Pilote Media have launched a new project to capture knowledge about yacht racing and the sport of sailing. The sports marketing company who publish the authoritative Yachtsponsorship.com and DARK BLUE BOOK, have created the resource to help those in the industry and those looking for information about the sport of sailing.

The WIKI based website allows anyone with knowledge to update, add and edit information using the same software and principles that drive the popular online encyclopaedia Wikipedia. Users will be able to find information about yacht races, yacht racing series, athletes, sponsors and important organisations.

Pilote CEO David Fuller says:

This is an opportunity for those in the sport of sailing and yacht racing to share information about themselves and their organisations. We are going to use information submitted for the DARK BLUE BOOK to start the ball rolling, but then it is up to the community to decide how much detail is added.

Hopefully the resource can help new participants, investors and sponsors to enter the sport by providing information that aids decisions by educating and informing. It’s completely open, so there will need to be some buy-in from the community for it to work, but there should be advantages for all.

The database of yacht racing and sailing will be added to incrementally and monitored by volunteer administrators.

David says:

Through the DARK BLUE BOOK project, we talk to thousands of people in the industry, each of whom have knowledge that it is in their interest to share. If each one wrote a paragraph about themselves, the class they compete in, the races they have won or watched, then we would have a lot of material as the basis of a very powerful tool.

Information will start being added at http://www.darkbluebook.com/sailbase/ over the next few months.

This weekend. I competed alongside 16,000 other participants in the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race aboard Volvo Team For Life, a TP52 racing yacht helmed by British Olympic medallist Shirley Robertson. Volvo Cars UK are a partner of the race, and the involvement is an important part of a larger commitment to British sailing.

The best sponsorship campaigns are those which are activated through long term commitment. This means building a portfolio of activities that are complimentary and in a world of social networking, build links between brands, ambassadors and the target audience.

Volvo Cars UK have supported British Sailing for a long time and the programme has touchpoints with the whole of the sport, from grass-roots beginners through to elite Olympic athletes. The Round the Island Race is important to the overall campaign because of its inclusiveness. Professional racing teams make up a fraction of the participants in the event, however at the end of the race, the shared experience brings the community together.

This sense of community extends to the companies and brands that support the event and the sport. While Volvo Team For Life ambassadors like Shirley Robertson, Ben Ainslie and Paul Goodison are seasoned media campaigners, there is a sense that they are truly grateful for Volvo’s support – it’s not just a contractual arrangement, but a partnership that works for everyone.

Like title sponsor JP Morgan Asset Management, Volvo Cars UK has big-picture positioning reasoning for being involved with sailing. Duncan Forrester, Head of Public Relations, Events & Sponsorship says:

“We believe sailing’s inherent use of natural resources fits perfectly with Volvo’s environmental values. At Volvo we believe our commitment to the environment does not mean compromising on state of the art technology, comfort or style. Our DRIVe range is leading the way in creating cars which will have zero impact on the environment reflecting our aim to be the car of choice for the sailing community. Our environmental credentials have gone a long way in helping us achieve this.”

But positioning is only part of the story. The Round the Island experience is an unforgettable hospitality platform. Many of the automotive and motorsport journalists aboard had never been on a boat before, let alone a purpose built racing yacht. Waking someone up at 3am in the morning, putting them aboard a boat with an Olympic gold medallist and making them get involved as the spinnaker is hoisted on the start-line jostling for position with 1700 other boats is not something that can be replicated by inviting them to a tent at a race-track.

In the past, this might be the end of it. A great weekend and perhaps a better feeling about the brand that may or may not translate into more sales, but like many automotive brands, Volvo are embracing a more conversational, relationship based marketing approach. The Volvo Team for Life Facebook page is part of a strategy that hopes to develop deeper, more long term relationships between the brand and customers, which must ultimately lead to greater loyalty and long term customer value.

