Alex Thomson has announced his co-skipper for the double handed Barcelona World Race. Volvo Ocean Race sailor, Andy Meiklejohn, will join Alex to the 2010 edition of the race.

Andy (34), from Auckland, New Zealand has over 100,000 ocean miles to his name, and has sailed extensively offshore, including the round the world 2004 Oryx Quest and the 2005/06 Volvo Ocean Race.

Alex and Andy have known each other for many years, having first raced together in The Commodores Cup in 2004. Andy joined the Alex Thomson Racing team earlier this year with overall responsibility for the boat performance and he has been a key part of the team that has launched and developed the new Hugo Boss. Together with Alex he has now covered over 10,000 miles onboard the yacht.

Alex is positive they have created a winning formula,

‘Andy is a confident, professional sailor with broad experience in the racing field. He has accumulated many offshore miles and has invaluable on-board technical experience within an offshore race environment. We compliment each other’s abilities and both have the attitude and drive to win.’

Andy has been professionally racing for over ten years. Starting in dinghy sailing, and progressing up to the America’s Cup and Volvo Ocean Race, Andy is used to extreme racing conditions.

Referring to his recent appointment, Andy commented,

‘I’m excited to be accepting the Co-Skipper role on-board Hugo Boss for The Barcelona World Race and to be able to do this race with a good friend. The boat itself is incredible, it has the same power and sail area as a fully crewed VO70, so the challenge of racing on the boat with only two of us when I’m used to ten will be a demanding but exciting prospect. Alex and I can both learn from each other and I will be able to help enhance the boat’s capability and performance for The Vendee Globe in 2012.’

Stewart Hosford, Managing Director at Alex Thomson Racing commented,

‘I believe the partnership between Alex and Andy teamed with the speed and capability of Hugo Boss, creates one of the strongest entries in this year’s BWR. We had a couple of candidates in mind for the position but we were always gravitating towards Andy as his skill set was the perfect fit against Alex’s.’

More Open60 news

First of all a disclaimer – We were not invited to the Hugo Boss party in Canary Wharf to mark the occasion of  Brian Thompson’s old boat being rejigged, repainted and renamed for Alex Thomson, so of course this article is laced with the sour grapes that inevitably come with such a snub.

The who’s who of fashion and sport were invited, including blogger Elle Tea and sportsvibe.co.uk who reported:

“Funny old night in Canary Wharf last night where Sportsvibe witnessed the official launch of round the world sailor Alex Thomson’s latest boat, “Hugo Boss,” by Hollywood actress Diane Kruger, of Troy, National Treasure and Inglorious Bastards fame. Mark Foster turned up in his trademark stripey jacket and thin jeans, although he wasn’t quite sure who Diane Kruger was, while old Sportsvibe friend David Coulthard was there as well on compering duties.”

Considering the expense spent on the party, one would have expected a bit more buzz. Admittedly, HUGO BOSS is attempting to portray itself as an exclusive brand, but it seems that despite the backing of long time digital experts Slipstream Studios, the people behind Alex’s new website, there was a real lack of online chatter about the occasion.

The buzz that was generated only served to perpetuate the ‘Hello Sailor’ image of the sport with visitors to the party captivated by the waiters and waitresses dressed in cliched white hats and blue and white striped uniforms. Perhaps the camp costumes were designed to differentiate the hired-help from the suit wearing stars, but the unimaginative nature of the look will do nothing for the sport of sailing.

This was old-fashioned PR. The kind where you don’t earn attention and coverage, but buy it with free drinks and glittering goodies. And on some levels it worked. A photo and 50 words on the Marie Claire website and PopSugar.com meant that HUGO BOSS ambassador Diane Kruger caught the attention of a press audience that would not have cared less for a boat launch ordinarily.

600 influencers like Diane Chan experienced a memorable evening and no doubt Hugo Boss’ PR people will clap their hands at collumn inches in the traditional media as a result,  but from where we sit, with Google’s new search tools and a couple of other digital media monitoring methods, the event was a missed opportunity.

As the boat floated in the still waters of the Thames, the viral element that has been a feature of the relationship between Alex Thomson and Hugo Boss was missing.

The official press release that we received (so we’re on at least one mailing list), runs to a total of 125 words and the follow up story about the boat sailing down the Thames clocks in at 21 words. This coming from the team that has given us some of the most spectacular promotional images of recent times.

