In a post last year I talked about the huge amounts of money in shirt sponsorship deals in the Premier league. With English Premiership clubs raking in a whopping €128million in the 2010/2011 season, the highest in Europe, we’d all have been right in thinking that this figure would have increased even more as the new season starts.
This still may be the case, but one Premier League club is joining Aston Villa and Sheffield Wednesday in turning their back on big brand names – and instead, will run out onto the pitch with the Prince’s Trust charity on their shirts.
Blackburn Rovers have replaced its sponsorship deal with Crown Paints for the Prince’s Trust - a move that the Trust said would provide a brilliant opportunity to reach out to the most disadvantaged young people in the community.
The Rovers will also fundraise for the charity, which works with disadvantaged people, during the coming season.
"The club has enjoyed a strong and productive relationship with the Prince's Trust since 2005 and this agreement takes that relationship on to another level," Simon Williams, head of commercial and marketing at the club, said.
"The exposure the Prince's Trust will obtain as our shirt partner will greatly increase the level of awareness for the charity and hopefully encourage fundraising for the fantastic work they do to with young people."
The sponsorship could not have come at a more topical time after the recent riots and claims that the looters rebelled against their limited opportunities. The Prince’s Trust provides vital help for young people facing unemployment and limited opportunities.
A cynical marketing move by Blackburn? Or a well applauded move that the rest of the Premiership should take note of? I think we’ll have to wait until the end of the season. If Blackburn get relegated because they didn’t have the extra sponsorship cash to sign good players, then all charity goes out the window.
Monday, 15 August 2011
Friday, 20 May 2011
A Right Royal Pay Day
Last week a horse called Carlton House won the Dante. Nothing special there I hear you cry, but if I was to tell you that this horse race is viewed as a trial for the blue ribbon classic The Derby and that this horse is owned by none other than H M Queen, then you might get a little more interested.
York’s Dante race has provided us with 3 of the past 10 Derby winners, North Light, Motivator and the very special Authorised . Carlton House has now been duly installed as the 2-1 favourite and only set to get shorter as public interest increases. Between her and her mother the Queen is the most high profile supporter for the sport and horse racing is on course to have one of its best days on June 4th. So don’t waste it.
Racing offers great value and is one of the few sports that sees Liverpool Ladies and Kensington Kids mix freely, the great equaliser. So after the backlash of the Grand National now is the opportunity to showcase the best and the fun that both codes of racing offer racegoers.
However, a royal winner also presents a royal pay day for one other. With national media focus on ending the Queen’s wait for the ultimate prize and the first royal winner in 109 years, race sponsor Investec are set to make an already momentous year more incredible. After the enjoying the success of Tottenham Hotspur’s run in Europe the specialist banking firm is set to see its sponsorship splashed across the front pages. If they dare to dream the Queen picking up the Derby trophy will live on forever in sporting and media folklore and in perpetuity in the image something Investec's brand will be associated with for a long time to come, a truly unique opportunity. It is to horse racing what Tiger Wood’s chip shot on the 16th at Augusta was to Nike. So Investec should dare to dream and be prepared to (tastefully) ensure that they have the potential to maximise the opportunity even down to the smallest detail like free photography for all media.
Investec is set to be part of a historic occasion and whatever the result it is sure to be a momentous day!
Ian Budd
York’s Dante race has provided us with 3 of the past 10 Derby winners, North Light, Motivator and the very special Authorised . Carlton House has now been duly installed as the 2-1 favourite and only set to get shorter as public interest increases. Between her and her mother the Queen is the most high profile supporter for the sport and horse racing is on course to have one of its best days on June 4th. So don’t waste it.
Racing offers great value and is one of the few sports that sees Liverpool Ladies and Kensington Kids mix freely, the great equaliser. So after the backlash of the Grand National now is the opportunity to showcase the best and the fun that both codes of racing offer racegoers.
