How are you doing at talking to the ‘Facebook Generation?

Top 30 Yacht Racing Facebook Properties.

Notes

• Last Updated – 1st August 2011
• Growth is August 1st vs July 4 2011.
• Barcelona World Race Game is an average of June and August (June was reported 24,350)

Update: The Yacht Racing Facebook League Table will be updated here…

There is no doubt that digital technologies that allow sports fans to get closer to their favorite teams and players have changed the communications landscape. But for all the hype, all the self appointed social media gurus, has sailing got it right yet?

At the World Yacht Racing Forum in December, Richard Worth of the Americas Cup Event Authority suggested that social media would be the vehicle to bring the new deal cup to the masses – perhaps making a promise to deliver Russell coutts’ vision of sailing for the Facebook Generation.

At the same event Richard Hosford from Hugo Boss racing told the audience that the sponsor put a value on a Facebook fan – the reasoning, which makes sense, is that a Facebook fan is a known individual who can be communicated with personally over time.

For most sailing properties, the interactive nature of social media – at least on the platforms that are most recognisable – like Facebook and Twitter, is not utilised or embraced.

Most sailing communications departments are staffed by old-school PRs who have a broadcast mentality. Some have come around to an idea of ‘narrow-cast’ but few are comfortable with the ‘back-channel’ which invites praise and criticism alike, in real time to a mass audience. For example – the recent Zhik Moth Worlds, which delivered exciting sailing, amazing photos and thrilling video never provided me an answer to my Facebook question – “where is the best place for spectators to watch the action?”

If an event is going to put social media on its media plan, then they have to be prepared to respond to questions from fans. Pushing out tons of content on another channel is only half the job.

While pure numbers is not everything in social media, we thought it might be interesting to do a quick Facebook League Table for sailing… Sorry if we’ve missed some, we’ll continue to build this and maintain it if people find it useful.

Yacht Racing Facebook League Table

1. Volvo Ocean Race – 35,187 fans
2. Sailing Anarchy – 12,464 fans
3. BMW ORACLE – 12,413 fans
4. Giovanni Soldini – 7,093 fans
5. Oman Sail – 5,989 fans
6. Extreme Sailing Series – 4,155 fans
7. US Sailing Team Alphagraphics – 3,949 fans
8. Quantum Racing – 3,869 fans
9. America’s Cup (Official) – 3,521 fans
10. Barcelona World Race – 3,254 fans
11. Scuttlebutt – 3,251 fans
12. Alinghi – 3,088 fans
13. Michel Desjoyeaux – 2,293 fans
14. World Match Racing Tour – 2,257 fans
15. Velux 5 Oceans – 2,196 fans
16. Alex Thomson Racing – 2,000 fans
17. Ben Ainslie – 1,896 fans
18. Cammas Groupama – 1,789 fans
19. Australian Sailing Team – 1,651 fans
20. Loick Peyron – 1,486 fans
21. Artemis Racing – 1,456 fans
22. Paul Cayard – 1,296 fans
23. St Francis Yacht Club – 1,113 fans
24. Perth 2011 – 761 fans
25. Zhik Moth Worlds – 746 fans

Comparitive numbers

• Lance Armstrong (Cyclist) –  1,569,532 fans
• Dale Earnhardt Jr (NASCAR) – 748,363 fans
• Venus Williams – 654,805 fans
• Jimmie Johnson (NASCAR) – 487,161
• England Rugby – 169,647 fans
• Jenson Button (F1) – 147,228 fans
• Red Bull Racing (F1) – 117, 914 fans
• Jessica Watson (Sailor)- 11,356 fans

Almost every sponsorship proposal looking for backing for yacht racing includes a bullet point or a slide about how the sport is environmentally friendly. Sure the main power source for the yachts is the wind, but what about the bigger picture? How many gallons of diesel are swallowed during an America’s Cup or Volvo Ocean Race start; how clean is it to build a boat; how many crewmembers are flown from New Zealand to the major sailing events?

The World Yacht Racing Forum talked to Andrew Pindar OBE, Chairman of the Pindar Group and Board Director of Earth Watch to share his thoughts in preview of a session to be held in Estoril in December.

The panel entitled: “Can Sailing Be Promoted As an Environmentally Friendly Sport?” will also feature Open 60 sailor Sam Davies, Isabelle Jahlan, Head of Sponsorship, Veolia and Joe Royle, Skipper, Plastiki Project.

Is the sport of sailing environmentally friendly?