The J P Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race is perhaps the most important sailing event in the UK. Certainly the strapline – ‘Britain’s Favourite Yacht Race’ can be justified based on the huge numbers of competitors who take part each year. In 2010, over 16,000 people were on the water in yachts ranging from over 100 ft to 3 person dinghies, but 1 competitor drew more attention than others.

On Friday, the day before the race, we sat down with Roger Thompson, Head of JP Morgan Asset Management in the UK to talk about the company’s title sponsorship of the event and return on investment. Since that interview, the race has received a lot more coverage than it otherwise might have and the debate about the impact of that coverage will go on for a while yet. The old adage of ‘all publicity is good publicity’ probably holds true, as many of the media outlets that focused on the participation of BP CEO Tony Hayward would not have otherwise run any story at all.

Like many firms that sponsor sailing, JP Morgan are not too concerned about mass-market coverage. The company began its partnership with the Island Sailing Club 6 years ago and until that time the Round the Island Race had never been sponsored before. Sailing fits with the JP Morgan brand – associations of teamwork, a clean image and of course an overlap between participants and the audience that the company wants to reach.

Although Thompson is from Gosport and is a self-confessed sailing fan, he says that the sponsorship opportunity was brought to him by his marketing department and the investment makes sense despite his personal interest in the sport. He’s convinced that the company gets a return on investment from the partnership, but admits that it’s hard to measure.

As well as the JP Morgan Asset Management logo being stuck to the bow of over 1700 yachts in the Solent, and other visual display benefits of title sponsorship, the event allows the company to engage in internal and external relationship building. In 2010, 28 matched Beneteau 40.7 yachts were entered by the company creating a race within a race for employees, partners and clients. Spaces on the boats were tied to internal charity initiatives for the company’s official charity the Ellen McArthur Trust.

The charity angle also drives much of the publicity surrounding the event, with sailing celebrities and other ambassadors taking part throughout the weekend. In 2010, the race had four official charities – Breast Cancer Care, Macmillan Cancer Support, Ellen McArthur Trust and Prostate UK. JP Morgan hope to raise £1 Million by 2012 which is something that will not go unnoticed by those who matter and contributes to the long term value of the company’s support of the race.

As well as the Round the Island Race, JP Morgan also sponsor British Olympic champion Ben Ainslie. Ainslie competed on Saturday as an ambassador not just for JP Morgan, but also the Princes Trust alongside Apprentice winner Michelle Dewberry. The company has backed grass-roots sailing, the Winter Series and also supported an extreme 40 campaign, but sailing is not the only sport where JP Morgan are using sponsorship as a promotional tool.

The J.P. Morgan Asset Management Premiership Rugby 7s Series was recently announced –  a new Friday evening summer 7s series, to take place in July and August and be broadcast live and exclusively on ESPN. The innovative tournament, which will involve all 12 Premiership Rugby clubs, is designed to attract a new audience to the game and create a thrilling new opportunity for existing rugby fans to watch their favourite clubs play during the summer.

Thompson said at the launch of that campaign in early June:

“The Premiership Rugby Sevens is a hugely exciting development for rugby in the UK. We’re delighted to be at the forefront of innovation in sport with Premiership Rugby. It’s intelligent, fast and furious – a tremendous game to watch. We intend to do all we can to open up rugby sevens to as wide an audience as possible. We are delighted that ESPN will attract an even broader audience to J.P. Morgan Asset Management. As the structure of our industry changes it is vital that we continue to adapt our strategy and find new ways to engage with our customers.”

TV is also part of the Round the Island Race. After the opportunistic stories have died down, the brand will be able to promote the stories that matter most to them from the Round the Island Race in two 30 minute documentaries to be shown on Channel 4 later in the year.

More Videos…

Photo by Mark Lloyd

Organisers of leading yacht racing business conference announce the 2010 edition of the event to take place in Estoril, Portugal from 14-15 December.

