Sponsors Focus on Consumers At Cowes Week

Oman Sail continues to combine professional sailing with savvy marketing. This is long-term, grown-up strategy meets great execution of tactics. While Leigh McMillan was winning the Cowes Round of the Extreme Sailing Series on Muscat the Wave, the sponsors were making the most of the crowds around the corner in the main Cowes Week entertainment areas.

Cowes Week might have a reputation for being stuffy or old fashioned. Some might say that it is the epitomy of the ‘Flintstone generation’ approach to sailing. That might be true for the classes and teams sailing out of the Royal Yacht Squadron, but demographics in the Yacht Haven and the beer tent is the kind of audience that brands like Aberdeen Asset Management, Oman Air, and Talisker Whiskey want to talk to. Chances are – if you can afford a pair of Dubarry boots and the ability to take a week off to sailing, you are the kind of adventurous traveller who might want to experience travelling to somewhere like Oman.

The advantage that Cowes Week has over some other sailing events, is that the audience is a known quantity. They are not a mythical social media community or some trendy marketing segmentation – they can be well defined by their age, gender, geography and social standing. It might not be millions of (unqualified) TV eyeballs, but that’s the point – some brands don’t want to be mass market.

While the new title sponsor of Cowes Week, Aberdeen Asset Management played to their B2B VIP Guests through closed door hospitality and some flags, Oman Sail and Muscat the Wave, who have a more ‘consumer’ focus, were activating in tried and tested pavement level ways – competitions for data collection mixed with banners and other visual awareness methods which combined with good results on the water.

Oman Sail Renew Offshore Program with MOD70

The MOD70 is gaining momentum. With politics and increasing costs plauging the IMOCA 60 class, the one-design multihull is being looked at seriously by many offshore teams. Now Oman Sail has announced that the MOD70 will be part of the team’s offshore campaign.

Sidney Gavignet, who has skippered the Oman Air Extreme 40 this year will head up the MOD70 program. Sidney joined Oman Sail team in 2010 to skipper the 100 foot trimaran Oman Air Majan in the Route du Rhum. Gavignet, skipper and project manager of Oman Sail MOD70 said:

“For me the MOD70 is the most attractive boat on the water currently. The boats are quick and although I always enjoy racing around the planet, it’s better when it’s quick! Also it’s absolutely one design, similar to the Extreme 40, so racing will be extremely close amongst the six boats from New York to Brest.”

Sidney will step off of the Oman Air’s Extreme 40 after Act 5 of the Extreme Sailing Series in Cowes to manage the MOD70 project and the all important crew selection process. The team will be made up of four top international crew and two top Omani national sailors for the offshore legs with an additional international and Omani sailor joining the crew for the inshore legs. A rigorous selection process will start in October.

One of the main deciders for Oman Sail’s participation in the MOD70 circuit was the destinations the boats will visit in the World and European tours, the majority of which are key markets for Oman with direct flight routes to Muscat with the countries national airline, Oman Air. The programme will continue to promote Oman as a unique luxury tourist destination around the globe.

David Graham, CEO of Oman Sail said:

“The MOD70 will take the Oman Sail project to another level. It is a very powerful boat whose crew will need to have the skill base to perform against some of the world’s best sailors. It will be crucial to recruit the right people to the project and I know we have a number of great sailors in Oman that will earn their place onboard and make Oman proud. It is a truly inspirational project that will provide a platform for our current top sailors compete and develop their sailing skills and inspire a whole new generation of Omani’s into sailing.”

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Volvo Ocean Race organisers have been forced to come up with a new plan to get the competing boats and teams in and out of Abu Dhabi without exposing them to the threat of piracy.

After monitoring the increasing security concerns related to piracy and taking advice from marine safety experts Dryad Maritime Intelligence, a new logistical plan has been developed.

The planned race would have seen competing teams sail through an East African corridor in the Indian Ocean on the second leg from Cape Town to Abu Dhabi and again in the third leg from Abu Dhabi to Sanya in China.

Under the new plan, the boats will race from Cape Town to an undisclosed ‘safe haven’ port, be transported closer to Abu Dhabi by a specialised yacht transport ship and then complete the leg from there. The process will be reversed for the third leg before the race continues on to Sanya, the fourth of 10 host ports in a race that will not finish until July 2012.

