shirt.

The agreement also includes a mutual option to extend the partnership for a further three-year period.

A FTSE 100 listed company, Autonomy is the UK's largest, pure software company, with over 20,000 global customers and offices worldwide.

Vision

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".

 

8th July, 2010
Loaded partners Yazoo for Loaded LAFTAS comedy awards

Loaded has announced a brand new sponsor for its Loaded LAFTAS comedy awards. Now in their eighth year, the LAFTAS will be sponsored by the nation's favourite milkshake brand, YAZOO.

The Loaded LAFTAS with YAZOO comprises a main awards event which will take place in January 2011 and a UK tour organised by leading UK comedy brand Jongleurs.

Kicking off in September this year – visiting London, Portsmouth, Nottingham, Croydon and Glasgow – the tour will, for the first time, include a search to find a comedy star. Following the five regional dates, the best acts will be invited to perform at semi-final dates in October.

Legendary

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.

Voting for the Loaded LAFTAS with YAZOO will begin in October and close in January. All winners will be chosen by Loaded readers. The event will be heavily promoted across Loaded magazine and www.loaded.co.uk, as well as other IPC Inspire men and music brands, Nuts and NME.

Previous winners of LAFTAs awards include Frank Skinner, Bruce Forsyth, Justin Lee Collins, Russell Howard and Michael McIntyre.

Loaded publishing director Jo Smalley (left) said: "The Loaded LAFTAs are where the biggest names in comedy celebrate the very best in British humour. I'm delighted to be celebrating that talent with our new partner, YAZOO, who is working with us to make this LAFTAS better than ever".

Drive

IPC Inspire Men & Music Sponsorship & Brand Solutions manager Rob Hunt added: "We're really pleased to be working with YAZOO on the LAFTAs. It's really stepping up a gear this year with the additional involvement of Jongleurs and the top notch prize for the competition means we should find a new comedy star".

Marielle de Jong, marketing director for YAZOO, was similarly upbeat: "This is a fresh and exciting campaign for YAZOO and the first time we are directly targeting the young male audience. We already know that young men are a key YAZOO consumer, and we plan to drive the category further this year by marketing directly to this audience".

Jongleurs managing director Maria Kempinska added: "Jongleurs has a brilliant history of nurturing the very best comedy talent. We are proud to be associated with the Loaded LAFTAS and look forward to an exciting competition to find the next big voice in comedy".

 

7th July, 2010
Aviva becomes new sponsor of world leading domestic rugby union competition

Aviva has today announced that it is to become the new title sponsor of English rugby union's top flight league.

Under the four-year £20 million deal with the UK’s largest insurer, the world leading Rugby Union competition will become Aviva Premiership Rugby from September 2010.

Announcing the partnership with Premiership Rugby, Aviva's UK chief executive Mark Hodges said: "Rugby is the fastest-growing participation sport in England with more than 100,000 active adult players – and another 150,000 under the age of 19.

Mirror

"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.

Highlight

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

 

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