Hollis Sponsorship Bulletin

TeamOrigin, the British challenger for the America’s Cup, has appointed Jon Teeman as partner development director. In this role Teeman, the former head of partnership marketing at Premier League side Arsenal FC, will be responsible for securing commercial partners for the team.

Teeman is a respected marketing and communications executive who oversaw the launch of O2 and brokered their subsequent deals with England Rugby and Arsenal FC. He is also a non-executive chairman at consultancy Pitch, a role he will keep up while working alongside TeamOrigin.

TeamOrigin is skippered by triple Olympic Gold medallist Ben Ainslie and headed by Team Principal Sir Keith Mills who said: “Jon’s appointment is a huge boost for our project and adds to the capabilities of partner development manager Jerry Hill. He brings a wealth of experience that will be invaluable in the development of our campaign.”

Mills, who set up Air Miles, has made sustainability a key element of the TeamOrigin proposition - something he wants reflected in the sponsor line-up “We are aiming to attract partners that share our commitment to the sustainability agenda and are willing to cut their emissions in line with advice from the Carbon Trust. Jon will be instrumental in the development of these relationships.”

As expected Barclays has signed a new three-year sponsorship deal with the FA Premier League. The price-tag of £82 million is £17 million up on the bank’s current sponsorship contract with the FAPL. The new deal covers the period 2010/11-2012/13. It means that Barclays will have been title sponsor of the league for nine years.

The deal includes worldwide marketing rights, UK and international TV accreditation, extensive advertising packages, match day tickets and hospitality. Commenting on the deal, Barclays president Robert E. Diamond Jr said: “The Premier League sponsorship has been very successful for Barclays and the strategic fit is stronger than ever. It provides a cost-effective method to market our organisation, helping us in our ambition to be one of a handful of banks leading the financial services industry.”

QBE, the specialist business insurer, has signed an agreement to become the official insurance partner of the Guinness Premiership. The agreement, which runs through to the end of July 2012, will see QBE’s name and logo appear on the back of all team shirts in the Premiership, European competitions and the Anglo-Welsh Cup.

Steven Burns, CEO QBE European Operations, commented: “This is a fantastic partnership for QBE. Despite being one of the world’s leading insurers, QBE has a low profile in the UK outside the London insurance markets.  We have ambitious growth targets and see many opportunities to continue expanding our business, particularly across Europe.  This sponsorship will drive an increase in brand awareness in the UK and will provide us with a number of business development opportunities.”

Jon Varney, commercial director of Premier Rugby, added:  “We are delighted with this partnership and feel there is a strong fit between the two organisations.  Like QBE, we are growing rapidly, with attendances more than doubling since the league began in 1997. It is an exciting time for  the Premiership and we look forward to working with QBE.”

John Smith’s has announced that it will sponsor the Aintree Grand National for three more years. With its existing contract running until 2010, that means the UK’s leading bitter brand will now partner the race until at least 2013.

Aintree managing director Julian Thick said: “Securing John Smith’s support for another three years at a time when many rights holders are struggling to attract sponsors is great news for the Grand National and a massive vote of confidence for jump-racing as a whole. This agreement takes our successful partnership to 2013, with an option to renew the deal for a further three years beyond that date.”

In related news, integrated marketing agency Space has unveiled 2010’s campaign theme, a follow up to this year’s  John Smith’s People’s Race. The campaign, which will be linked to the Grand National and 90 other race meetings across the country, will give John Smith’s drinkers a chance to own a part-share in a racehorse called Smith The Horse, a three-year old gelding by 2003 Derby winner Kris Kin.

From January, John Smith’s stockists will take part in a Smithy the Horse promotion which will see a share distributed to anyone who purchases a pint of John Smith’s and then takes the time to register. All owners will be able to vote online on decisions on his progress - for example on the meets he should race at.  They will also receive regular updates on the horse’s progress and have a chance to meet Smithy at races and at his stables throughout the campaign.

Smithy will run his first race in January to coincide with the launch of the pub promotion. Gareth Turner, senior brand manager at John Smith’s, said: “Space has created much more than just an exciting campaign that engages with core John Smith’s drinkers. In Smithy we have a new ambassador for John Smith’s racing who will be followed by up to 250,000 share-owning consumers next year.”

David Atkinson, managing partner at Space, said: “To follow the success of the John Smith’s People’s Race we were looking to create a campaign that put John Smith’s at the heart of the conversation in horse racing. We believe that this is an innovation which will capture the hearts and minds of John Smith’s drinkers and horse racing fans.”

Sky Sports has been told by media regulator Ofcom that it cannot attach a sponsor to its onscreen technology Hawk-Eye, which is used by TV pundits to review decisions made by sports referees in competitions such as The Ashes.   