Volvo Ocean Race Chief Executive Knut Frostad said:

“This has been an incredibly difficult decision. We have consulted leading naval and commercial intelligence experts and their advice could not have been clearer: ‘Do not risk it.’ The solution we have found means our boats will still be racing into Abu Dhabi and competing in the in-port race there.

“Abu Dhabi is a very important part of our plans, a real highlight being the race’s first-ever stopover in the Middle East, and we will now have a really exciting sprint finish to the emirate over the New Year period as well.”

The route was always going to have an element of risk, but figures supplied by Dryad suggest that the piracy risk is increasing. It says piracy is a well-organised and highly lucrative business and it has expanded into a vast area off the coast of Somalia. In 2010 a record 1,181 seafarers were kidnapped by pirates.

Frostad emphasised that the race would still be a round-the-world challenge.

“We continue to be the only continuous sporting event to visit five continents over nine months of gruelling sailing.”

Abu Dhabi is a race partner as well as host city for the Volvo Ocean Race. The emirate has invested heavily in the infrastructure to host the event, a Volvo 70 and activation of their involvement at events like Cowes Week.

More Volvo Ocean Race News

It’s almost time for another Volvo Ocean Race. With just 100 days to go until the start of the next edition, the teams still have a lot of preparation to do. And while many UK sailing fans will have to wait until July 2012, when the race finishes in Ireland to see the boats, a couple of the teams will compete in the Fastnet Race, giving UK fans a preview of some of the favourites including Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing and Groupama.

Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing Skipper Ian Walker:

“We know some of the other Volvo Ocean Race teams will be there for the Fastnet and we’ll all be looking to flex our muscles without letting too much out of the bag. It will be great to test ourselves against other teams and benchmark how far we have come, and equally importantly, how far is still left to go. It is also a welcome break from training and to will help rekindle that competitive drive which will serve us well over the coming 100 days.

Telefónica skipper Iker Martínez:

“We are starting to feel confident. Little by little we are getting to know each other and the boat is starting to feel like one of us. It doesn’t feel so strange any more being in a boat so different from the last one we had, which will sail against us in the hands of Mike Sanderson (of Team Sanya). It’s odd that we’ll be competing against the old Telefónica Blue, even if she does have a new name.”

PUMA Ocean Racing skipper Ken Read:

“We have really tried to treat every day like its crucial, and these final 100 days are no more important than the beginning days were for this program. I believe this is a good thing. If we were behind in our planning or had a problem, the final days would surely carry quite a bit more significance. Final 100 days? Hopefully, they will just be treated like another day in the office… 100 times.”

Groupama skipper Franck Cammas:

“We were one month late when we launched the boat this spring but it’s all fine today. We managed to qualify and to improve the boat after sailing here. We didn’t break anything and the gauge controls went very well. Groupama 4 is not in race mode yet, but we are working on it. On August 14 we will take part in the Fastnet Race in Cowes before coming back to our base in Lorient. We will head to Alicante at the end of September.”

Team Sanya skipper Mike Sanderson (speaking late last month):

“This campaign is very late in getting going, and there is no doubt that we are handicapped by having to use an older generation boat. That said, we know we need to pitch the boat’s performance into a corner and Telefónica Blue last time was very quick in the light and moderate conditions and potent during inshore racing. Seeing the new boats launched so far, it appears she still might be okay in these conditions. Only time will tell of course, but we do feel that she will offer us a great opportunity to have our ‘day in the sun’.”

And here’s some Emirates Team New Zealand news that doesn’t make sense to publish on the America’s Cup website. The team’s Volvo 70 yacht has departed for Europe. Team NZ’s shipping partner Maersk will be used for the journey.

For a race that calls at nine ports around the world, logistics is a substantial part of the cost-base for a sailing team. For the Volvo Ocean Race, CAMPER in association with Emirates Team NZ will have two shore bases, each consisting of four 40ft shipping containers. In order to have the bases set up in time for the arrival of the team, the two bases will leap-frog each other around the world.