We’re obviously not the target audience for this phase of the campaign. We love HUGO BOSS. We love the adrenaline of F1 and the sheer power of the new boat. We love the way Alex Thomson can be an offshore sailor and still carry off a smart looking suit. A fashion PR luvvie party is just not what we expect from the brand that made everyone rethink how to brand a racing yacht.

More HUGO BOSS news here…

More news confirming that Yacht Racing is getting more professional. After a bit of a wake up reminder from Mercedes F1 CEO, Nick Fry, at the World Yacht Racing Forum in Monaco, professional sailing operations, including the Volvo Ocean Race, have been sourcing more talent from outside of sailing.

Alex Thomson Racing have announced that their new Managing Director will be Stewart Hosford. Most recently, Hosford was Head of Sourcing at RBS (Royal Bank of Scotland) but also brings significant experience to the role, with six years as a Director at Cap Gemini Ernst & Young. The world of sports sponsorship is also not new for the 36 year old. In his previous role Hosford was instrumental in the signing many of the RBS major sports sponsorship deals including Tennis, Rugby, Golf and F1. He managed a team of 200 with a multi-billion spend across everything from marketing, sponsorship, HR, IT, property and logistics.

His new position will see him manage the 12 strong team, including Hugo Boss skipper Alex Thomson.

F1 teams, Premier League teams and other professional sports organisations employ strong commercial teams run by some of the best business people in the world. These are not just the best business people in the sport, they are the best business people period. While some IMOCA Open 60 teams are still amateur organisations, at the elite level, with multimillion dollar budgets, running this kind of team is a business. From the technical world of boat design and optimisation, the needs of a high profile sponsor, events and marketing activation teams and a multi million pound budget to manage, all that without the team even going sailing. This is not a small business, every decision is crucial and can make the difference between the team winning or losing that ultimate goal.

Hosford said:

“For me this role is about steering Alex Thomson Racing into a new period. Managing an international sporting team at the highest level, holds parallels to many of the day to day realities that exist within the financial and corporate world. Million dollar deals, delivering on objectives, decision making at the highest level and a clear understanding of the differences between hitting your targets and falling by the wayside. I am passionate about ensuring that we continue to raise the standards within the industry (sailing) both through our performance on the water and sponsorship activation on shore. I intend to be very ‘hands on’, and my focus is not just on the next four years but planning ahead to ensure the prolonged future of Alex Thomson Racing.”

The appointment will mean skipper Alex Thomson will be able to focus 100% on his performance on the water. He has in the past added the management role in the company to that of skipper. Now however he will be able to do what he does best, sail fast and fully focus on his training with the ultimate aim of winning the 2012 edition of the Vendée Globe.

Thomson said:

‘Stewart joining the team will mean a big load off my shoulders; I can concentrate on racing and not have to be distracted by day to day aspects of the business. I believe he will bring a new structure to the business that will ultimately continue to improve my performance on the water. Stewart certainly brings a level of networking and knowledge of the corporate world, which will be invaluable in taking Alex Thomson Racing forward. We’ve done two Fastnet races together, so know each other well and I’m really looking forward to working alongside him’

Whilst the team is undergoing its own restructure, the Juan Kouyoumdjian IMOCA Open 60 has been hidden away in the build shed at Green Marine in Lymington throughout the winter, allowing Alex Thomson Racing and Juan Yacht Design to breathe new life into this already radical boat. Now widely considered to be the most powerful IMOCA Open 60 in the fleet, due to the grandfathering rule, the new Hugo Boss will feature some exciting design changes that Alex and his team are confident will ensure success on the water.

With the new boat completing re-fit, both skipper Alex and managing partner of Alex Thomson Racing Sir Keith Mills have been putting in place the team of professionals required to deliver on the company’s goals.

Expect more team announcements over the coming weeks as Stewart and the team at Alex Thomson Racing prepare for the season ahead in the newly refitted Juan Kouyoumdjian designed Hugo Boss.

The issues around the sponsorship of sailing are complicated but there are two fundamental conditions that have to be in place for it to work.

1. A brand that understands the value of sponsorship in the first place.
2. An understanding of which type of sailing platform will deliver return on investment and objectives.

