Hollis Sponsorship Bulletin

Professional skincare brand Monu has signed an initial one-year sponsorship agreement, including title sponsorship, with the OTECC (Oliver Townend Eventers Challenge Championship) equestrian shows worth £70,000. 
 Laurent van Bekkum, managing director of Monu says: “We were looking for a marketing vehicle that offered us a predominantly female audience.  We also wanted an audience that was active and sporty and therefore reflected the Monu brand.  OTECC fitted the bill perfectly.
“In addition, we wanted to work with events that had a nationwide reach, rather than being too London and South East centric as many events are.”
 Included in the agreement, and as part of the experiential element of the programme, Monu is supplying complimentary products for all competitors.  Monu wants to take the product into everyday environments, thereby allowing the user to test the efficacy of the skincare range in the field.

Event branding specialist Icon has been appointed as the principal signage provider for The 2010 Ryder Cup at The Celtic Manor Resort, Newport, Wales  at the beginning of October.   Icon will be responsible for delivering elements of the event’s look, along with the entrance feature, on-course branding and general signage.
 Icon’s agreement with Ryder Cup Ltd also requires the company to provide similar services at The 2014 Ryder Cup which will be held at Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland.
 Andrew Hodson, Sales and Marketing Director for Icon, said: “We are delighted to be involved with such a prestigious international event, seen by many as the pinnacle of the golfing calendar.  With only three months to go, our initial planning and surveying is well underway and we are working closely with Ryder Cup Limited to ensure that we meet all the necessary deadlines.  
 “It is vital that the course signage really brings the event and Ryder Cup partners’ involvement to life, not only for those attending, but also for the international television audience that this event attracts.”
 Icon has also worked at The Ryder Cup at Valderrama in Spain in 1997 and 2006 at The K Club in Ireland.  More recently the company has supplied signage and branding solutions at the Dubai World Golf Championship and continued its long term involvement with the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Club.

Following the success of last year’s inaugural Asian Amateur Championship in China, the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) has retained brandRapport, to manage international media and PR services for the event.  brandRapport has also been tasked with developing a local promotional campaign to drive attendance at Asia’s leading amateur golf tournament, which this year will be held in Japan.
The 2010 Asian Amateur Championship will be played October 7-10 at Kasumigaseki Country Club on the outskirts of Tokyo.  Featuring the top amateur golfers from the 34 member nations of the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), the tournament is supported by The R&A and the Masters.
Dan Parr, Associate Director at brandRapport, commented:  “The Asian Amateur Championship plays a pivotal role in the development of the game throughout Asia Pacific.  With the winner securing a start at the Masters and a spot in final qualifying for the Open Championship, this tournament is without doubt the most important amateur golf event in the region.  We’re looking forward to continuing a successful partnership and playing our part in further building the reputation of the Asian Amateur Championship.”

Sponsorship and associative marketing agency, brandRapport has closed its Guildford office and moved all operations to new London premises .
Following the sale of the company to CSS Stellar in 2001, the company became known as the GEM Group but changed to brandRapport and became part of the Ingenious Media Group in 2007.  Since then the company has made several acquisitions including UK based sponsorship agency Arena International.  Larger London premises were required and most of the agency’s UK staff will now be based at the new offices.  A few will remain at the agency’s other UK office in Manchester.
Following the acquisition of SponsorClick in Paris, brandRapport France was formed and then Arena International was incorporated into brandRapport in 2008. The agency has offices in Hong Kong and in May completed an agreement with Singapore-based Fulford PR’s sports department – combining strengths to build a leading sports PR & sponsorship team in Asia. See story above.
 brandRapport has enjoyed a number of successes in recent years including being voted Sponsorship Agency of the year in 2008 at the Hollis Sponsorship Awards.  The agency’s client list now includes Vodafone, Barclays, E.ON, Panasonic, Magners, LV=, Crédit Agricole, Nestlé Waters and J&J.  Five times Olympic Gold Medallist, Sir Steve Redgrave, is now Chairman of the agency’s International Advisory Board.

 UK equine insurance provider, Petplan Equine has confirmed the competition dates for its 11th year as title sponsor of the British Dressage Area Festivals, making it one of the sport’s longest running sponsorships.
The Petplan Equine Area Festivals, or ‘The Petplans’ as they have become known, is a series of 15 dressage competitions that runs from August to October. The Finals are held the following April alongside the British Dressage Winter Championships at Hartpury College in Gloucestershire and feature ten Petplan Equine Area Festival Championship titles ranging from Petplan Equine Area Festival Preliminary Champion to the Petplan Equine Area Festival Prix St Georges Champion.
Held at top dressage venues throughout the UK, the Petplan Equine Area Festivals attract around 3,000 participants and give grassroots riders the chance to compete in top class dressage arenas and experience true championship conditions.

Rugby World Cup Limited (RWCL) has secured Toshiba as an Official Sponsor of Rugby World Cup 2011 in New Zealand. The global electronics giant will provide rugby’s showcase tournament with its range of  products including televisions, notebook PCs and digital multi-function services.