Grant Dalton, Managing Director of Emirates Team New Zealand comments on the partnership:

“Maersk Line have been part of our the team since 2005, and I cannot explain how crucial they are to ensuring the success of our offshore operations. We now have a fleet of yachts involved in regattas around the world, from the America’s Cup, to the Extreme 40’s and now the Volvo Ocean Race. Alongside the boats, we need to ship various support assets such as ribs, and workshops that will manage the boats during competition. Maersk is our lifeline in ensuring we can compete on a world stage.”

For the ‘trainspotter’ types amongst you, the Team NZ PR folks have handily supplied the exact ships that will be used to make the journey. The first part will be on the container ship Maersk Dabou, and then CAMPER will be “trans-shipped” at Petjung Peletas, Malaysia, to the Skagen Maersk at for the 8329 mile voyage to Felixstowe in the United Kingdom.

More Volvo Ocean Race News

A recent edition of the Financial Times’ ‘How to Spend it’ magazine which focused on yachts and boating carried 14 advertisements for watches including the inside front cover double spread, back cover and inside back cover. So there is no doubt that marketing folk think that there is a strong link between the demographic who have big boats and those who buy nice timepieces.

Rolex, Omega, Panerai and Corum are just some of the brands that use sponsorship of sailing to promote themselves.

While the supplement was more about the kind of yachts that appeal to Russian billionaires and Rappers, sailing has long been used to promote watches. And now, IWC Schaffhausen, the International Watch Company, has announced a sponsorship deal with Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) to become the first major sponsor of Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing.

According to the press release, this sailing sponsorship deal is a first for the Swiss brand – the first time IWC has backed a top-tier global sports team. The nature of the deal is to “…foster enhanced promotional and awareness initiatives around the team’s pursuit of top honours.” The watch company will also get some real-estate on the Volvo Open 70.

His Excellency Mubarak Al Muhairi, Director General, ADTA – Team Principal for Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing said:

“We share a pioneering spirit based on the fundamentals of tradition. This is a coming together of two organisations that have a great deal in common, including the pursuit of perfection, strong community responsibility, unwavering commitment to sustainable business practices and the environment, and a desire to excel beyond expectation. Together we will chart a course of mutual and steadfast success.”

Georges Kern, CEO, IWC Schaffhausen said:

“For over 140 years, IWC has epitomised values such as engineering excellence, perfection, pioneering spirit, quality and passion. We are proud to put these attributes to the test as the Official Timekeeper for the forthcoming Volvo Ocean Race and to share them with Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing team.”

IWC Schaffhausen is also the Official Timekeeper of the Volvo Ocean Race. The deal, announced in January means that IWC Schaffhausen will present the 24-hour record prize per race leg, which will be awarded during the prize-giving ceremony at each Host Port. They will also award a special prize for the fastest team over 24-hours in the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12. This prize will be presented at the end of the race in Galway, July 2012. The fastest crewmembers will all be awarded an exclusive IWC timepiece.

More Volvo Ocean Race News

Many yacht racing promoters count tourism and travel organisations amongst their biggest supporters. Cities bid to host events and in return get to raise awareness about a destination and perhaps also a bump in tourism numbers. As the start of the Volvo Ocean Race approaches, some host ports are doing a better job than others of promoting their destination’s Volvo Ocean Race travel packages.

Leading the race is Abu Dhabi. This is perhaps no surprise, given that the tie-up between the team and the venue is so close. The official Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing website features a prominent ‘Plan your trip’ link, though the ‘last mile’ to booking tickets is still left to the consumer to work out via the Visit Abu Dhabi website. This may change as the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) is working with international tour operators, hotels, airlines and other stakeholders to develop compelling New Year-Volvo Ocean Race packages to the emirate.

Other stopovers have little or no information for visitors looking to travel to a Volvo Ocean Race port. There is a holding page at www.galwayvolvooceanrace.com and a splash page at www.volvooceanracemiami.org and in other host-ports like Sanya and Capetown, third party travel operators rank at the top of Google for searches like “Volvo Ocean Race travel packages.”

