White says:

“How cool is to be Wight Vodka’s Brand Czar for the next year? Very cool. Let’s face the facts! When Ritu and I worked together last year on the OSTAR, I knew we were onto something special. Wight Vodka has such a fabulous focus on the yachting lifestyle that I love so much, that the White and Wight partnership was destined to mature. This is just one more step in a long partnership together!”

The role will make Hannah the face of the brand in several activation campaigns throughout the year.

I’ll be marketing and promoting the Wight Vodka brand everywhere I travel. If you’re a bar or yacht club on the Atlantic or Pacific coast that I’ll be visiting over the coming year, you better have Wight Vodka on the top shelf! I’m also launching a news service to the yachting fraternity through a series of Podcasts over the coming 12 months, with a deeper insight into the sailor’s competitive and somewhat hectic lifestyle than previously seen. We’re calling these Vodcasts in recognition of Wight Vodka’s support. I’ll also be carrying the Wight Vodka branding on the boat and our kit.

Ritu Manocha, owner of 50 North, the company behind Wight Vodka says:

“This is a significant step forward for the White and Wight brand alliance. We knew from working with Hannah on her fabulous trans-Atlantic success in the 2009 OSTAR that we wanted to continue with our relationship. ‘White and Wight’ is such an obviously superb pairing. The hardest part of this relationship was figuring out what to call Hannah: Brand Ambassador? Emissary? Brand Agent (or Secret Agent)? Special Envoy? We went for Brand Czar because it sounded right with just a little edge to it!”

More Sailing Sponsorship News…

The Artemis Challenge

The annual IMOCA 60 sprint round the Isle of Wight, has this year attracted an impressive line up of entries from across Europe. The event will combine celebrity guests with some of the biggest names in ocean racing to compete for a £10,000 charity prize fund.

Artemis still own their Open 60, despite it being phased out of their sailing portfolio and ‘Artemis Ocean Racing’ will be helmed by double Olympic medallist Simon Hiscocks. Steve White, who has announced an ambitious round the world record attempt will compete aboard ‘Toe in the Water’ and Dee Caffari will compete in ‘Gaes Centros Auditivos’ having recently joined the Spanish-based team.

Up against the British contingent will be Roland Jourdain on Veolia Environment, Arnaud Boissières skippering Akena Verandas and Ryan Breymaier and Boris Herrmann, who will later this year compete in the Barcelona World Race aboard VE1.

The event, now in its fourth year, will take place on Tuesday 3rd August. It provides weekend and semi-pro sailors the chance to see these incredible professional machines and their skippers up close in UK waters.

The Artemis Even Keel Challenge

A fleet of six Simon Rogers-designed Artemis 20 keelboats, helmed by qualified UKSA skippers and crewed by 12 novice sailors from a mixed background of disability or disadvantage, will compete for the inaugural Artemis Even Keel Challenge Trophy over two days at Cowes Week. The race winners from Day 1 will then be joined by some of the leading names in sailing for what is set to be a highly competitive Pro-Am finale on Day 2. Each celebrity sailor will guest helm on the final race.

This new series is the brainchild of the Even Keel Project and its partners UKSA and is being mounted with the full backing and support of its primary sponsor Artemis Investment Management. The Artemis Even Keel Challenge has been put in place to help promote sailing as a ‘sport for all’ to Cowes Week’s massive audience of sailors, media and spectators.

The Challenge series kicks off on Sunday 1st August at 5.30pm over a set course off Princes Green, between the Royal Yacht Squadron and Egypt Point. They will race under the official rules of racing and the watchful eye of a Race Officer and each race will last around 30 minutes. The top three sailors from each race qualify for the final on Day 2, Monday 2nd August at 5.30pm. Spectators will then enjoy watching a host of top-flight sailors and their crew fighting it out to win the inaugural Even Keel Challenge Trophy that will be presented by a VIP guest at a prize giving ceremony after racing is completed.

Speaking on behalf of The Even Keel Project, Managing Director Dave Rutter said:

“Since the start of the Artemis Even Keel Project at UKSA, it has been both humbling and invigorating to see so many people sign up to use the project from such a wide range of disabilities and backgrounds many of whom had never sailed before. Watching them signing up for more sailing having caught the bug is simply fantastic. To now have the support of some of the world’s best sailors is quite simply adding icing on the cake.”