However, a royal winner also presents a royal pay day for one other. With national media focus on ending the Queen’s wait for the ultimate prize and the first royal winner in 109 years, race sponsor Investec are set to make an already momentous year more incredible. After the enjoying the success of Tottenham Hotspur’s run in Europe the specialist banking firm is set to see its sponsorship splashed across the front pages. If they dare to dream the Queen picking up the Derby trophy will live on forever in sporting and media folklore and in perpetuity in the image something Investec's brand will be associated with for a long time to come, a truly unique opportunity. It is to horse racing what Tiger Wood’s chip shot on the 16th at Augusta was to Nike. So Investec should dare to dream and be prepared to (tastefully) ensure that they have the potential to maximise the opportunity even down to the smallest detail like free photography for all media.
Investec is set to be part of a historic occasion and whatever the result it is sure to be a momentous day!
Ian Budd
Thursday, 7 April 2011
Going, Going...Gold!
This week saw the start of one of the biggest sports auctions for the year, which is expected to yield nearly £250 million. Olympic sponsors and their agencies begun the week glued to their screens as they entered into an eBay style online auction for the prime outdoor advertising sites for the Olympic Games.
Sponsors and partners will be able to bid for approximately 4,000 advertising packages over the coming weeks. They cover everything from “vicinity” sites next to Olympic venues to what is being described as “spectaculars”; everything from Heathrow airport, station domination at St Pancras, the IMAX theatre on the Southbank, a number sites on the London Underground and, at £4million, wrapping Canary Wharf.
It is the “spectaculars” that help to set the tone
for the Olympic Games. While advertising has become more creative in where it is displayed, when it comes to the Olympic Games, history shows big, bold and location, location, location are all-important. Olympic advertising adds so much decoration and colour to the host city; from the moment spectators step off the plane or train they will be exposed to a plethora of Olympic adverts featuring many of the expected heroes of the Games. They help to set the mood for the city, and drive excitement as sponsors all try to capture the imagination.
The 2008 Beijing Olympics were no different, as advertisers memorably showcased triumph and disaster all within the space of 72 hours. The face of the Beijing Games in the run up was undoubtedly Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang.
The weight of a nation’s expectation was on Xiang’s shoulders; they expected him to bring home gold. However, disaster struck when he was forced to pull out during the qualification heats. A nation was gripped with emotion, but one of his personal sponsors, Nike, (rival Adidas is the Olympic sponsor) tweaked its current advert and in one day captured not only the feeling of the nation, but also received significant media coverage.
Love competition.
Love risking your pride.
Love winning it back.
Love giving it everything you've got.
Love the glory. Love the pain.
Love sport even when it breaks your heart
Visa also tapped into the Beijing feeling, running a series of powerful adverts including one featuring Derek Redmond, as well as seizing upon Michael Phelps’s historic 8 medal haul to launch an ad that again reflected the Olympic euphoria. A well-timed media campaign ensured significant earned-media coverage as Congratulations Michael Phelps was rolled out.
So what is the advice to next year’s sponsors and non-sponsors? Have the foresight to imagine the perceived impossible, be bold in your thinking, and activate. Visa’s campaign was successful because it didn’t just rely on advertising, but sought to integrate activation across all communications channels, especially PR.
Ian Budd
This week saw the start of one of the biggest sports auctions for the year, which is expected to yield nearly £250 million. Olympic sponsors and their agencies begun the week glued to their screens as they entered into an eBay style online auction for the prime outdoor advertising sites for the Olympic Games.
Sponsors and partners will be able to bid for approximately 4,000 advertising packages over the coming weeks. They cover everything from “vicinity” sites next to Olympic venues to what is being described as “spectaculars”; everything from Heathrow airport, station domination at St Pancras, the IMAX theatre on the Southbank, a number sites on the London Underground and, at £4million, wrapping Canary Wharf.