Andrew Pindar: “The perception is clean, with often very powerful imagery of ‘man vs nature’, showcasing some of the most skilled sailors in the world taking on the elements; however the reality can be different. Yacht racing is a huge business, which like many sports involves using the most technologically advanced (and not always the most environmentally friendly) materials and widespread logistics including the transportation of boats, crew equipment and event infrastructure all over the world. It is clear that more and more companies associated with sailing, have become more environmentally responsible and there are some great campaigns that are genuinely seeking to make improvements, but there’s clearly a lot more that can be done.”

What are the key issues the sport of sailing faces from a sustainable development perspective?

Andrew Pindar: “The key is to hammer home that the responsibility lies not just with the professional teams, but to everyone associated with the sport – from the shore crew, sponsors, fans and the thousands of people who enjoy sailing on a day to day level. Simple practices like recycling and reusing materials needs to become second nature, along with a general awareness of our carbon footprint. It’s not just about the bigger issues of using carbon materials to build boats, but being conscious about everything that we do on a day-to-day level. The simplest measures like sharing a lift to an event or reusing the same water bottle, can have a long term big impact. You wouldn’t drive a car nowadays without wearing a seatbelt – it’s a similar concept that takes time to become the norm. The responsibility also lies with the event owners who need to encourage more sustainable practice and incentivise teams/ entrants to follow their lead. OC Group is a front runner in this type of activity.”

In which areas should the yacht racing industry focus in order to reduce its footprint? Can you suggest any concrete measures?

“Everyone needs to be more accountable. When Brian Thompson sailed around the world in the Vendee Globe for Bahrain Team Pindar, he set out to be carbon neutral – the Open 60 underwent a refit and was modified with key environmental issues in mind, including solar panels and wind generators. It’s was a big challenge, especially with the high consumption from the hydraulic motor used to cant the keel, however the point is that we all need to become more aware about what we are doing and how we can improve.

First of all it is important to understand the issues. The closest experience I have, has been through running my fourth generation international printing business, Pindar, which by its very nature, made us acutely aware of the impact our work was having on the environment. When we embarked on a 5-year change management programme ‘Respect the Planet’, in 2007 it became an integral part of our Corporate Social Responsibility plan and we enlisted the help of experts to advise on sustainability issues. They helped us to put together a solid remit to minimise waste, promote recycling, reduce energy consumption and harmful emissions and where possible, ensure we work with suppliers who themselves have sound environmental policies.

British yachtswoman and environmental expeditionist, Jo Royle was also a huge inspiration. We first met her following her second trip to South Georgia in the Southern Ocean, where she had returned to see the devastating effects caused by global warming. She spoke at our AlphaGraphics conference in the United States and through her experiences, challenged the way we operated.

To aid our internal communications, we formed a ‘Green Team’ consisting of employee representatives to help implement the campaign across all our sites and we also drafted a ‘Best Practice Guide’ covering the whole paper handling process, to educate colleagues throughout the business. I think the sailing industry could benefit from a similar blue print and steering committee.

To help spread the message further, we formed a partnership with EARTHWATCH, one of the world’s leading environmental organisations. They offer ongoing support and advice with our programme, whilst we help raise awareness of its Sustainable Oceans appeal, via our yachting campaigns.

It’s been a steep learning curve and we have only scratched the surface in terms of where we want to be, but to give you an example, at one of our plants we managed to reduce the volume of waste going to landfill from the factory to just 5% in 2 years. As well as ISO14001, we’ve also achieved FSC & PEFC chain of custody certification at our main printing sites, which we hope to obtain across all our sites in the near future. If the sailing industry embarks collectively on a similar journey, I’m sure we can achieve great things.”

Do you think the World Yacht Racing Forum audience – the yacht racing community – is aware of those issues, and ready to take concrete measures?

Andrew Pindar: “Absolutely, there are already many great campaigns in place, from TEAM ORIGIIN’s ‘Race for Change’ programme, Perth’s ambitions for the 2011 World Championships, the VELUX 5 OCEANS ‘Taking on the elements’ right through to individual sailors. I believe ‘measurement’ is the key issue and whilst there’s much goodwill and talk, it would be beneficial to see more results from campaigns like these. We also all need to be mindful that sailing is a commercial business, so it is important to be realistic about how quickly our ambitions can be achieved.”

What do you expect from this debate?

The World Yacht Racing Forum is the ideal platform to discuss these issues and I’m looking forward to a lively debate that will generate a better understanding of the issues we face. Collectively I hope we can set out some tangible goals to ensure that the professional sport of sailing leads the way in environmental best practice, for other sports to follow.

Follow all the news from the 2010 World Yacht Racing Forum

Trinity Yachts has renewed their partnership with the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics (USSTAG) and increased their support as a Silver Sponsor through 2012, US SAILING announced today.

