Hollis Sponsorship Bulletin

Barclays has put its name to London’s cycle hire scheme which will launch in the capital on the 30th of July.  The deal, which is worth up to £25 million over five years, also includes the Barclays Cycle Superhighways with the first two of twelve planned cycle routes set to launch in the capital on the 19th of July.
The £25 million sponsorship deal will give Barclays naming rights for the two flagship cycling schemes and branding on the hire scheme’s new bicycles, maintenance support vehicles and on the uniforms of maintenance staff, as well as on all marketing and communications materials.
From end July, 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 one travel area, as part of what will now be known as the Barclays Cycle Hire.
A programme of 45 Barclays Cycle Hire roadshows across central London was also launched.  Information on the new Barclays Cycle Superhighways will feature on the roadshows closest to the chosen routes.
Deanna Oppenheimer, CEO UK Retail Bank and Vice Chair Global Retail Bank, at Barclays said: “We are really excited to be part of these two flagship schemes that will help Londoners to lead more active lives and promote the benefits of cycling as a sustainable, environmentally friendly mode of transport. It will also take our brand around London, one of the most famous cities in the world and the home of our global headquarters, in an eye-catching and innovative way. So we look forward to supporting this programme. We are sure these schemes will become as iconic as the Tube or London buses.”
 

The Premier League is hoping to boost its portfolio of sponsors by adding a technology partner to its sponsorship and partnership programme. The partner, who would need to be in place for the start of the 2010/11 season, will offer the League expertise in meeting demand for more professional and fan-based information about the Barclays Premier League matches. This is the first new category to be added to the portfolio since the Official Beer category, sponsored by Budweiser.

Sales and marketing director at the Premier League, Richard Masters, said: “The kind of sponsors we are going to be attracting are those that can exploit the digital space and those with an international platform.”

Barclays has again flexed its financial muscles this week by renewing its title sponsorship of golf’s prestigious Singapore Open until 2012. Under the terms of the agreement, prize money at the event will remain at least $5 million - making it one of the top events in Asia-Pacific.

“This is a fantastic event for Barclays and we are excited about growing the tournament as a cornerstone of our brand strategy,” said Robert Morrice, CEO of Barclays Asia-Pac.

Elsewhere, mobile brand Sony Ericsson is yet to decide if it will renew its six year, U$88 million sponsorship of the Women’s WTA Tour beyond the 2010 playing season. 

Speaking at a WTA event in Doha, Sony Ericsson’s head of global communications Aldo Liguori said: “We haven’t made any decision yet, and all options are open. We will announce the decision alongside our partner at the appropriate time.” Sony Ericsson has until the end of this year to decide whether to renew. If it doesn’t, then the race will be on for the WTA to find a suitable alternative.

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.”

IMG has been appointed as exclusive corporate hospitality partner for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals - which makes its London debut from 22-29 November 2009.  The O2 arena will host the event for the next five years.

IMG will be responsible for the sales and implementation of corporate hospitality at the star-studded event throughout the five-year period it is in London.  Commenting on the announcement, Peter Worth SVP IMG said “IMG is delighted to have secured a five year partnership to sell and deliver corporate hospitality packages at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. We look forward to delivering a first class hospitality programme at this exciting tournament.”

In a separate development, Evian has appointed Fantastic Thinking to create a digital campaign around its Wimbledon sponsorship. Danone-owned Evian sponsored Wimbledon for the first time last year and won the Hollis Sponsorship Of The Year Award for its efforts. Fantastic Thinking will update Evian’s Wimbledon website and develop its online strategy. Evian’s deal runs for five years.