It is the “spectaculars” that help to set the tone
for the Olympic Games. While advertising has become more creative in where it is displayed, when it comes to the Olympic Games, history shows big, bold and location, location, location are all-important. Olympic advertising adds so much decoration and colour to the host city; from the moment spectators step off the plane or train they will be exposed to a plethora of Olympic adverts featuring many of the expected heroes of the Games. They help to set the mood for the city, and drive excitement as sponsors all try to capture the imagination.
The 2008 Beijing Olympics were no different, as advertisers memorably showcased triumph and disaster all within the space of 72 hours. The face of the Beijing Games in the run up was undoubtedly Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang.
The weight of a nation’s expectation was on Xiang’s shoulders; they expected him to bring home gold. However, disaster struck when he was forced to pull out during the qualification heats. A nation was gripped with emotion, but one of his personal sponsors, Nike, (rival Adidas is the Olympic sponsor) tweaked its current advert and in one day captured not only the feeling of the nation, but also received significant media coverage.
Love competition.
Love risking your pride.
Love winning it back.
Love giving it everything you've got.
Love the glory. Love the pain.
Love sport even when it breaks your heart
Visa also tapped into the Beijing feeling, running a series of powerful adverts including one featuring Derek Redmond, as well as seizing upon Michael Phelps’s historic 8 medal haul to launch an ad that again reflected the Olympic euphoria. A well-timed media campaign ensured significant earned-media coverage as Congratulations Michael Phelps was rolled out.
So what is the advice to next year’s sponsors and non-sponsors? Have the foresight to imagine the perceived impossible, be bold in your thinking, and activate. Visa’s campaign was successful because it didn’t just rely on advertising, but sought to integrate activation across all communications channels, especially PR.
Ian Budd
Friday, 25 March 2011
Red lights are off down under
As the shadow of the cancelled F1™ Bahrain grand prix finally passes, excitement has been quietly growing for this weekend’s season opener in Australia. With five world champions in the pot, a host of new rules, the horror of Robert Kubica’s career threatening rally crash and two teams squabbling over a name, this season is shaping up to be a Hollywood blockbuster. And that’s before the cars have even lined up on the grid.
It seems the ever eccentric Bernie Ecclestone thinks that a line-up containing Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton and the sport’s youngest ever champion, Sebastian Vettel isn’t enough of a selling point. This year the technical bar has been raised, with a new set of challenges to disrupt the established hierarchy, including driver-adjustable rear wings, the return of the Kers power-boost system and a change of tyre supplier.
But in what can sometimes be a technical sport for the average fan, Pirelli have come to the rescue with the tyres at least and introduced a tyre colour coding scheme to identify what type of tyre each car is using.
F1™ is in a rare position. Like no other elite sport, its worldwide footprint gives sponsors access to a multitude of countries and cultures across the world on an annual basis. But despite this, it and its sponsors social media presence lags behind other elite events. No matter the budget, social media can be the great leveller for brands to engage with fans across multiple markets. . Perhaps in what is set to be a groundbreaking season on the track will be mirrored off it with some innovative campaigns from F1™ and furthermore it will make more than a pit-stop in social media..
Finally, our predictions. F1 predictions for the season are normally a minefield of possibility in the post-Schumacher age and this year is no different, or is it? From the outset, Red Bull and Vettel will be the combination to beat, but should they see the promising test lap times of former F1™ hero Michael Schumacher as anything to fear? Or maybe his main concern will be a trip down memory lane to face old rival and big F1™ hope, Paul di Resta. With the McLaren car looking red hot in the first practice session, we’re backing the British boys to bring it home. In the words of the great Murray Walker, anything can happen in Grand Prix racing, and it usually does.
It seems the ever eccentric Bernie Ecclestone thinks that a line-up containing Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton and the sport’s youngest ever champion, Sebastian Vettel isn’t enough of a selling point. This year the technical bar has been raised, with a new set of challenges to disrupt the established hierarchy, including driver-adjustable rear wings, the return of the Kers power-boost system and a change of tyre supplier.