Monaco is a strange town. It seems to suit the world of F1, but most of the yachts that adorn have masts only to carry radio signals, not sails. For all the glamour that is regularly associated with sailing, most professional yacht racing people are more at home in places like Perth or Les Sables-d’Olonne than Monaco. Which is perhaps one of the reasons that the 3rd World Yacht Racing Forum will be held in Estoril, Portugal.

There will still be a connection with Monaco though through the continued association and support from the Yacht Club de Monaco under the High Patronage of its President, HSH Prince Albert II. As one of the world’s most prestigious and well known yacht clubs, the YCM was the official host of the first World Yacht Racing Forum in 2008 and is pleased to continue its support of the event in 2010.

Although the change of venue will mean that the forum will no longer be twinned with the Motorsport Forum, the sailing event has grown to a point over the last 2 years where it can stand alone. The two-day conference will include many new features this year such as a new interactive exhibition lounge, additional workshop sessions, and an online networking tool to connect delegates prior to the conference. Delegates will also be invited to participate in a special Golf Day hosted by the organisers on Thursday 16 December.

Estoril is approximately 30 kilometres from Lisbon in a region that includes the municipalities of Cascais, Sintra, Oeiras, Mafra and Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point of mainland Europe. Cascais itself is a well-known venue for major sailing events including the Portugal Match Cup, and Audi MedCup series in 2010. Estoril also played host to the 2007 ISAF Sailing World Championships.

Duarte Nobre Guedes, President of Turismo Estoril said:

“We are very proud and privileged to host the World Yacht Racing Forum, the Yacht Racing Design & Technology Symposium and the International Superyacht Coatings Conference in our region, the Estoril Coast. The quality of the conferences, the themes of which are so important to our local tourism, show the great bond of Estoril and the bay of Cascais with the nautical environment, while contributing to the increase of our international reputation. We look forward to providing a warm welcome to all delegates in Estoril in December.”

The Forum will once again be co-located with the second edition of the Yacht Racing Design & Technology Symposium and the International Superyacht Coatings Conference on the same dates. Over 400 delegates are expected to attend the three events.

Finding a gap in the calendar that is suitable for all sailing disciplines is difficult. The event has in the past coincided with the Paris Boat Show and run hot on the heels of the Monsoon Cup, the finale of the World Match Racing Tour. Commenting on the change of venue and new dates, Event Director James Pleasance explains:

“We moved the events a week later this year to avoid any date conflicts with other boat shows and yachting regattas in December. It is important for anyone involved in the business of yachting to attend the Forum as it is their opportunity to contribute to the future of their sport. Estoril is an ideal venue which is easily accessible and cost effective for participants at that time of year.”

This year’s conference will include eight sessions held over two days. The debates will provide more panel discussions and opportunity for the audience to interact and participate during the discussions. On the social side, there will be a welcome cocktail reception on Monday 13 December and an evening function on Tuesday 14 December during the conference. Delegates will also be invited to participate in a special Golf Day hosted by the organisers on Thursday 16 December.

Topics to be covered will include:

• Seeking Sponsorship?
• Creating & Marketing Sports Personalities
• Connecting Sailing Events to Cities
• Yacht Club Management
• Americas Cup One Year On
• London Olympics 2012
• Sailing and Sustainable Development?
• Women in the Sport of Sailing

While the topics are diverse, the 2010 Board of advisors is 100% male and is made up of representatives from Europe, USA and Australia only.

Full details of the conference programme and speakers will be released shortly at  www.worldyachtracingforum.com

More World Yacht Racing Forum News…

Regular readers will know that we are big fans of Oman Sail. The project represents more than just sporting achievement – it is a long term commitment to use sailing as a tool to change lives and develop talent. With real support from the highest levels of government, the programme is a a great case study for those who wish to make a lasting impact with a sailing campaign.

But as Pete Cumming, Trimmer and Team Manager says, winning on the water makes it easier to deliver the commercial objectives of Oman Sail.

Which is why the two Oman Sail Extreme 40 catamarans were out on the Solent last week, training for the first round of the Extreme Sailing Series Europe, which starts in Sète – France on the 27th-30th May.