The Volvo Ocean Race does allow cities to build marine infrastructure with long-term benefits. Boston’s Fan Pier which hosted a stopover for the last edition will host the Extreme Sailing Series over the 4th of July Weekend and Abu Dhabi’s plans to build a 55,000m² ‘Destination Village’ will be of long term benefit as a sailing center to locals and visitors alike.

The village  is being built on the Abu Dhabi Corniche breakwater, adjacent to the Heritage Village and overlooking Abu Dhabi’s city skyline.

The Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) has appointed Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC) to manage development of the site.

TDIC will dredge this section of the Corniche lagoon to allow entry of the 4.5 metre keeled state-of-the-art race yachts and build permanent yacht pontoons. Infrastructure work is due for completion this September. Temporary structure build will run until December when the final phase of installing more than 130 Volvo Ocean Race team gear, hospitality and equipment containers will take place.

His Excellency Mubarak Al Muhairi, Director General, ADTA and Managing Director, TDIC said:

“This will ensure that our hosting leaves a lasting legacy for the emirate and will also boost our long-term ambitions to be recognised as a compelling winter sailing and watersports destination. It will be the place to be at the beginning of 2012 and will be marked by a sensational New Year’s Eve celebration It will also allow visitors to connect with our rich maritime heritage as well as the history of the Volvo Ocean Race and to discover more about sailing as a healthy pastime and sport.”

ADTA is planning an entertainment programme for the two-week stop-over including concerts, a welcoming ceremony for the first arriving yacht, in-port races, pro-am races, city receptions and top-class evening events taking place throughout the city.

The authority is progressing a full-scale stopover sailing programme in conjunction with local stakeholders, which will draw on the near 40 years experience of the Volvo Ocean Race. It will boast entry-level sailing academies for those looking to attempt their first tack and jibe all the way through to traditional dhow racing demonstrations.

It’s not just about tourists though. There is an opportunity to grow the sport in the region. Al Muhairi says:

“This, we hope, will be the start of a renaissance in the uptake of sailing locally. The sea is in our blood and we want to encourage residents, nationals and expatriates alike, to get out onto the water.”

ADTA is working closely with a number of governmental and commercial bodies to successfully stage the Middle East’s first hosting of the Volvo Ocean Race, including Abu Dhabi Sailing & Yacht Club, the Official Host Yacht Club and key partner in the roll-out of the stopover and the junior sailing initiatives; and the Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club, the Technical Headquarters, which will be home to the team areas, media center, photographer centre and the international television broadcast compound.

More Volvo Ocean Race News

When the America’s Cup switched its format from match-racing in monohulls in favour of the more extreme catamaran event, sailors who had spent years developing core skills for the Cup were caught in a bit of no-man’s land. Skippers like Ian Williams, Torvar Mirsky and to a lesser extent, Ben Ainslie have used the World Match Racing Tour to hone their skills in a kind of unnofficial apprenticeship for later Cup chances.

When the catamaran decision was made, names like Glen Ashby and Loick Peyron moved to the top of the America’s Cup teams’ recruitment lists over the skippers on the tour, which might be part of the reason that in 2011, both Mirsky and Williams decided to have a foot in both camps, competing in both the World Match Racing Tour and the Extreme Sailing Series. The former focusses on match-racing while the latter is probably the best place to get to grips with sailing multihulls against opposition at close quarters.

After just 3 outings in the Extreme 40 for The Wave Muscat, one of the Oman Sail entries in the Extreme Sailing Series, Torvar Mirsky has done a deal to helm Venezia Challenge in the next chapter of the America’s Cup.

Cesare Pasotti, Venezia Challenge’s team manager says:

“It’s the best choice we could do. Torvar is young, motivated and extremely skilled, so I asked to Carlo Magna and Emanuela Pulcino to bring him on board”.

From the 14th of June, Torvar Mirsky will train in Palermo at the Club Canottieri Roggero di Lauria – Venezia Challenge’s official sailing club. In July he will move to Cascais to train on the AC45. The timing means that Torvar will not take part in the next round of the Extreme Sailing Series in Boston. His place on the Wave Muscat will be taken by Leigh McMillan.