An elite builder of custom superyachts in the United States, Trinity Yachts was founded by John Dane III, who represented the U.S. at the 2008 Olympic Games in the Star class. After 40 years of Olympic sailing aspirations, Dane knows first-hand how much hard work and dedication an Olympic and Paralympic campaign entails. Trinity Yachts’ sponsorship of the team is a testimonial to Dane’s confidence in the athletes and the direction of the program, which he knows well.

As part of their new silver partnership, Trinity Yachts will provide direct funding, as well as a 43-foot RIB to be used by the program in Weymouth, England, at the venue of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Competitions.

The US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics is made up of the United States’ top athletes in each of the 10 Olympic and three Paralympic classes who train together with the common goals of winning medals at the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Weymouth, England.

USSTAG’s Commercial Director Dan Cooney said:

“Trinity Yachts has built a legendary reputation that has withstood Hurricane Katrina’s destruction and the 2008 financial collapse. We love the association with this world-class company that is winning against the world’s best by being smart and resilient. That’s a recipe for success that works for us, and we are grateful for their increased support and commitment to our athletes.”

Dane, who is also an active US SAILING board member.

“Trinity Yachts is very pleased to once again support all the great American athletes who are striving to make the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics the best in the world.”

More US SAiling Team News…

A couple of Olympic sponsorship stories today from the US and the UK. In the USA, LaserPerformance, a long-time official sponsor of the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics, has increased their support as a Bronze Partner to become a new Silver Partner of the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics (USSTAG) and US Sailing Development Team (USSDT) through 2013.

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.”

The World Match Racing Tour is not your average boat race when it comes to sponsorship. Unlike most events, where the hull and sail area are a mobile floating billboard that is the property of the team, the WMRT setup gives this prime real-estate to the event organisers and tour sponsors.

What many people in the sailing business tend to forget is that the sailing doesn’t matter. Brands don’t really care if their name is on a car, a horse, the side of an opera house or a sailboat as long as the message is seen by the audience they want to communicate with. Most sailing sponsors are businesses that are trying to sell to other businesses, therefore the number of spectators is important, but the visitor experience is even more important.

Andrew Pindar OBE, Chairman of the Pindar Group, believes that the fit between the World Match Racing Tour and Pindar is  a good one. Pindar has a long-standing relation with the sport of sailing and has supported sailing campaigns across every level, ranging from grass roots and local community projects, through to match racing and global offshore events at the very pinnacle of the sport. The Pindar owned AlphaGraphics is the title sponsor of the US Sailing Team.

Pindar sees the value in sponsoring the sport of sailing, match racing and the World Match Racing Tour in particular. For more than 25 years, he has been leveraging the sport of sailing as a way of promoting his business. In an interview with Valencia Sailing recently he said:

“I could see that sailing had a lot of connections, a lot of metaphors with it that were relevant to the changing world of my industry,”

Similar to the Pindar Group’s business in a print and electronic media that had advanced tremendously with the advent of digital technology, the sport of sailing in recent years has also been completely revolutionised by the use of advanced technology in the hulls, masts and sails. In addition, sailing helps the company bring its message to the audience that it is serious about conserving the environment.

Printing has been an industry with the stigma of endangering the environment with waste products and with digital revolution that has changed. Hence, Pindar was quick to see the opportunity and relevancy between his business and sailing, and being associated with sailing helps send the message of environmental responsibility.

“I saw that sailing had many assets that would be relevant to the message we wanted to communicate in our marketplace.”

He explained that he has taken and interest in what was taking place in the world of match racing over the last five years. Pindar witnessed the St Moritz Match Race in 2004 and was impressed with the way the event was run especially the fact that spectators could be very close to the action.

“It was exciting, cut-and-thrust, a very good spectacle to watch and the races were understandable to all audiences, regardless of whether they were sailors or not, because races were short, happening in front of your eyes and it was clear which boat was going to finish first, and I thought this was something to learn more about.”

In having taken a liking to the sport, Pindar was introduced to skipper Ian Williams by Peter Holmberg (who was then racing with Alinghi) in 2005. Holmberg told him that Williams was the next big star in match racing and most significantly, that he did not have a sponsor. That was the start of Pindar’s foray into the World Match Racing Tour and being sponsor to Ian Williams.

Pindar saw a good fit with WMRT and the places the Tour visited, as those countries are also very important markets for the company’s business. In addition, the events have great visibility and guests and spectators alike get to experience top-level sailing themselves.

“The key difference with offshore racing for instance, such as the Transat Jacques Vabre or the Vendée Globe, is that, whilst you can follow them on the Internet you cannot really experience it the same way you can with a match racing event, that happens right in front of your eyes.”

