Hugo Boss Sailing Sponsorship Commitment Extended.

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 While sponsorship was seen by some as a way of justifying executive perks and subsequently withdrawn when it ‘didn’t look good’, other brands who really understand their audiences and objectives have stuck with their relationships and a few have even extended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.

Open 60 Shuffle. Hugo Boss Racing Buys Pindar. Pindar Moves East.

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

Of Expensive Suits and Cheap Tricks.

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…

Live Bites From Hugo Boss and Alex Thomson During the Fastnet.

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

Clothing Companies Converge on Cowes.

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.

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