More Cowes Week News…

Watches and sailing just go together. You’re not a sailing event or team if you don’t have a watch sponsor, and this week, the Superyacht Cup have announced that Cuervo y Sobrinos will be the timepiece of choice for the event. Marzio Villa, CEO of Cuervo y Sobrinos said:

“We are delighted to be involved with The Superyacht Cup. The design and performance credentials so essential in our unique range of watches are reflected in the elegance and style of these amazing yachts. We are very much looking forward to supporting this special regatta in Palma.”

MedAire has also confirmed sponsorship this week at the silver level. For 25 years, the company has provided medical training, onboard medical kits and remote medical care to crew and guests on yachts, business jets and airlines via its 24/7 MedLink hotline. MedAire’s yachting team will exhibit at the SYC to explain the importance of having a medical solutions provider – particularly for competitive sailors and remote ships at sea.

The participating yachts in this year’s Superyacht Cup are, as usual, a wide range of sizes, designs and styles, each having been custom-built to suit owners’ individual requirements and desires. Of the fleet, 14 yachts have taken part in previous Superyacht Cup events while 10 are newcomers.

The very latest is Singularity. At 24.5 metres (80-feet) with a maximum beam of 5.33m (17.49-feet), the Lutra 80 Singularity is a slender thoroughbred, conceived with performance and luxury in mind. Her starting premise was to go fast in comfort.

Her conception at McConaghy’s in Sydney left no doubt that speed was of the essence – of her 24.5 tonnes, only 1.5 tonnes was given over to the internal fit-out.

McConaghy was selected as the builder early in the project. Its record of producing clean fast racing yachts, such as Alfa Romeo II and Wild Oats XI, has given the yard an enviable reputation in the racing world. Singularity, though, was the yard’s first true performance cruiser commission. The team at McConaghy led by Jono Morris helped Dutch Naval Architect, Adrian Konyendyk of Lutra Yacht Design, and the Owner’s Representative, Oleg Gulinskiy, a Muscovite, put together an international task force of experts all of whom have contributed massively to maintaining the integrity of the project.

Following her build completion in February of this year, Singularity underwent an extended period of sea-trials, specifically aimed at proving the theory that she would be fast. Singularity’s boat captain, Andrew Jackson, was joined on the mission to put the yacht through an exhausting examination by round the world racer Bouwe Bekking, the yacht’s racing skipper, and, Alistair Pratt from North Sails Australia, coordinator of the inventory.

All three have been delighted with the results. That no major adjustments to the inventory resulted suggests the preliminary work was a singular success.

Singularity is not just a one-off; she has been developed with repetition in mind!

With increased television coverage of the our in 2010, boat sponsorship along with team clothing represents the best value deals within the tour (leaving aside title sponsorship for the moment). Sponsoring a boat is highly localised, and sponsoring team kit gets exposure at all 10 global events.

The Stena Match Cup Sweden has set the benchmark for how a Match Racing Event should be run. The original inspiration for the tour, the Marstrand event attracts thousands of spectators and transforms the whole island into a race-village.

Pelle P, the family owned clothing company,  is extending its sponsorship with Stena Match Cup Sweden after two successful years. Last year, the company increased its turnover by 40 % to 23 million SEK with a result of 1,8 million SEK. This year, Pelle P estimates an additional growth of more than 50 % and to double the result.

Pelle P has a strong connection to sailing. The company has its origin from the sailing legend Pelle Petterson who also has a unique skill as a successful designer and world–renowned competition yachtsman.  As a small company, becoming a boat sponsor in a substantial event like Stena Match Cup Sweden is a big investment. However, Pelle P has already received good return on their investment.

Cecilia Petterson, CEO and designer at Pelle P says:

We have managed to find an event where we can focus on the brand and the product design simultaneously, which is normally a challenge. Looking back, we took a big decision to become a boat sponsor, and we made the right one. This event has clearly contributed to the positive development of the company.

Pelle P has been a boat sponsor to Stena Match Cup Sweden since 2008 and is now extending the contract for three years.

Jan Torstenson, Stena Match Cup Sweden says:

It’s fantastic to see a partner making use of their sponsorship in such a brilliant way. With a clear strategy, Pelle P has used the event as a communications platform and combined exposure, product placement and relationship building activities. An engaged sponsor like Pelle P increases the quality of the event.

As part of the deal, Pelle P also provides event organisers and volunteers with practical clothing for the event. 200 people around the island will become walking manequins for the product during the week.