McMillan is a British two time Olympian and has been acting in a coaching role to Muscat the Wave team in 2011, but is not new to the Extreme Sailing Series. He helmed Ecover to a third place finish in 2010 and in 2009 he took the helm on Oman Sail Masirah in the Extreme Sailing Series Asia, winning the Series.

A statement by Oman Sail said:

Oman Sail have enjoyed working with Torvar who has shown himself as such a bright star in the sport and wish him good luck in what is a great opportunity with the Venezia Challenge Team.

Mirsky is currently in Korea for the latest round of the World Match Racing Tour and it is believed he will continue to race in the WMRT for the rest of the 2011 season where it doesn’t compete with sailing the AC45. It is also believed that Muscat the Wave will continue to provide support to the Match Racing campaign.

The signing of Mirsky is a bit of a media coup for Venezia. While most of the other teams are helmed by the same old men who have campaigned for the cup over the last couple of decades, Torvar is a 20-something, blonde, Australian who has wide appeal – both for traditional sailing audiences, but also the strange, as yet unseen, animal that is the Facebook generation extreme sailing fan. In recent years on the World Match Racing Tour, Torvar has shown that he can also attract both male and female fans.

Expect to see Torvar Mirsky on an America’s Cup promo video near you shortly.

More America’s Cup news…

One of the key considerations for brands looking to use sailing, or any sport for that matter, as a platform to market themselves is the markets that will be exposed to the event. In 2011, the Extreme Sailing Series is venturing outside of its more traditional markets in Europe and visiting cities around the world including Istanbul, Boston and Qingdao.

For teams like Oman Sail, some of the venues are more important than others. For their sponsors, especially Oman Air, there are markets where activation is essential and other countries where local marketing will not be as intense.

Oman Air operates direct flights from many of the countries that the Extreme Sailing Series visits including the UK and has new routes to and from Italy, where the series will visit later in the year.

On the other hand, Boston in the USA, which will be the next event for the series is not as key to the team’s sponsors marketing objectives.

The team has had mixed results in 2011 after dominating the podium for the last couple of years. Both The Wave Muscat and Oman Air have new skippers and in Qingdao, Torvar Mirsky got worldwide media attention for all the wrong reasons – capsizing in spectacular fashion.

The results were a bit better in Turkey, where Oman Sail’s communications team brought along some local celebrities to make the most of the live television coverage and local interest.

We caught up with Oman Sail’s David Graham on the banks of the Golden Horn where racing was taking place. (Watch the video on Youtube here)

More Extreme Sailing Series News

When Mick Doohan retired from MotoGP, with 5 World Motorcycle Championships under his belt, the rights holders of the championship – Dorna – went looking for a new Australian star. They found Casey Stoner, and in doing so, kept thousands of Australian fans interested in the event.

Meanwhile, in sailing. Some of the sports biggest potential ‘rock-stars’ are funding their own campaigns, sleeping on mates couches and flying budget airlines to compete in some of the world’s most elite events.

It’s a shame that Australian brands, looking to compete internationally, haven’t discovered Torvar Mirsky. Mirsky, who turns 25 later this month, has shown that he can beat the world’s best sailors and position himself as a future America’s Cup skipper. But Australian brand’s loss is Oman’s gain and The Wave Muscat will become title sponsor of the team that has a very good chance of being the World Match Racing champions in 2011.

2011 is perhaps Mirsky’s best chance to win the World Match Racing Tour. Some of his biggest rivals have stepped away from the series – Ben Ainslie to focus on the Olympics and Adam Minoprio to compete in the Volvo Ocean Race. Previously, Torvar’s team has come close, with a 2nd in 2009 and 3rd in 2010.

Sponsorship, even in a one-design competition, can be the difference between winning and losing. Knowing that  the bills are paid and that there is some money in the pot for training, allows a sailor to concentrate on winning. Torvar says:

“Traditionally our team has done everything off our own backs and as cheap as possible like staying in backpackers and relying on friends for support to live away from Australia. The support of The Wave, Muscat means that we can now put a campaign together that we allow us to take part at the level required to win the WMRT, for example we are hoping to have a coach at some events. We really appreciate the support and of The Wave Muscat and it will make such a big difference to our campaign this year.”