But in what can sometimes be a technical sport for the average fan, Pirelli have come to the rescue with the tyres at least and introduced a tyre colour coding scheme to identify what type of tyre each car is using.
F1™ is in a rare position. Like no other elite sport, its worldwide footprint gives sponsors access to a multitude of countries and cultures across the world on an annual basis. But despite this, it and its sponsors social media presence lags behind other elite events. No matter the budget, social media can be the great leveller for brands to engage with fans across multiple markets. . Perhaps in what is set to be a groundbreaking season on the track will be mirrored off it with some innovative campaigns from F1™ and furthermore it will make more than a pit-stop in social media..
Finally, our predictions. F1 predictions for the season are normally a minefield of possibility in the post-Schumacher age and this year is no different, or is it? From the outset, Red Bull and Vettel will be the combination to beat, but should they see the promising test lap times of former F1™ hero Michael Schumacher as anything to fear? Or maybe his main concern will be a trip down memory lane to face old rival and big F1™ hope, Paul di Resta. With the McLaren car looking red hot in the first practice session, we’re backing the British boys to bring it home. In the words of the great Murray Walker, anything can happen in Grand Prix racing, and it usually does.
Friday, 18 March 2011
Spurs add Armour to their Sponsorship Arsenal
Say what you like about Spurs (and I frequently do), they’ve shown their commercial nous this season.
First they unveiled their dual shirt sponsorship model. Aside from a gut-wrenching first half of their first ever Champions League match, during which the Investec chief who brokered the deal must’ve been on the verge of tears, this has proven an excellent deal for all parties. The asset management firm gained exposure in Europe’s premier club competition, and Spurs generated additional revenue from existing assets.
Now their new kit manufacturer is the latest indication that Spurs are looking to change the status quo. Not content with the Nikes, Pumas and Adidases of this world, Spurs have signed a five year deal with Under Armour.
Although a relative newcomer to these shores (they’ve manufactured Welsh Rugby Union shirts since 2008), Under Armour is a powerful competitor for the traditional kit big boys. The company has a strong reputation for innovative solutions in sports across the pond (they recently launched an NFL shirt that monitors the wearer’s heart rate and core body temperature), and this reputation tallies nicely with Spurs’ own attempts to alter the Premier League sponsorship model.
Whether the Spurs kit deal proves a beachhead for further Under Armour forays into the Premier League remains to be seen. One thing is for certain; Spurs have shown that clubs no longer need be at the behest of the established players in the sponsorship market. This should open up new revenue streams for clubs, and give some new brands a piece of the Premier League pie.
Steve Sandsmith
First they unveiled their dual shirt sponsorship model. Aside from a gut-wrenching first half of their first ever Champions League match, during which the Investec chief who brokered the deal must’ve been on the verge of tears, this has proven an excellent deal for all parties. The asset management firm gained exposure in Europe’s premier club competition, and Spurs generated additional revenue from existing assets.
Now their new kit manufacturer is the latest indication that Spurs are looking to change the status quo. Not content with the Nikes, Pumas and Adidases of this world, Spurs have signed a five year deal with Under Armour.
Although a relative newcomer to these shores (they’ve manufactured Welsh Rugby Union shirts since 2008), Under Armour is a powerful competitor for the traditional kit big boys. The company has a strong reputation for innovative solutions in sports across the pond (they recently launched an NFL shirt that monitors the wearer’s heart rate and core body temperature), and this reputation tallies nicely with Spurs’ own attempts to alter the Premier League sponsorship model.
Whether the Spurs kit deal proves a beachhead for further Under Armour forays into the Premier League remains to be seen. One thing is for certain; Spurs have shown that clubs no longer need be at the behest of the established players in the sponsorship market. This should open up new revenue streams for clubs, and give some new brands a piece of the Premier League pie.
Steve Sandsmith
Friday, 4 February 2011
What are Friday nights for?