In a one-design series, where there is no room for design wizards to give one team an advantage over another, winning comes down to the teams and their preparation. However the idea that money makes you go faster is still applicable in a one-design series. Cummings admits that having the resources to be able to train against another boat, share data and setup information and have access to an on-the-water coach gives Oman Sail an advantage.

Pete Cumming also believes in the mantra that a champion team will beat a team of champions, but nevertheless, Masirah, the boat that dominated and eventually won the Extreme Sailing Series Europe (formally known as the iShares Cup) in 2009 will have a few champions on board in 2010. Cumming will be joined by “Jedi Master” Loick Peyron. Also on board will be British Olympian, Mark Bulkeley, who will be responsible for the tactics and America’s Cup sailor David ‘Freddie’ Carr on the bow.

Despite his considerable multi hull experience, Loick Peyron says that he learns something everyday about sailing the Extreme 40. The Frenchman has had a varied sailing year already, helming the giant Alinghi 5 catamaran in the America’s Cup and being an ambassador for the new Nespresso Cup for Wally yachts. He is keen to keep the winning record of Masirah in tact, but is also happy to be part of the larger Oman Sail programme.

The livery of the boat has changed. Gone is the distinctive red with the Omani coat of arms, replaced by clean white and bold greens and blues. The next phase of the Oman Sail project – to promote the sultanate as a destination for marine tourism and generating awareness for Oman Air and its routes to sailing venues around Europe has begun.

The second boat, named Renaissance in 2009, has been rebranded as ‘The Wave, Muscat’ as it was in the Extreme Sailing Series Asia. Two times World Champion, Paul Campbell-James from Great Britain will take the helm. Alister Richardson, formerly number 2 in the world in the Olympic 49er class, and former helm of Team Basilica in the inaugural Extreme Sailing Series Europe, will call tactics on The Wave, Muscat, with Nick Hutton, a regular on the Extreme 40 circuits, as trimmer.

Omani squad member Khamis Al Anbouri, one of the stars of the Oman Sailing School and one of the original group of promising Omanis who were chosen to represent Oman in the international circuit, will join The Wave, Muscat on bow.

The Wave, Muscat is a property development where the Oman Sail project will be based. It is also the first development where non-Omanis will be able to buy property in the Sultanate. There are thousands of property developments around the world, yet the Extreme Sailing Series and Oman Sail generates an awareness level that would be extremely expensive to buy as traditional advertising.

The whole project is well considered and a great example of how having a long term vision changes the way you build and deliver a sports sponsorship campaign, but some things are always important. The more sponsorship you have, the more options you have – the more talent you can develop, the more you can train, the more chance you have of winning. The more times you win and stand on the podium, the more chances you get to wear the sponsor’s logos and generate exposure.

More Videos on our YouTube Channel.

The America’s Cup was back in the news yesterday for all the right reasons. A much anticipated press conference presented a new vision for the trophy – a united front, with Defender and Challenger of Record in agreement on the manner in which to move forward. But Russell Coutts and Vincenzo Onorato will have to state some preferences and show some leadership, otherwise the design by consensus process outlined may produce a compromise event.

Russell Coutts started by acknowledging a subtle change in the communications from BMW ORACLE and the Golden Gate Yacht Club. The event was compared by America’s Cup sailor Cam Lewis, a sailor, not an ‘off the water’ rules expert.

But Coutts’ opening remarks also made reference to the business of the America’s Cup, citing past tycoons that had participated including; J.P Morgan, Sir Thomas Lipton and Ted Turner. These were not just people who transformed sailing, they were men who transformed business. The AC34 organisation now needs to walk a fine line between keeping the traditions of the cup alive while going after the cash in the form of television and venue revenues.

The headlines

• New rules issued before entries closed with independent professional management.
  