“This year we are out to win. We’ve done a lot of sailing this year already, but it has been six months since the last WMRT finished so we have had a big break from match racing and there are a few nerves and lot of excitement about starting up again. We need to get back in the rhythm as we want to be sailing at a high level. We know we will be a little bit rusty at the first event but we are excited about getting back into it.”

The Wave Muscat has a knack for spotting great sailing talent. The lifestyle development has used the Extreme Sailing Series to successfully promote itself to a desirable, global audience and in 2010 sponsored Paul Campbell-Jones to the top of the podium.  Sponsorship of Torvar Mirsky in the World Match Racing Tour is a no-brainer. The marginal cost is minimal and the brand gets an additional nine events to promote to.

David Stafford Vice President of Sales and Marketing at The Wave, Muscat said:

“We are delighted to be supporting Torvar and the Mirsky Racing Team in this year’s World Match Racing Tour. With Torvar also skippering The Wave, Muscat in the Extreme Sailing Series this year we were eager to extend our support of someone we believe will be a sailing superstar for many years to come.

“The Wave, Muscat’s premier 400-berth Marina ensures our country’s proud maritime heritage sits at the heart of the Muscat tourist experience. Through our support of world class sailing we hope to promote Oman as a new and exciting sailing destination. We wish the Mirsky Racing Team all the very best for the forthcoming season.”

As well as their WMRT commitments this year, Mirsky and two of his Mirsky Racing teammates, Kyle Langford and Kinley Fowler, are also racing in the Extreme Sailing Series. Mirsky is skippering the reigning champion boat, The Wave, Muscat, with Langford as tactician while Fowler is calling tactics aboard Oman Sail’s second entry, Oman Air.

The Wave Muscat Sailing Team will begin their campaign to win the World Match Racing Tour in Marseille – starting today.

More World Match Racing Tour News

The increasing  importance of the Middle East to professional sailing sponsorship has been highlighted again with the announcement of Emirates Airlines continued support for Team New Zealand. Emirates Team New Zealand, with the backing of the Dubai based airline will challenge for the 34th America’s Cup, the final of which will be held in San Francisco in 2013. The announcement coincided with the launch of the team’s twin hulled AC45.

Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline & Group, his Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum said the airline was continuing its support of Emirates Team New Zealand because the yacht racing team had consistently proven itself both as a top competitor and brand-builder. He said:

“The decision also underlines our commitment to New Zealand at a time when the country is demonstrating its own strengths and resilience in the face of adversity. Whether it be the America’s Cup, the MedCup or the Louis Vuitton Trophy series, Emirates Team New Zealand has shown the fighting spirit and inspiration for which the country is renowned. We are very pleased to continue our support of Emirates Team New Zealand.”

Sheikh Ahmed outlined some of the factors that make America’s Cup sponsorship and particularly backing of Team New Zealand a good investment. He said:

“Exposure for Emirates through the team and its global reach has helped put the airline on the map in many parts of the world and with many audiences. We hope there is now the chance of building further on this excellent foundation. The features we saw in the team when we first backed it in 2004 are still there. As an award-winning airline, we can relate to its drive, focus, competitiveness and desire for excellence in all aspects of its operation.”

Emirates Team New Zealand Managing Director Grant Dalton said:

“We have made considerable progress because the Emirates Team New Zealand brand is an international leader, well recognised in the sport. Emirates Airline has been with the team since 2004 and their decision to stay with us is important. We are fortunate to have such loyal and committed sponsors.”

Dalton acknowledged that many sponsors and suppliers supported the team through a period when the America’s Cup was at its lowest. Brands including Emirates, Toyota New Zealand, a sponsor for 20 years, and Omega, a sponsor for 18 years – stood by the team between the end of the 32nd America’s Cup at Valencia in 2007, through the lamentable Deed of Gift saga between Alinghi and BMW ORACLE and allowed the team to stay together in series like the Audi Med Cup.

Dalton said the team would make a further announcement on its involvement in the 2013 America’s Cup in a couple of months.

“In the meantime we are developing the sailing team; the design team is working through concepts for the AC72 catamaran and we are continuing meeting with several potential sponsors.”

More America’s Cup Sponsorship News