Martin Olsson continues, Sales manager, Pelle P:

Stena Match Cup Sweden is our biggest market activity during the year. Match racing as a sport feels very natural for us, and the event enables us to meet our target groups in our right environment during positive circumstances. A good combination of business and pleasure.

More World Match Racing Tour News…

Earlier in the year, Marseille hosted the World Match Racing Tour and stepped up their on-shore entertainment so that spectators could feel more involved with the sport.

Now, the Marseille Trophy, the second regatta of this season’s Audi MedCup Circuit, has opened its Public Village. If you can’t see the boats sailing, why not come down to pontoon day and see them floating in the docks? Free access to the Public Village allows visitors to really experience the heart of the regatta atmosphere at a location which is in the middle of Marseille’s historic Vieux Port. As well as interactive contests with the sailors the sailing will be on a screen thanks to the 3D Virtual Eye system.

It’s a great investment in sponsorship activation, something that should alert visitors to the city who otherwise had no idea that a sailing event was taking place to the racing.

Rather than sit at home and watch on the internet, The ‘LiveZone’ is not the name for the race-course where spectators can follow the action, instead it is a stage and big screen that visitors will be able to concerts, contests, interviews, and broadcasting live the action straight from the water.

All this is great, but the PR is stretching a bit when it has to tempt guests with offers like:

In front of the stage, the Chill Out Zone offers comfortable sofas and atomised water cooling, for the visitor to chill out while enjoying the show.

Nevertheless, the future of the sport is in good hands. Why do inflatable playgrounds need to be shaped like castles…? An inflatable TP52 is one of the attractions for kids.

More TP52 News…

Audi has announced that it will support one of Australia’s premier keelboat regattas for another three years, bringing its title sponsorship of Audi Hamilton Island Race Week to six years and its involvement in the event to seven.

The 27th regatta is scheduled to take place from 20-28 August, 2010 and will feature the inclusion of a new division for superyachts, including Lang Walker’s magnificent new 58-metre sloop, Kokomo. In contrast to an event that hosted 93 yachts in 1984 on an Island under early construction, 200 boats now race from the start-line of the newly opened Hamilton Island Yacht Club. Australia’s premier yachts and well-known faces flock to the Whitsundays Island for the week-long spectacle that many now consider a central fixture on Australia’s social and sporting calendar.

Javier Degen, Hamilton Island Marketing Director stated,

“Race Week has grown immensely over the last few years and we are delighted with the continuation of our partnership with Audi. Last year’s social program further raised the bar of what people have come to expect of the event and plans are in full swing to ensure that we do not disappoint this year. The stunning new Hamilton Island Yacht Club will form a central venue for the week’s events and the new Hamilton Island Golf Club will provide an extra element to the week for those who are looking for an alternative to the sailing.”

Anna Burgdorf, General Manager of Corporate Communications at Audi Australia, stated,

“Our sponsorship of Audi Hamilton Island Race Week is one of the key events in our national sailing sponsorship program. It is the jewel in the crown of our annual program for customers and guests who attend the event, and importantly it is also the final race in our prestigious four-part Audi IRC Australian Championship series. The competition and carnival atmosphere of the regatta makes this a special event on which to conclude the championship. We take our sponsorship of the event very seriously – awarding a brand new Audi vehicle to the winning team of the week’s racing.”

What does sponsorship mean for professional sailors? The bottom line is that the less a competitor has to worry about money, the more they can concentrate on training to be better. When that training is full-time on the course that will used for the Olympic games, the advantage is significant. But sponsorship is a two-way street and athletes need to give back to the brands that are investing in them.

Sarah Ayton, one of the original ‘three blondes in a boat’, has today unveiled her bid to become the first British woman to win three successive Olympic gold medals.

With the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games now less than 30 months away, Sarah Ayton has announced her plans to campaign for a third gold in London, in the two person 470 dinghy with her team-mate confirmed as seasoned 470 campaigner Saskia Clark. Their long-awaited news was revealed in conjunction with the announcement that Volvo Car UK will be backing their campaign as part of the Team Volvo for life sponsorship programme in addition to their support from Skandia Team GBR, the British sailing team.

Duncan Forrester, Head of Public Affairs, Events and Sponsorship for Volvo Car UK believes that sailing is the perfect fit for a the brand and that new technology like Social media can be used to activate campaigns for the benefit of athletes, fans and the desired audience.