He added that another attractive draw is that the match racers spend time during dinner with the guests and make efforts to explain what they did during the race and why they won or lost.

The new WMRT website lists Pindar as an Official sponsor, but the tour has been without a Title Sponsor for some time. Despite being an official world championship with a large international footprint and television coverage, the WMRT has perhaps not made the most of its potential. The new owners of the tour have ambitious plans to change that.

“We decided to partner with the Tour because we could see that it was going to grow and develop and that what Peter Gilmour and Datuk Patrick Lim had achieved with the event in Malaysia was a model of what could be achieved elsewhere on the Tour.”

“I firmly believe the Tour will keep growing and is an exciting proposition for companies to associate with, either on an event basis, by sponsoring a team or as a partner to the Tour itself.” This is why Pindar has been partnering the Tour for the last four years with the main involvement being to promote the Pindar business. Pindar seeks brand exposure – for people to see the Pindar name, visit its website and learn more about what the company does. “It is also a very good avenue to drive traffic to our website and great opportunity to take our best clients to the events.”

Pindar has launched a sailing initiative in the Middle East, in the Kingdom of Bahrain, called ‘Sail Bahrain’ with the aim of, amongst others, nurturing the next generation of local sailing champions and attracting events to the region. Ian Williams will be involved in various activities in Bahrain and ultimately, Pindar aims to host a WMRT event there.

Do you ever get the feeling that we seem to whinge and complain a lot? It’s not that there aren’t great things being done in sailing, it’s more that there seems to be a lot of crap that could be done better. Not this story. US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics have presented awards for excellence and one of them is a Commercial Award.

There is a deep vein of amateurism that runs through sailing, which is a great thing for many reasons including the fact that keeps the sport alive when times are tough. But the reality is that sport in 2010 is big business and sailing needs to consider the commercial side of things more carefully.

It’s great to see that along with the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics Awards for Best Individual Performance, Best Team Performance, Best Performance by a Newcomer, Best Teammate, Most Improved Fitness, there is the Commercial Award.

Dean Brenner, Chairman of the US Olympic Sailing Program said:

‘Our program is focused on excellence, and these awards were created to reward the team members who exemplify the work ethic we’re looking for on our team’

The Commercial Award, which is presented to the athlete who has made an outstanding effort in support of the commercial and sponsorship activities of the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics, was presented to Graham Biehl (San Diego, Calif.). Graham distinguished himself by giving the team specific and actionable feedback on their Atlantis Weathergear apparel selection and actually worked directly with Atlantis on design of a podium shirt. Graham also helped move our sail and hull branding scheme from version 1.0 to 2.0.

Dan Cooney, Commercial Director said:

We are excited about this award as it fosters a culture of collaboration between the team and the team’s sponsors that makes our program better for everyone. We are lucky because our entire team has bought into the sponsor program in a big way. The credit goes to the sailors and especially the coaches for making this transition to a more structured commercial program.  Nearly all the athletes are contributing to improving our delivery of sponsor value making our job easy.

More on the other award winners here: sailingteams.ussailing.org

Sailing is more than a sport. It can be a multi-dimensional platform that can be tailored to deliver against all kinds of different goals. Now that might sound like marketing-speak, but sailing, as shown by the iShares Cup has the ability to engage partners in a way that other sports can’t, whether it be riding on board during a race as the ’5th man’ or competing in corporate races or giving people chances they might not otherwise have.

Sailing is a also a natural fit for team building. The team aspect of sailing is almost unique in that members of the team must all be working simultaniously to get the best results. So its a natural fit for Group Experiential Learning (GEL) to joined forces with the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics (USSTAG) as a new bronze-level partner.

GEL will deliver high impact team building and leadership training experiences for current and future USSTAG sponsors. As part of the partnership, GEL will introduce some of USSTAG’s non-endemic sponsors to the sport of sailing, while offering sailing veterans the opportunity to sharpen their skills and enhance their teamwork on the water. Many GEL events will feature participation by USSTAG’s Olympians and Olympic hopefuls.

Jay Palace, President of GEL says:

‘Sailing is an extremely team-oriented sport. Because sailboats won’t move without coordination between a helmsperson and the sail trimmers, it’s the perfect platform for improving communication, collaboration and developing leadership capabilities needed by high performance teams. The challenges GEL participants face on the water literally mirror what happens inside the office.’