• A new class of fast, exciting boats created in conjunction with all teams.
• Annual racing in multiple venues to increase commercial viability
  
• Transformed television and online coverage

Coutts said that ‘they’ wanted to give a voice to experts who have never been asked before. These included fans, but more importantly for the money men television executives and event management companies. The changes to sailing could be far reaching, having an effect on fundamental elements of the sport including boat design and rule changes to allow race officials to change the course and length of racing to fit television schedules.

New Class.

One thing that is certain from yesterday’s press conference is that there will be a new boat. Bruce Nelson and Peter Melvin have been asked to create concepts – one monohull and one multihull. Coutts and Onorato refused to express any preference for one or the other yesterday, instead falling back on what may become a stock phrase for the next few months; “We’ll let the teams decide.”

The brief given to the designers of the new America’s Cup Class rule are:

• It should produce dynamic and close racing
• It should use advanced, efficient (green) and cost-effective technologies
• It should be distinctive as an America’s Cup class
• It should be able to race in any venue in winds from 5-35 knots

The last condition is a result of television executive input based on America’s Cup events of the past. Coutts and Lewis agreed that for a race that is supposed to be the pinnacle of sailing to be cancelled because of too much wind sent the wrong message. Coutts also said that his preference was for boats that were ‘physical’  – where all the sailors on the boat were active, not strategists.

Whatever the final shape and size of the boat, the plan is to have them racing in a regular series by 2012.

The Venue.

Coutts states that the right to choose the venue of the America’s Cup is one of the most rewarding aspects of winning the trophy. While Valencia was chosen by Alinghi because Switzerland has no open sea, it would be a big shift in the America’s Cup for the defender not to hold the final races on home soil. Despite the USA having about 12,000 miles of coastline, Coutts refused to confirm that racing would be held there. Given the commitment to transform the televisual element of the event, perhaps the final will be held in a timezone that would make the event broadcast on US prime-time.

The venue will be announced by the 31st of December.

Given the venue for yesterday’s announcements, Rome may have a place in part of the America’s Cup sailing calendar. Russell Coutts responded to local media saying he wouldn’t rule it out and Vincenzo Onorato said that they needed to look into it.

Annual Series.

Even if the Americas Cup is tweaked to bring the event in line with other major sporting events, the cycle makes it very difficult to make the trophy financially viable without resorting to private cheque books. Teams have struggled to stay afloat in the years where there is no racing and commercial partners can’t make the most of their investments.

Russell Coutts has announced that there will be an annual America’s Cup series using the new class of boats. While he admits that this will increase the costs for teams, he believes that there would be increased value to cover it. The conference was attended by Bruno Trouble and Paul Cayard representing the World Sailing Teams Association (WSTA) and the Louis Vuitton Trophy. Coutts said that there were large sponsors from the past who were pleased with the direction the Defender was taking, hinting that Louis Vuitton would return to the America’s Cup after a very public spat with Alinghi.

While the boat class and the protocol are open to the teams for discussion, the format of the annual series is looking like a done deal. The official press release includes a sales-pitch from Paul Cayard that doesn’t mention any of the reforms to the Cup, but rather positions the WSTA and Louis Vuitton Trophy as the natural home of the America’s Cup Class…

“We believe that the WSTA and its Louis Vuitton Trophy events are exactly the type of activity that needs to be incorporated into the big picture of the America’s Cup. With its global venues in important markets, regular calendar of events, tight racing in America’s Cup class boats, equal representation for each team, these events represent great commercial value that the teams can pass along to their sponsors.”

The announcement of the regular racing may impact on series like the Audi Med Cup where several teams are currently competing.

The Future of the Cup.

Yesterday’s conference was a lot of symbolic smoke and spin, but it needed to be done. Coutts and Onorato seem to think that teams who want to compete will come to a consensus about what the boat will look like and how the event will be run and Turner Sports or ESPN will tweak it so that we all tune in to watch.

One of the more interesting questions that Russell Coutts did express an opinion on, was about the introduction of nationality rules for crew. Coutts initially answered with the stock “We’ll ask the teams”, but then added that personally he would be in favour of such a change.

