There are not that many sailing races that can put a city like Sanya in China on the map. The Volvo Ocean Race is one event that, through it’s unique global coverage, brings attention to new places who, in return, benefit from media attention and hopefully tourism and inbound investment. During the last America’s Cup cycle, Alinghi had journalists scrambling through Google Maps to find Ras Al Khaimah, a little known emirate north of Dubai. We have to admit that we had to get Google maps out again to find Sanya, which is about as...
read moreWe’ve updated our ‘Top 30 Sailing Brands on Facebook‘ chart. This month’s movers include the Extreme Sailing Series and the Audi Med Cup as their 2011 calendar of events get going. The Vendee Globe is a ‘new entry’ and the Volvo Ocean Race maintains its position on the top of the chart. The fastest growing property in the top 30 during May was the Extreme Sailing Series (11.39%). This may be due in part to spectacular capsizes in Qingdao, China which have been shared virally around the social web. Having...
read moreRT @dmfreedom: Great F1 commentary by the BBC. I love the phrase "if you are new to F1…" – some sailing media folks should take note. # RT @TimoSewell: 2 gr8 #sailing events 2 follow live 2day @worldmrt #wmrt extremesailing #exss Istanbul. Better hope yr boss isn't around...
read moreIn 2009, Audi replaced Skandia as title sponsor of Victoria Week, once known as Geelong Week. The deal meant that the Australian regatta retained momentum and support through a period when Cowes Week, who also lost Skandia as a title sponsor struggled to find a new backer. The two year deal has now ended and Audi Australia will not renew the title deal, although the car manufacturer, who are big supporters of sailing in Australia and around the world have confirmed that they will have some sponsorship presence at Victoria Week and remain...
read moreThe ‘Little America’s Cup’ is an event that has a small and loyal fanbase in the world of sailing. Whatever the PR people at the real America’s Cup want you to believe, international competition on wing-sailed catamarans is not a new thing and the C Class Catamaran Championship will continue to be hotly contested despite the next event going head to head with the reinvented America’s Cup in September 2013. The 2012 ‘Little America’s Cup’ will take place in Falmouth in the UK from the 25th of...
read moreSailing does a pretty bad job of appealing to a female audience. You’d think that sailing would be more attractive to women than a sport like NASCAR, but the America’s Cup Facebook page has an estimated breakdown of the gender demographics being about 74/26 in favour of men while NASCAR has a ratio of 54/46. The audience for a sport obviously impacts upon the sponsorships that are available. Brands that are looking to develop relationships with women may have better options than sailing, though there are big exceptions. There...
read moreSome product categories always seem to stay with sailing. Sailors are desirable consumers for companies selling financial services, cars (that can tow), clothing and apparel and even accounting software. Spirits are also closely associated with sailing. Rum and Whiskey particularly seem to accompany many regattas around the world and sailing in some countries is one of the only sports that allows hard liquor to be a sponsor. Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week have announced that long term sailing sponsor Mount Gay Rum will continue its...
read moreOf all yacht racing sponsorships, sailing clothing and apparel is one that perhaps has the most direct return on investment. But the sailing clothing market is getting crowded and high-street brands that have nothing to do with sailing are also using nautical themes to sell to a wider audience that specialist brands are trying to attract. The Global Ocean Race has announced that Helly Hansen will become the official clothing sponsor of the race for 2011-12. Helly Hansen also sponsor Sweden’s, Magnus Olsson, the Ericsson Racing Team during...
read moreAt the end of last week, Vincenzo Onorato, principal of Mascalzone Latino – the challenger of record for the America’s cup, announced that the team would withdraw from the next event citing lack of money. It’s big news, and has big implications for the confidence of sponsors looking to back the next edition of the Cup. A statement issued yesterday confirmed that The Royal Swedish Yacht Club (Kungliga Svenska Segel Sällskapet, KSSS), represented by Artemis Racing, would become the Challenger of Record, but made no mention...
read moreThe World Match Racing Tour has begun its 2011 season with Match Race France in Marseilles. Having visited in 2009, we returned to see how the event stacked up against the statements of vision of the tour and against other world class events. To make comparison easier, we are developing a scorecard that we plan to use for events visited in 2011 and beyond. Areas that will be measured include – media output, marketing, hospitality options, fan experience, management & logistics and an overall score. The success of an event...
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