Over the last year, economics have sorted out the companies who include sponsorship as part of a well thought out, integrated marketing strategy and those who were doing it because someone told them it was a good idea and they enjoyed the hospitality. While sponsorship was seen by some as a way of justifying executive perks and subsequently withdrawn when it ‘didn’t look good’, other brands who really understand their audiences and objectives have stuck with their relationships and a few have even extended them.

In recent years, Hugo Boss has been one of the most recognisable and innovative sponsors in sailing. Alex Thomson’s distinctive black open 60 showed how 300 square metres of sail area could become a massive racing / floating billboard with its groundbreaking boat branding.

In 2009, Hugo Boss and Alex Thomson have continued to innovate and get the most value out of their platform. The boat has been strategically positioned at major sporting events including the Monaco F1 Grand Prix, attracting extra television exposure and several photo stunts have been picked up by media around the world.

Alex Thomson is the only UK Open 60 sailor that started the Transat Jacques Vabre yesterday with a fully funded campagin to take him through the next Vendee Globe. Dee Caffari’s relationship with Aviva has come to an end, Sam Davies is skippering Artemis for this race only and is looking for a reported €9 Million for a four year campaign. Ecover will not continue their backing of Mike Golding and even BT’s relationship with OC Group is ending. While there is natural churn of sponsors after each Vendee Globe cycle, questions have been asked about the value of the IMOCA 60 class.

The news that Hugo Boss have renewed their relationship with Alex Thomson should be good news for other sailors in the class. The endorsement of such a savvy sponsor should help others make a case for backing.

Till Pohlmann Head of Sports Sponsorship for Hugo Boss said:,

“We are delighted to retain our title sponsorship of Alex and his team. HUGO BOSS has seen the IMOCA class deliver substantial media interest, which makes it very
appealing to us. We will continue to develop close relationships between our markets and the sponsorship and to explore the programme further. We are lucky to work globally with an ambassador like Alex.”

The seven year partnership stands as one of the longest within the IMOCA class and the teams says it has exceeded expectations in terms of media return for HUGO BOSS.

Alex said:

“I am delighted HUGO BOSS are retaining title sponsorship of the project, it has been a great partnership and I know there is still so much we can do. I will announce a full programme of events for the team soon. A brand like HUGO BOSS brings a new level of glamour to the sport, it is exciting to work with such an innovative and distinctive company. I am proud to have a reliable and successful partner onboard especially in tough times like these where sponsorship of such a scale is difficult to find. I would like to thank HUGO BOSS for their continued support and I am looking forward to exciting years ahead.”

The new deal means that Alex Thomson is able to commit to the next Barcelona World Race and the next Vendee Globe. In the meantime, as well as the current TJV, Hugo Boss will focus on creative cross promotion ideas, which have in the past seen a huge return.

Hugo Boss will also continue to leverage their other sponsorships. The brand has achieved huge exposure from cross-over promotions involving Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton and international golfer Oliver Wilson.

Here’s a collection of what people are saying about the TJV which starts today in La Havre.
The Official site is at: http://www.jacques-vabre.com/en/s01_home/s01p01_home.php

In case your communications people haven’t told you yet, Twitter is emerging as the source for breaking news in sport. Some of it is rumour, some of it is pure misdirection, but some of it is genuine news that is faster than any other media. Yesterday, news that Hugo Boss Racing had bought the Open 60 Pindar, hit Twitter before most other places. It wasn’t on Alex Thomson’s own feed – that hasn’t been updated since the 29th of August, but increasingly, media and bloggers are beating the traditional media to the punch.

There are two stories here. One is the purchase of the boat by Hugo Boss Racing, and the second is Pindar’s change of direction – away from the Open 60 to concentrate on a ‘new project’ in the Middle East.

Hugo Boss Racing Buys the Open 60 – Pindar.

The Pindar IMOCA 60, which conforms to the new IMOCA regulations, is one of the most powerful in the IMOCA fleet. Alex Thomson said:

“I believe that power equals speed, and so it makes sense to buy the most powerful boat in the fleet. I believe that it will really suit my sailing style and that the true potential for this boat has yet to be achieved. I think I can push the boat to the limits that it was designed for. I am very excited to start sailing on her, and see what she and I are capable of over the next three years. The Barcelona World Race will be out first major race together and I will be hoping to go one better than last time!”

OC Group CEO, Mark Turner, who runs the Open60 programs for BT and Artemis said – via Twitter….