USSTAG’s title sponsor, AlphaGraphics, has tapped GEL to organize a special introduction to sailing and racing, during which AlphaGraphics’ franchisees will sail side-by-side with USSTAG members in Naples, Fla. in early 2010. The afternoon of racing will strengthen relationships and give participants a unique glimpse into the training, preparation and focus required to win medals at the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Dan Cooney, USSTAG’s Commercial Director says:

‘We are excited to welcome GEL to the team because they are terrific at what they do and they will contribute a new element to our program. We are constantly thinking about new ways our partners can leverage their investment in the team, and GEL provides a truly unique opportunity for a sponsor’s employees and clients. Introducing new people to the sport through this sponsorship is a welcome bonus.’

Despite some resistence to sponsorship within American sailing, the Olympic team and US Sailing manage to keep attracting and retaining their sponsors. US Sailing Team Alphagraphics has announced that Sperry Top Sider, the performance boat shoe brand will extend their partnership through the next Olympic and Paralympic cycle.

Under the new agreement, Sperry Top-Sider is named an ‘Official Silver Partner of US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics’ and the Team’s official and exclusive footwear partner. US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics consists of 66 athletes who are training for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Weymouth, UK.

According to US Olympic Sailing Program Chair Dean Brenner,

‘Sperry Top-Sider has been providing our team with world-class products and critical resources for years. We are excited that a great American sailing brand like Sperry Top-Sider will be supporting our athletes and the program through 2012.’

Craig Reingold, President of Sperrry Top-Sider said:

‘We are proud to continue our long-term relationship with the country’s top sailors of the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics. Like Sperry, these athletes share a clear passion for the sport. They have been invaluable in helping our brand create footwear for those who are dedicated to performing at the world’s top level.’

In addition to its support of the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics, Sperry Top-Sider supports various other US SAILING events and programs, including the National Sailing Programs Symposium, USSTAG athletes Zach Railey, Debbie Capozzi, Brad Nichol and Andrew Campbell, and several U.S. Championships.

Our regular readers may not be surprised that sponsorship in sailing has a way to go. There are a few reasons for this – some cultural, some historical and some based on the perception of sailing as a niche activity with not enough ‘coverage’. For an in depth look into some of these issues, get yourself a copy of ‘Getting on the Plane‘.

One of the strangest incongruities is that the country that brought us NASCAR and NFL and NHL and branded up Tiger Woods with Accenture logos struggles with the concept of sponsorship being attached to sailing. Not everyone – Alphagraphics powers the US Sailing Team, Rolex sponsors a ton of activity and obviously BMW gets something out of its participation with the GGYC America’s Cup challenge.

More people visit this website from the  USA than any other market. The message is getting through and it seems others are coming around to our idea. In a media love-in, an article called Sponsorship is not a Dirty Word published in Windcheck that mentions Scuttlebutt and Sail-World has been picked up by Scuttlebutt and Sail-World.

In it, the author puts a case for sponsorship and argues that sponsors are looking for coverage. While coverage is important, there are literally hundreds of other reasons why companies use sponsorship as a marketing platform. These days, sponsorship is nothing without activation. A mention in an article or a photo with your logo is nothing compared to building long term relationships or engaging with customers using new media tools.

If all you want to do is talk to sailors, then Scuttlebutt and Sail-World are great, but the professionals realise that if you do it properly, sponsorship can capture the imagination of a wider public. How? Activation.

The article shows where the real problems lie. It suggests that getting media coverage is simple:

All they really need to do is give some brief details of the event — how hard it was blowing, how many races, etc — and the results. Also, if your club has a website, give the link where the results are posted.

If your club has a website? If? In the year 2009, if your club does not have a website, then sponsorship is the least of your worries.

Here’s our advice and it will be as controversial as the idea of sponsorship itself to some. Outsource your sponsorship to professionals. A couple of Yacht Clubs in the USA already do this and their reasoning is sound.

• Good sponsorships take time to develop and deliver good returns. Yacht Club committees typically turn over every year, making it very difficult to build long term relationships with sponsors.
• Most club officials have a day job, which makes the job of finding and managing sponsors difficult, even if they have the expertise.
• Execution and activation are extremely important and some sponsors are extremely demanding. One sponsor changes the ‘green’ in their logo every year and insists on flags from previous regattas with the ‘wrong green’ be destroyed. Managing the logistics of sponsorships is hard work.

We work with Sponsorship and PR people around the world to help Yacht Clubs, Teams and Event Organisers to give real value to sponsors. This doesn’t have to cost as much as you think. Simple clean, database driven websites are cheap and easy, resources like Facebook, Youtube, Twitter and multiple online press-release submission sites are free.

Keep the mantra in mind – Ask not what your sponsor can do for you. Ask what can you do for your sponsor. For introductions to sponsorship experts in your area contact us.