For Forrester, sailing is an ‘underutlised’ sport, which means that there are less brands competing for the attention of a desirable audience. His audience is a broad one including the Volvo Car dealer network and those in the market to buy a vehicle to tow their boats and the ‘Team for Life’ concept promotes the brand strapline – “There’s more to life than a Volvo, that’s why you drive one.”

Of course Volvo is still known for it’s safety message, no matter how many ‘Life at the Extreme’ positioning statements they make. Supporting the UK’s sailors fits into the ‘caring for people’ aspect of the brand. The sponsorship consists of financial support and transportation and goes a long way to allowing athletes to focus entirely on training and being the best they can be.

Also announced as part of the new-look Team Volvo for life was Sarah Ayton’s husband, windsurfing world champion and Olympic bronze medallist Nick Dempsey. He is basing much of his time in 2010 training in Weymouth with his goal to win the Skandia Sail for Gold regatta in August.

“2012 will come around really quickly and by getting as much practice in Weymouth as possible it will really improve my chances for a successful Olympics.”

Volvo Car UK has backed Paul Goodison to glory since 2005 and will continue to do so as the proud Sheffield lad is aiming to become the cities first double gold medallist in 2012. Paul also happens be Saskia Clark’s partner, with the pair being neighbours to the Sarah and Nick in Weymouth.

“I am really happy to have the backing of Volvo for another Olympic campaign. I want to replicate what I have done in the past by securing gold at the games here in 2012, as well as successfully defend my European and World Laser Championships.”

Volvo Car UK has also pledged to continue their support for leading Paralympic sailor Helena Lucas. Now she is working tirelessly to turn disappointment to success in 2012. Helena has started her 2010 season off well winning a silver media last month at the Princess Sofia Regatta in Palma. Ben Ainslie is also part of the Team for Life.

Sponsoring brands like Volvo are moving faster on innovating their marketing than the sport of sailing. Some PR companies that specialise in sailing have dismissed social media, or grudgingly adopted it at the request of clients. Duncan Forrester believes that social media is the future of PR, especially for a brand that is focussed on a young, enthusiastic audience.

The new look Team Volvo for life will be inviting the public to become more involved in their campaigns in the build up to London via a new Team Volvo for life website and Facebook page. The Facebook page will feature monthly videos of the sailors including their views, coaching and expert tips, Fans will be encouraged to give their views as well as asking questions directly to the sailors on during their monthly live chats. This is the payback – for sailors to take this kind of support from companies, they will have to give up part of their lives to participate in marketing activities.

The Team For Life campaign is just part of Volvo’s commitment to sailing. The company supports the sport at a grass roots level through backing of the RYA and Optimist regattas, they participate in events like the Round the Island Race and arrange regattas for internal purposes. At the elite level, there is Team For Life and of course the Volvo Ocean Race.

While not directly involved in the Volvo Ocean Race, Volvo Cars UK is already planning to make the most of the race finish in Galway.

The social media part of Team for Life can be accessed via – http://www.facebook.com/VolvoCarsSailing – Photos from yesterday are already there…

Our video from the announcement is below…

Unlike the big-boat world,  where manufacturers can’t see the point of using racing to sell more boats, LaserPerformance is using the USSTAG sponsorship to strengthen its position as the world’s largest supplier of recreational and high performance sailboats. The company will strengthen their commitment to the teams by providing direct funding and, in addition, donating two ready-to-sail Laser sailboats annually, which will be auctioned at future fundraisers. The proceeds will directly benefit Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls.

Since 2001, LaserPerformance has shown a strong commitment to supporting the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics, as well as the pipeline programs for developing young talent in the Laser and Laser Radial, the men’s and women’s singlehanded dinghy sailboats selected for the 2012 Olympic Games. In 2008, LaserPerformance also sponsored the five-person youth team that competed at the Laser Radial Youth World Championship in Takapuna Beach, New Zealand.

Dan Cooney, USSTAG’s Commercial Director said:

“LaserPerformance is a critical player in the sailing industry and we have been fortunate to have had their long-term support. We are delighted that, after seeing the changes we have made to the Commercial Program, LaserPerformance has decided to step-up their commitment and become a Silver Partner. It’s just a great match between two organizations that are both driven to obtain the highest levels of performance.”

LaserPerformance’s long-time partnership with the USSTAG serves as a valuable opportunity for both organizations to raise the profile of sailing, and ultimately, introduce more people to the sport across the country. Chip Wilkerson, Vice President of Marketing for LaserPerformance said:

“We’re very excited to support the team again. We look forward to working with US SAILING, the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics and the US Sailing Development Team to showcase the sport and get more people involved in sailing.”