RT @PYL: Alex Thomson vend Hugo Boss et rachète Pindar http://tinyurl.com/nz7hwe. Alex needs more power? ***

The sale is perhaps not surprising, given the relationships involved. Sir Keith Mills has been a long time backer of Alex Thomson Racing and Mike Sanderson and Juan K (both key members of Mill’s TeamOrigin) were involved in designing the Pindar boat.

As a result of the purchase of Pindar, Alex Thomson Racing will sell it’s current IMOCA 60 Hugo Boss (built in 2007).

Pindar Focusses on the Middle East.

Following on from Pindar’s relationship with the Kingdom of Bahrain, Team Pindar will now focus on a new sailing programme and in the next few weeks will ship two Volvo 60′s out to the Middle East, to embark on a corporate hospitality, team-building and boat charter initiative. Based in the Kingdom of Bahrain, the boats will provide a platform for bespoke marketing opportunities at key locations throughout the Gulf and will be managed by Team Director, Nick Crabtree, who has developed extensive contacts in the region.

Chairman of the Pindar Group, Andrew Pindar OBE commented:

‘It is with mixed feelings that we are selling the Open 60. It has been an amazing journey and we are sad to see her go, but equally delighted she is going to a skipper (Alex) and team who will maximise her true potential. The opportunities in The Middle East offer a new direction for Team Pindar and sit well alongside our activity with Ian Williams on the World Match Racing Tour.’

Team Pindar’s Team Director, Nick Crabtree commented:

‘With Ras al-Khaimah set to host the America’s Cup next year, there is a tremendous feeling of excitement and intrigue about sailing in the region. We witnessed firsthand, in Bahrain, the enthusiasm generated by following Brian Thompson’s epic journey in the Vendée Globe and we are delighted about having a physical presence, which will enable us to develop unique sailing experiences throughout the Gulf.’

You can follow the YachtSposnsorship Twitter feed even if you are not signed up to Twitter.

• YachtSponsorship.com on Twitter.
• Yachtsponsorship.com Twitter stream as an RSS Feed.
• Yachtsponsorship.com Twitter stream daily digests.

*** Twitter jargon translation. RT = Retweet, meaning that the post was originally made by PYL (who in this case is Pierre-Yves Lautrou. Putting @ in front of a name makes it linkable in Twitter. Twitter for Business Tips brought to you by Pilote Sport

Seems Hugo Boss Racing is not doing much racing in 2009. Aside from the Fastnet Race, Alex Thomson and the distinctive black Open 60 seem to be undertaking a calendar of publicity stunts – from appearances in the background of golf telecasts to foiling wakeboarding.

The latest photos taken by Mark Lloyd are of Alex standing on the keel of the Hugo Boss yacht while sailing. Most dinghy sailors know what it is like to stand on the centreboard of a sailboat, but standing on the keel of an Open 60 while sailing is another thing.

Alex said:

“I’ve wanted to stand on the keel while sailing for a couple of years, and last week in 17-20 knots of breeze I stood on the keel whilst sailing wearing a HUGO BOSS suit. It was pretty dangerous but a real buzz.”

The strategy seems to work – the images have ended up in all kinds of places in the last 24 hours – including here…

Smart Sponsorship Activation at the Open Championship.

Several Open60s will be competing in the FastNet race this year and all have to get value for their sponsors. Alex Thomson and the crew onboard HUGO BOSS will be inviting the world to share life onboard the record breaking Open 60 with seven live feeds a day during the Rolex Fastnet Race. Racing kicks off at midday this Sunday 9th August, when the onboard HUGO BOSS cameras will go live 10 minutes before the start at 1150. Live feeds will then follow every 3 hours after the start enabling HUGO BOSS to share all the action live from the race course with people online.

Skipper Alex Thomson says:

“We have always been able to send back video and do live interviews, but we thought it would be great to go to the next level and test the boundaries of what is possible. I hope it will give people a real insight into life onboard and share the race with us.”

The first feed from onboard will start at 1150 until 1210 on Sunday, where you will be able to watch the start live here: http://www.alexthomsonracing.com

The live feeds lasting at least 3 minutes every 3 hours, starting at 1500 on Sunday 9th, then at 1800, 2100, 0000, 0300, 0600, 0900 and back to 1200 until the race finishes.