Key Dates Announced

• Protocol for the 34th America’s Cup will be issued by 31st August
• Design rule released by 30th September
• Notice of Race & Sailing Instructions published by 31st December
• Venue confirmed by 31st December
• Challenge Period open from 1st October – 31st January 2011

You can watch a replay of the Press Conference here…

Cowes Week might be worth attending as a spectator this year. The Extreme Sailing Series Europe will return to the regatta to give those on shore something to watch while the rest of the fleet disappears to every corner of the Solent, and two of the world’s best funded sailing teams will compete for a new ‘America’s Cup’.

The 1851 CUP (TEAMORIGIN LOVE THE CAPS BUTTON ON THEIR KEYBOARD) – will recreate the original race around the Isle of Wight that started the whole thing off.

Sir Keith Mills, Team Principal of TEAMORIGIN, has invited current America’s Cup defender, BMW ORACLE Racing, to compete in a match race tournament that will involve a race clockwise around the Island over the historic original course that saw the birth of the America’s Cup in 1851.

In that summer of 1851, fourteen British yachts raced a visiting US yacht called ‘America’, clockwise around the Isle of Wight. The American yacht won. Her owners were awarded a silver ewer, which became, and continues to be to this day, one of the world’s leading sports trophies – the America’s Cup.

Named for the year of the original race The 1851 Cup is a new invitational match race regatta which will become a perpetual event that will be competed for by America’s Cup teams invited by TEAMORIGIN and the Royal Thames Yacht Club. This year the British and American teams will use their own ACC Version 4 boats, GBR-75 and USA-76, both are currently being prepared for shipping from Valencia.

Ben Ainslie, TEAMORIGIN Skipper and Helmsman, said:

“This will be an incredible event which I am sure will capture the imagination of sports fans across the UK. We relish the idea of taking on the Defenders in our home waters. The complex tides and winds of the Solent are always challenging even to a team that has raced here a thousand times before. But the opportunity to show our home crowds what we are up to and what we are about is fantastic. We have a busy season in 2010 but The 1851 Cup will surely be the jewel in the crown for us.”

Apparently, Cowes week attracts 100,000 spectators. It’s not known how the new race will cater for these fans. The main race will enable the crowds to watch the start and finish, with 4-6 hours of nothing in between – depending on the weather. Further details on the actual race programme and format, dates and exact location of racing will take place over the coming weeks.

TEAMORIGIN is also using The 1851 Cup regatta to promote the concept of international match racing competition in big boats in the Britain. Ports around the UK interested in hosting a full America’s Cup build-up regatta, with up to 12 teams racing over two weeks during the summer months from as soon as 2011, will have the chance to come and understand some of the logistics and opportunities associated with this kind of event.

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…

Another one of yacht racing’s worst kept secrets was officially announced yesterday. The battle for the hearts, minds and soles of yacht racing fans will be contested by Camper, the Spanish-based international footwear manufacturer. The brand will sponsor an entry in the Volvo Ocean Race in 2011-12. The campaign will be run by Emirates Team New Zealand. The announcement clarified some rumours, but started some new ones with Emirates Team NZ team boss Grant Dalton suggesting that given the lack of conflict with the America’s Cup, Alinghi may also enter the race.

Camper is the second shoe brand to announce an entry in the race, with global sports giant PUMA also announcing its plans to compete. Camper is a family-owned company which started making shoes on the Spanish island of Majorca in 1877. Today Camper operates directly 320 stores and ‘shop-in-shop’ locations in 42 countries and distributes its products through 2800 independent retailers. The sponsorship is believed to be in the region of 25 Million Euros.

In announcing the Volvo Ocean Race project, Camper said:

‘Competing in the Volvo Ocean Race 2011–12 provides Camper with the motivation to continue improving the quality of its products and its presence around the world. The history and the authenticity of the race, the human adventure, the effort, the desire to improve and the teamwork fully fit the Camper values. The Mediterranean as a territory and as a culture has always been at the centre of the Camper image. From Alicante this round-the-world race will be, without a doubt, a strong source of inspiration for the future of a brand that walks with imagination.