The announcement extends Toshiba’s association with the world’s third largest single sporting event following its sponsorship of Rugby World Cup 2007 and underlines Toshiba’s commitment to the global development and promotion of Rugby.

The announcement of Toshiba as an Official Sponsor follows the appointment of Emirates Airline, MasterCard, Heineken and ANZ as Rugby World Cup 2011 Worldwide Partners, Brancott Estate as Official Sponsor, Licensing in Motion and RTH as Master Licencees, Canterbury as Official Sportswear Supplier, Gilbert Rugby as the Official Ball Supplier, Russell McVeagh as Official Law Firm and KPMG as Official Tournament Supplier of accounting and tax advisory services.

“Rugby World Cup Limited is delighted to announce that Toshiba has joined the impressive list of sponsors for Rugby World Cup 2011. The reappointment of a world leader in the electronics field further underlines the enormous attraction and prestige of the Tournament in the global sporting calendar,” said RWCL Chairman Bernard Lapasset.

Toshiba will drive Rugby-themed campaigns in the run up to the Tournament, which kicks off on September 9, 2011 when hosts New Zealand takes on Tonga at Eden Park in Auckland. The Tournament activation will include an inventory of stadium signage, corporate advertisements and banner ads on the official website www.rugbyworldcup.com.

“Toshiba is delighted to be continuing our fruitful relationship with this major global sporting event watched by a global audience of billions and we are very much looking forward to building on the success of our sponsorship of Rugby World Cup 2007,” said Mark Whittard, Managing Director, Toshiba (Australia) Pty Ltd.

The RFL and Super League have unveiled  DEWALT, a leading manufacturer of industrial power  tools, as an official partner for the 2010 season.
DEWALT will benefit from  visibility at RFL central games and will be promoted during the season through branding and ticketing as well as through interaction with fans at events.  

The brand has recently backed the exciting ‘Strongest Arm in Super League’ competition. “We are delighted to welcome DEWALT on board as an official sponsor,” said the RFL’s Commercial Director Paul Kimberley. “The RFL is looking forward to working with a successful multi-national company which shares many of the same brand values as our sport.”

Richard Mallinson,  DEWALT’s Group Marketing Manager for UK and Ireland, said: “We believe that as the global popularity of rugby continues to evolve, this exciting new partnership with  the  RFL will help  to  strengthen  and build the profile of our brand .”   

Nationwide Building Society will not be renewing their sponsorship of the England team. “I can confirm that Nationwide Building Society will not be renewing its England team sponsorship with The Football Association after the current agreement expires at the end of July 2010,” Nationwide’s head of sponsorship, Chris Hull told the Press Association.

“Nationwide has been involved with football sponsorship for over a decade and after a fruitful 11-year relationship with The Football Association, the organisation is currently re-focusing its marketing priorities.

“As the world’s largest building society, we will continue to invest in our unique brand position and build on our mutuality and customer credentials. We thank The FA and wish them and the England teams well in all future activities.”

An FA statement said: “The FA and Nationwide have enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship over the past last 11 years. We would like to publicly thank Nationwide for their unstinting support during this time and wish them well in the future.”

LEGO has launched its first 3D cinema ad this week in support of its LEGO Toy Story range, as part of its ongoing sponsorship of Kids AM at VUE Cinemas - now in its third year.

A longstanding supporter of cinema, LEGO has embraced the 3D format with a new creative animating their LEGO Toy Story mini-figures in 3D.  By adding a 3D element to its cinema commercial format, LEGO is aiming to increase value and impact for cinema goers, as well as increased standout and engagement for the brand.

The ad will run in Pearl & Dean cinemas with Toy Story 3, tying the launch of the new range of toys with the release of one of this summer’s most eagerly anticipated family movies and demonstrates the flexibility of cinema as a sponsorship environment in allowing different creative executions to tie in with specific films.

The campaign was the brainchild of Fiona Wright, Marketing Director of LEGO UK, with the support of Carat Sponsorship’s Rob Honeywood and Pearl & Dean’s Joe Copeman.

Sports marketing agency Essentially has teamed up with The Daily Telegraph to launch the Garmin Approach Challenge – a tournament that will be open to all golf clubs and members, offering them the chance to play The Twenty Ten Ryder Cup Course at the Celtic Manor on November 3^rd, a month after the Ryder Cup.  The sponsorship will be promoting the Garmin Approach G5, a touch screen GPS loaded with golf course maps and receiver which measures shot distance.

The Garmin sponsorship offers 50 amateur players who win their club’s qualifying round the chance to play at The Twenty Ten Ryder Cup Course and to compete for a share in a £5,000 development fund for their club pro to provide lessons to junior members.

Mike Vandrau, sales manager at Essentially said: “This is a major win for our business and we are confident of delivering an event and campaign that befits the Garmin brand.”