HUGO BOSS will be carrying one of the latest satellite communication packages delivering all the content from onboard via an Inmarsat’s Fleet Broadband 500. It will provide cutting edge communication from onboard, keeping everyone up to date with all the latest action in real time through the day and night. The cameras will also be turned on as HUGO BOSS rounds the famous Fastnet Rock off the Southern tip of Ireland. All of the crew will be involved in the video updates, one of the crew will be former Olympic skier and adventurer Graham Bell. Graham is a novice sailor and has just completed his sea survival training ahead of the start this weekend. “It’s going to be a great race, they really put me through my paces in the training and I can’t wait to get started on this,” Graham Bell.

The 300 strong fleet will feature a range of yachts from the smallest at just 30 foot to the largest at 100 foot. HUGO BOSS will be lining up in the IMOCA Open 60 class against some of the best offshore sailors in the world, including Sébastien Josse, Sam Davies and Mike Sanderson.

___

Alex Thomson and Hugo Boss Racing are in the DARK BLUE BOOK

The start of Cowes Week is days away, including the UK round of the iShares Cup for Extreme 40s and followed closely by the Fastnet Race. Its a busy time for companies who use sailing as a platform for marketing and promotion – especially those in the clothing business.

Henri Lloyd are the official technical clothing suppliers for Cowes Week and are making the most of their new foray into the world of F1 by playing host to members of the Brawn GP Formula One Team. The representatives from Brawn GP will get to experience sailing at its extreme, when they take to the water onboard the Oman Sail Extreme 40.

Hugo Boss, who also cleverly leverage their support of both sailing via Alex Thomson’s Open 60 and the Maclaren F1 team will enter the fastnet with a ‘celebrity’ crew. Joining Alex onboard for the famous ocean race will be former Olympic skier and adventurer Graham Bell, Sir Keith Mills (Head of the British America’s Cup campaign Team Origin and founder of the Air Miles International Group) and Rob Greenhalgh, twice veteran of the Volvo Ocean Race and recently crowned Skiff World Champion. Navigator Andrew Cape will also join the crew for the race. Andrew ‘aka Capey’, recently completed his sixth lap of the planet alongside Rob onboard PUMA Ocean Racing during the last edition of the Volvo Ocean Race. Capey is no stranger to Alex Thomson or HUGO BOSS, after securing second place in the Barcelona World Race with Alex in 2007. Completing the crew line up is the man who will be preparing the boat for the Fastnet Race, HUGO BOSS boat captain Ross Daniel.

Meanwhile, Musto are trying to get people involved via ‘social media’ with mixed results. So far, the companie’s Twitter feed has featured ads for clothing discounts.

Yesterday I suggested that Alex Thomson was being idle after checking out a couple of websites and and blogs, but in the afternoon Alex and the Hugo Boss Sailing crew released a photo that left me speechless. This is the kind of photo that if I was a kid, I would blue-tack to my bedroom wall. If I could get my hands on a paper copy I would probably frame it and put it in the office. Instead I have done what all modern kids do and saved it as my computer wallpaper.

Hugo Boss reinvented how to use yacht racing for marketing. The distinctive black boat with black sails and imaginative and clever livery made people like me take another look at yacht racing. They broke all the rules and showed that sailing doesn’t have to be about double breasted blazers with gold buttons – it can be, well, all the things that the Hugo Boss brand stands for.

Photo Copyright - Mark Lloyd

The cliche runs that a picture says a thousand words, and in this case, the words are a marketing director’s dream. Rather than put them in your head, I’ll let you come up with your own.

Hugo Boss shouldn’t get all the credit though. Alex Thomson is one of the world’s most exciting and innovative sailors. The fit between brand and talent is a great one. Alex said about the stunt:

The conditions were perfect with good breeze and sunshine adding to the feel good factor on the day. I haven’t been ‘foiling’ before but I loved it. It’s pretty extreme – at a certain speed the hull is lifted above the water and the craft skims along on the hydrofoils at great speeds. It’s like snowboarding, just on water.

The new brand in this story is Carafino, makeers of  the ‘Hydrofoil’ board. Richard Thompson from Carafino UK was on board Hugo Boss with Alex last week and was hugely impressed with not only the Open 60, but also with Alex.

“What a guy! He has this tremendous confidence with the water you don’t see very often and was straight up and gone first time. His level of fitness is staggering and served him well on the Hydrofoil, I really was blown away by his performance. Alex looked completely at ease and was in control all the time.”

Photo copyright Mark Lloyd