Often new technology is utilised to allow disabled sailors to get on the water, but other programmes make the most of being part of a team to encourage participation. In the UK, programmes like Toe in the Water and the Even Keel Project are showing that this open access to the sport can really deliver results for participants.

Last week the Even Keel Project held an Open Day  in Cowes with partners Artemis Investment Management and UKSA. Managing Director of The Even Keel Project, David Rutter, presented a brief review of how the Project has started to really move forward over the past year and outlined the Project’s plans for 2010.

Dave Rutter thanked the Project’s supporters and his team, saying:

“We have achieved so much during the brief time we have been afloat and we fully appreciate that none of this would have been possible without the support of many organisations, for which we are truly appreciative.

“Trying to get new ideas and projects established is never easy during the best of times let alone while a recession has been in full flow, so for the project to have achieved so much in 2009 can only be down to the generosity and faith of our sponsors and hard work from all our staff. It has been a pleasure working with them all and we look forward to 2010 and to rolling out further sites for even more people to enjoy.”

The Project’s mission has moved around a bit, but in general terms is strives to get more people out sailing on equal terms. To date, the focus has been on disabled sailors, but the programme also has application for people who might not otherwise get the opportunity to go sailing.

Key initiatives unveiled for 2010 include:

• The Project’s presence at the IFDS Disabled World Sailing Championships at Medemblik, Netherlands in July that will enable The Even Keel to showcase the Artemis 20 to a global audience.
• The launch of the Artemis Even Keel Challenge that is being raced over three days during Cowes Week 2010 to introduce the most aspiring disabled sailing candidates of the Even Keel’s season to this most prestigious and fun annual racing fixture. The winners will then have the opportunity to crew for professional sailing celebrities in the culmination of the Challenge on Day 3.

The project has managed to secure a long-term agreement with UKSA in Cowes, Isle of Wight, as The Even Keel Project’s UK base, but the plan is to replicate the programme around the world. The management team is in negotiation to establish centres of excellence in Boston Mass, Rotterdam and in Poland.

Simon Davies, Director of Youth Development at UKSA, commented:

“We are absolutely delighted to be getting involved and to be hosting this inspirational project in the UK. Sailing is one of only a few sports where having a physical disability does not have to be a disadvantage. We are delighted to have been able to offer hundreds of sailors access to the water at UKSA through our adaptive sailing programme and that this project will allow us to help hundreds more.”

And finally to the sponsorship bit. Many of the stories we cover are about companies using sailing sponsorship in a traditional sports marketing way. The values are about competition and being the best, innovating, developing great teams. Sponsorship of the Even Keel Project is a different kind of sponsorship. It shows that companies are committed to diversity and giving back to the community. The teamwork element is still there, but there is a greater focus on corporate, social responsibility (CSR) than sponsoring an America’s Cup team for example. The project is especially grateful to its title sponsor, Artemis, for its continued support. Artemis is a dedicated active investment management house, specialising in investments and asset management for retail investors and segregated institutional investment management.

More info at www.theevenkeel.com

Also in the UK, the Toe in the Water project uses sailing to get injured servicemen and women back into high performing teams. Cowes.co.uk tells more in this interview …

The NZ America’s Cup challenger has announced that the new official technical clothing supplier will be Gill. The word technical suggests that the door has been left open for a more fashion oriented brand to supply the team with off-the-water kit.

Gill, which is currently supporting the UK tri-services project; exercise Transglobe, will be supplying a range of if its technical product for both the prestigious Louis Vuitton Trophy events during 2010, and the TP52 taking part in this seasons Audi Medcup.

Emirates Team New Zealand Managing Director Grant Dalton said he is pleased to welcome Gill to the team.

“The partnership brings together Emirates Team New Zealand and Gill, an acknowledged world leader in research, development, design and production of high-performance technical sailing clothing. Gill is a brand the team is proud to wear.”

Founder and Chairman of Gill, Nick Gill commented

“we have been developing high performance technical clothing for exactly these environments and this partnership offers a great opportunity to have the gear on the water with a fabulous team which are at the absolute pinnacle of performance sailing. Our new Race Collection for example has been developed specifically for this area of the sport. In elite events such as these it is the details that make the difference between winning and losing. Our high performance garments will be exposed to the race environment which they were designed for, we trust that they will excel and hope that they may even make the difference that turns a 2nd into a 1st.”