Times are tough in IMOCA land. Despite a ‘full grid’ for the recent Barcelona World Race, the budgets to be competitive in the Open 60 class get bigger and bigger. Even with the advances in offshore communications and the development of multiplayer games that engage tens of thousands of people, the list of companies with cheque-books is dwindling. With the ultimate Open 60 race – the Vendee Globe on the horizon, many sailors are struggling to find the money to get to the start-line – let alone be in a position to...
read moreWhen 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...
read moreZhik builds strong links with Moth Class Australian sailing apparel brand Zhik will follow up on its title sponsorship of the Moth Worlds with another high profile sponsorship of a moth event – the UK International Moth National and Open Championships. The company is aggressively pursing brand awareness outside of its core Olympic class markets and signalled its intentions to be a player for bigger boats with its sponsorship of the SB3 Worlds. As well as sponsorship of the Moth Worlds in January in Australia, Zhik has a new link to...
read moreInternational Yacht Paint has announced that it will become the title sponsor of Katie Miller’s Figaro II. The sponsorship will include Katie’s 100 Mile Double Handed Race campaign. As well as the Double Handed Race, International Yacht Pain will activate their sponsorship through a programme of corporate racing, including East Coast Sailing Week and the Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week. Katie said about the sponsorship: “I am thrilled that International Paint have decided to re join the racing frame. We are sure that the...
read moreFor design geeks – here is all the information on the 7 new boat designs for the World Match Racing Tour – http://goo.gl/Ex9ek #WMRT # @valenciasailing @oc_markturner Is that the business model? Click through advertising from a central website? Still – works for NBA and MLB # @valenciasailing it works for the Yankees.. cc @oc_markturner # RT @sophluther: Knut Frostad's update on the Volvo Ocean Race in the 'Big Interview' by SportIndustry.biz http://bit.ly/mHQG7m # New Video: @Williams_Racing talks about the...
read moreWith about 8 weeks to go, the America’s Cup have started to do some marketing. The Cup has a shiny new heavy metal inspired logo and a grainy, grunge video to inspire new audiences to get to Cascais to watch the boats compete. But while the logo is bold and black and silver, the call to action is less confident. “Sailing? You may like it now.” How very… polite. Millions of bucks to create a shiny new sport and the pitch is not the Californian brashness that we are used to from brands like Apple, but more like a...
read moreOne 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...
read moreIn December, the Extreme Sailing Series announced a new deal with sailing clothing brand Marinepool. The 3 year deal means that Marinepool is the official clothing partner of the, now global, series and also includes merchandising rights. At the latest round of the Extreme Sailing Series in Istanbul, the new clothing line went on sale to the public for the first time and interest from fans seemed to be high. The sailing clothing market is changing and brands that have enjoyed strong support in their home markets are looking to generate...
read moreThe America’s Cup continues to struggle to make its new bright and shiny product accessible and interesting to its various stakeholders. Over the weekend, the America’s Cup Event Authority and the other bodies responsible for the event made significant changes to the schedule and the pricing of the next edition. Last Minute Price Reductions to Get Teams to the Start Line. In December, America’s Cup organisers slashed the price of entry for the next edition to lure teams to the event. The original entry fee was set at USD...
read moreChanging Boat Designs for World Match Racing Tour Does the world of yacht racing need any more designs? Perhaps a silly question – the sport of sailing is at least 50% about innovation and design and in some ‘open’ events, it doesn’t matter how good the sailor is outspent before the boat gets onto the water. But the World Match Racing Tour is not an ‘open’ event when it comes to the boats used. The format pits sailor against sailor – even swapping boats mid race to make sure that the vehicle gives no...
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