Sky argued that Hawk-Eye - sponsored by Specsavers - is open to commercial branding in the same way that scoreboards and timing devices are. But Ofcom rejected that defence - ruling instead that the technology is an editorial enhancement and therefore a part of the programme itself.

A key concern for Ofcom was that a decision in favour of Sky would have opened the floodgates - allowing other broadcasters to attach sponsors to sports production tools.

There’s still some uncertainty about which F1 team World Champion Jenson Button will race with next year. Although Button would like to stay with Brawn GP, his decision to do so depends on the fee that the team are able to offer him.

In his title-winning season, Button took a big pay-cut to race for Brawn. But now he wants his earnings to be more in line with his status on the grid. Brawn would like to oblige - but their ability to do so depends on the calibre of commercial partners that the team is able to bring in.

Current reports suggest that Mercedes is thinking of buying a stake in Brawn - a move which would provide the funds to secure Button’s services. Failing that, he might move to McLaren - which raises the intriguing possibility of him racing alongside Lewis Hamilton. That could represent a mouth-watering combination for a Brit-based sponsor.

The shortlist for the 2009 ESA European Sponsorship Awards, which takes place on November 25th, has been released this week and features brands such as Guinness, Vodafone, Heineken, McDonalds, Bacardi and PUMA.  

Bacardi and PUMA are shortlisted in two categories. Bacardi’s Champions Drink Responsibly campaign is a contender in the ESA International and ESA Business to Community categories while PUMA Ocean Racing is in both the ESA International and ESA Business to Consumer categories. Elsewhere, Turkish mobile company Turk Telekom is listed in both the ESA Business to Community and ESA Business to Employee categories, with its Schools and Beyond – for the Education of Turkey’s Young project. 

Entries were received from ten European countries and have been judged by a panel from across the continent. The second round of judging is underway and winners will be announced on November 25th at London’s Café de Paris.  

The full shortlist is available at www.sponsorship.org/awShortlist.asp. Tickets to the Ceremony are on sale now at +44 (0) 208 390 3311. The Ceremony is part of the two-day European sponsorship conference, Future Sponsorship, which runs from November 25-26 at the May Fair hotel.

Thomas Cook is the latest big brand to be unveiled as a partner for the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics. The deal, reckoned to be worth £20 million, positions the high street travel group as a Tier 2 sponsor.

The company has lost no time promoting the partnership - which makes Thomas Cook the exclusive provider of UK short breaks to the event. Within hours of the deal being announced, it had unleashed plans for a promotional campaign covering high street shops, marketing materials and aircraft.

Commenting on the deal, chief executive Manny Fontenla-Novoa said: “I think there will be huge demand and our staff are very excited about it. I remember what it was like for the last Football World Cup and this is a much bigger event. We made a big financial commitment, but it’s about much more than making money - I’m not sure we could put a value on it.”

Fontenla-Novoa admits that Thomas Cook’s overseas holiday sales could be hit by the 2012 Games, but hopes the new deal will counter that. He expects Thomas Cook to sell more than 250,000 tickets with its packages - around 3% of total tickets on sale.

Friends Provident has signed a deal with The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) through which it becomes title sponsor of T20, the new domestic Twenty20 competition.

The four-year deal, which runs from 2010-2013, will see the competition named as the Friends Provident T20. In addition, the brand will receive in-ground advertising via media such as perimeter boards, big screens and dugouts.

Friends Provident is not new to cricket - having previously sponsored the ECB’s domestic 50-over competition. Commenting on new deal, ECB Commercial Director John Perera said: “Friends Provident has shown a commitment to the sport for over a decade and the next four years will be another important period. T20 is set to be a hugely exciting competition. In partnership with Friends Provident, we will offer spectators an unforgettable season of cricket.”

Sports marketing agency Essentially has been appointed to secure a title sponsor for Super 15 Rugby, the flagship competition of SANZAR, the body which represents the rugby unions of South Africa, New Zealand and Australia.

This is the first time SANZAR has sought a global sponsor for the competition - which will expand to 15 teams from  the start of the 2011 season. That is also when the new sponsorship will also kick off if Essentially is successful.

The move reinforces Essentially’s strong position in rugby - a sport where it has represented the Heineken Cup and the 2009 British & Irish Lions. The company has also made strong headway in cricket during the last few months.

The SANZAR deal, which should result in a sponsor being named by the start of 2010, is Essentially’s first big business announcement since it agreed to become part of Chime Communications in September. At that time, Essentially chairman John Byfield called the link up with Chime “an excellent opportunity to develop Essentially’s business as part of Chime’s strong sports marketing offering. There is a good strategic and cultural fit. Our staff, clients and shareholders will all benefit from the new association.”