So this weekend marks the start of one of my favourite times of the year. Yes its RBS 6 Nations time; each weekend a marathon of matches and a plethora of pints. It kicks off tonight, yes, a Friday, for the second and apparently the last time.
When it was first announced Rugby World writers and readers alike were up in arms. “It will kill the game!” “It’s wrong, no travelling support will be able to get there, and it means a day off work.” Some of the same people, let's call them traditionalists, still harp on about Sunday matches, how that ruins the weekend. Essentially they only want matches played on Saturday at 2pm. Which, for me, would kill the beauty of the Six Nations and, if I was RBS, the sponsorship.
It was controversial when RBS resigned the sponsorship midway through the economic crisis How can a state-owned bank sign up to pay millions when it can’t even keep itself afloat, they cried. Answer, because it’s a great sponsorship, the exposure you get is significant and on the BBC as well. A great business opportunity!
For me it’s as much about the passion that it generates each year for two months. Pubs packed to the brim and British inter-tribal rivalry at its best, so I am personally disappointed that this may be the last Friday game for the foreseeable future. Saturdays are already crammed for many people, so finding time to fit in a rugby match among the many activities, parents for example, have to fit in is difficult. But a Friday, sit down after a long day a work and relax or join colleagues in a local public house.
Don’t get me wrong, I feel sorry for the local hoteliers that expect turnover could be nearly 50% less than if the game was on a Saturday; and for others where hospitality is cut-short. But I wonder if outside of the Cardiff they may just be uplift?
It poses the eternal question, the power of the TV audience versus the stadium attendance, which has preference? If the atmosphere in the stadium is poor it will reflect badly on TV, but prime viewing times mean increased viewers and opportune times for sponsors to connect with fans. However, also the possibility of being associated with criticism that the sport is no longer about the fan but the TV schedule. It’s a hard one to solve, but safe to say it’s important to exploit all opportunities when it comes to sponsorship.
It only remains to say may the best team win, which by the teams’ predications, will be England with 60% of nominations and France in second (30%). Enjoy the game!
When it was first announced Rugby World writers and readers alike were up in arms. “It will kill the game!” “It’s wrong, no travelling support will be able to get there, and it means a day off work.” Some of the same people, let's call them traditionalists, still harp on about Sunday matches, how that ruins the weekend. Essentially they only want matches played on Saturday at 2pm. Which, for me, would kill the beauty of the Six Nations and, if I was RBS, the sponsorship.
It was controversial when RBS resigned the sponsorship midway through the economic crisis How can a state-owned bank sign up to pay millions when it can’t even keep itself afloat, they cried. Answer, because it’s a great sponsorship, the exposure you get is significant and on the BBC as well. A great business opportunity!
For me it’s as much about the passion that it generates each year for two months. Pubs packed to the brim and British inter-tribal rivalry at its best, so I am personally disappointed that this may be the last Friday game for the foreseeable future. Saturdays are already crammed for many people, so finding time to fit in a rugby match among the many activities, parents for example, have to fit in is difficult. But a Friday, sit down after a long day a work and relax or join colleagues in a local public house.
Don’t get me wrong, I feel sorry for the local hoteliers that expect turnover could be nearly 50% less than if the game was on a Saturday; and for others where hospitality is cut-short. But I wonder if outside of the Cardiff they may just be uplift?
It poses the eternal question, the power of the TV audience versus the stadium attendance, which has preference? If the atmosphere in the stadium is poor it will reflect badly on TV, but prime viewing times mean increased viewers and opportune times for sponsors to connect with fans. However, also the possibility of being associated with criticism that the sport is no longer about the fan but the TV schedule. It’s a hard one to solve, but safe to say it’s important to exploit all opportunities when it comes to sponsorship.
It only remains to say may the best team win, which by the teams’ predications, will be England with 60% of nominations and France in second (30%). Enjoy the game!
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