For us it is a privilege to take our first steps in the Volvo Ocean Race together with Emirates Team New Zealand, undoubtedly one of the most prestigious professional sailing teams in the world. Despite New Zealand being in the antipodes of Majorca, we feel very close to them sharing their way of thinking and so Emirates Team New Zealand makes us feel confident when undertaking this project.’

The Spanish sponsorship and identity will be treated very favourably under Spanish tax law, believed to return a 2:1 credit on every Euro invested in a project of this type.

The entrance of the New Zealand team was made possible through the expectation that the next America’s Cup will not take place until 2013 or 2014. The announcement is also another example of the growth of sailing ‘super-teams’; franchises that compete and leverage their sponsors across multiple platforms. Team New Zealand will not give up on the America’s Cup, rather it will split its activities across different disciplines.

Emirates Team New Zealand managing director Grant Dalton says:

‘The Volvo project instantly energises our team, allows our designers and engineers to get going and in Camper we have found a great partner. They are a family company with family values and a culture that fits very well with Emirates Team New Zealand and our family of sponsors. The team has the capacity to integrate a Volvo Ocean Race campaign to sit alongside its commitments to the Louis Vuitton Trophy regattas, the Audi MedCup 2010 and the next America’s Cup.

‘With Louis Vuitton, the team started the Louis Vuitton Trophy, Dean Barker and the team campaigned successfully on the Audi MedCup TP52 circuit last year and now we have a Volvo Ocean Race campaign to organise from scratch.’

Long time supporter of the team, Emirates Airlines will also benefit from the deal with the race scheduled to make a stopover in Abu-Dhabi. Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President, Corporate Communication, Boutros Boutros, said:

‘We are very pleased to continue our support of Emirates Team New Zealand through this venture. It will add a further dimension to the global reach of our sponsorship of the team, which has already been very successful for Emirates through the America’s Cup, the Louis Vuitton Trophy and the Audi MedCup. With this latest diversification, there are many benefits for the team, for New Zealand, and for Emirates, as well of course for Camper.

‘It will be fantastic to see the team competing in the United Arab Emirates, the home country of Emirates, when the Volvo Ocean Race comes to the capital city of Abu Dhabi. It will be a good opportunity to showcase what the UAE can offer in terms of five-star infrastructure, tourism and business attractions. ‘We are sure that this campaign will be run by Emirates Team New Zealand in the same thorough and competitive manner as all of its previous efforts, and we are only too happy to be associated with an initiative that meets the same professional standards that we continually strive to maintain as an airline.’

Not only will the Volvo Ocean Race start in Spain, the home of Camper and pass through home of Emirates Airlines, the race will also call in at Auckland. The arrival of Team New Zealand into the harbour will be an eagerly anticipated event of the race. CEO of the Volvo Ocean Race,  Knut Frostad said:

‘We are delighted to welcome Grant Dalton and Emirates Team New Zealand to the Volvo Ocean Race, which gives us our first proper New Zealand entry for many years. Dalton, a former winner of this event, brings with him not only a wealth of experience, but a very charismatic and highly competitive team of sailors. The people of Auckland will surely be very proud to watch the progress of Emirates Team New Zealand as it takes on some of the world’s best. I would also like to welcome Camper to the Volvo Ocean Race family. We look forward to working with their strong international brand, elevating the profile of their new team and our race.’

The Emirates Team New Zealand design team, headed by principal designer Marcelino Botin, will design the yacht. It will be built by Cookson Yachts, Auckland, and launched in the first quarter of 2011 before been sea-trialled and shipped to the Atlantic coast of Spain. The yacht will be called Camper and will carry the burgees of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and the Real Club Náutico de Palma.

Video of Grant Dalton talking on NZ television…

Photo Credit – Emirates Team New Zealand / Photo Chris Cameron ETNZ ©