Hollis Sponsorship Bulletin

Belgian beer brand Stella Artois has signed a two-year sponsorship deal with circus act Cirque du Soleil. The deal, which commences with immediate effect, gives Stella the right to use Cirque du Soleil imagery around runs of the group’s highly-regarded touring shows in North America.

Commenting on the deal, Andy Goeler, VP of imports, crafts and speciality at Anheuser-Busch (the company which distributes Stella Artois in North America), said: “Cirque du Soleil is the pinnacle of live performance art and continues to present engaging and unforgettable experiences.”

M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment has appointed Four Communications head of sport Neil Hopkins as director.

Hopkins helped found Four’s Sports, Arts & Sponsorship division in 2005 after eight years at Hill & Knowlton. In his new role, he will oversee the agency’s strategic and creative output ahead of a year in which the agency will work for FIFA World Cup sponsors Coca-Cola and Castrol.

Commenting on the appointment, Steve Martin, CEO of M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment, said: “We are delighted that Neil has chosen to join us. Next year will be our biggest year yet and Neil’s experience, creativity and strategic capabilities will be central to our ongoing success”.

M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment now employs 28 staff in its London HQ, has an office in New York and opened its Australian office in Sydney last month having won the Qantas account. Further clients include Carlsberg, Orange UK, Powerade, Reebok and TaylorMade Adidas Golf.

2009 hasn’t been a good year for car manufacturers, with Saab the last marque to be consigned to the scrapyard. But there are some signs of a pick up in the sector’s sponsorship activities. A good case in point is Spanish car company Seat’s decision to sponsor Shakira’s forthcoming She Wolf Tour in Europe. It’s the second time the company has worked with Shakira, having back her 2007 tour as well.

As part of the deal, Shakira becomes a brand ambassador for Seat during the tour. As a quid pro quo, Seat will work with The Barefoot Foundation, a charity created by Shakira to help provide education for children living in poverty.

The Shakira deal is Seat’s second big sponsorship in recent months. Earlier this year, it became the headline sponsor of UEFA’s new Europa League – the UEFA Cup replacement.

Media reports suggest that ITV is set for a windfall when it allocates the broadcast sponsorship rights to future series of entertainment hit The X Factor. Now that its deal with Talk Talk is ended, the ad-funded network is hoping that the rights will spark a bidding war between brands wanting to take advantage of X Factor’s massive ratings.

Talk Talk is believed to have paid £6 million a year, so any new deal would probably have a price-tag in the £8 – 10 million mark. For that money, any incoming sponsor would get a combination of massive TV ratings and various cross-platform activation opportunities. To put it in perspective, this year’s final of the show on ITV1 peaked at 19.1 million viewers, or 62 percent share. Across 2009, the series achieved an impressive average of 11.8m viewers and a 45 percent share.

Separately, Premier Food’s Mr Kipling brand has agreed to sponsor ITV1’s All Star Mr and Mrs. Due for transmission in early 2010 the series will be hosted by Phillip Schofield and Fern Britton. Premier Foods head of media management Lisa Clark called the show “an ideal fit with with a strong link between content and creative messaging.”

Outdoor power tool company STIHL GB has renewed its sponsorship of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship for the third year running. Mainly known among builders, foresters, landscapers and groundsmen for its robust and high quality outdoor power tools, STIHL is  increasingly well-known for a growing range of petrol and electric products for domestic gardeners and home owners.

STIHL GB marketing manager Sean Larter-Conway said: “British Superbikes has a large and enthusiastic following and the association is a very positive message for our target audience of professional and domestic power tool users. We have 500 dealerships nationwide who are passionate about engines, power and performance so creating an excellent synergy between Superbikes and STIHL GB products.”

12 Superbike events a season are held across the UK and broadcast live on British Eurosport, with highlights on both British Eurosport and ITV. As part of its sponsorship, STIHL receives branding at all Superbike events while trackside fans can view action on the STIHL Giant TV. New for 2010 will be the STIHL KTM RC8 VIP bike.

In a clever piece of sponsorship activation, Coca-Cola has signed up Jordan’s ex-husband Peter Andre to be a celebrity busker as part of its sponsorship of London Underground busking spots. On December 17th, Andre held a one-off performance of his new single Unconditional at a Central London location – as well as singing festive favourites.

The soft drinks giant started sponsoring 35 busking sites in late November after a deal with CBS Outdoor, which represents the rights. All told, CBSO reckons that London Underground busking sponsors (which have previously included Carling and Capital 95.8) get access to 3 million customers a day.

It’s a shrewd piece of timing on the part of Coke, which has not worked with Andre before. Starting with the new single, Andre is being tipped for big things in 2010 – with a heavyweight gig and release campaign being planned.

This week saw the launch of a new publication from Arts & Business entitled Beyond Experience: Culture, Consumer & Brand. Written by Joseph Pine & James Gilmore, authors of The Experience Economy and Authenticity, the report explores looks at how brands and businesses can rebuild relationships with their markets through dynamic and innovative associations with culture and the arts. It also investigates the changing nature of consumers, and their increasing need for the kind of authentic experiences and meaningful transformations which culture can best provide. 

The report concludes that businesses still want to invest in the arts, but are looking for new ways to engage. In particular, it signposts the move away from contracts of pure sponsorship towards more collaborative partnerships.

Commenting, A&B chief executive Colin Tweedy said: “We are always looking to explore new opportunities for our cultural and commercial partners to connect. It is very heartening to see some of the greatest minds across different fields and backgrounds engaged and excited about this new area of thinking and supporting us in moving this debate forward. There are overarching practical implications and opportunities for consumers, the arts and for businesses. We look forward to encouraging and facilitating more innovative ways of engagement between these partners.”

IMG Consulting is to handle all aspects of British Airways’ sponsorship activity with immediate effect. The news follows a rigorous sponsorship agency review conducted by BA during the course of the last couple of months.

Working with the airline’s in-house sponsorship and communication teams, IMG Consulting will be responsible for all aspects of the BA sponsorship portfolio, from day-to-day enquiries through to planning and activation internally and externally. Commenting, British Airways global sponsorship manager Luisa Fernandez said: “We are delighted to welcome IMG Consulting on board. Their wealth of experience along with their global network and creative ideas will help take our projects to the next level.”

The news is a coup for IMG Consulting – which will now be involved in the activation of BA’s tier one London 2012 sponsorship. BA has already started leveraging its Olympic  association through Great Britons, a programme which aims to help people to be the best they can be. The scheme looks for individuals who demonstrate the values associated with Olympic and Paralympic Games and who strive to be the best, whether their passion is in sport, music, fashion, performing arts, art and design, innovation or community.

After flagging up the idea of single-match sponsorships a couple of weeks ago, West Bromwich Albion succeeded in getting betting firm Blue Square on board for last night’s live televised match versus Queens Park Rangers.

Blue Square got in touch with the club after it heard about the match-by-match sponsorship proposal. “We have had considerable interest in this unique shirt sponsorship venture and we’re delighted that Blue Square has become the first company to join forces with us,” said West Brom finance director Mark Jenkins. “We will be making a little piece of history with Blue Square and are very much looking forward to working closely with them for this game.”

Accenture has become the first company to quit working with Tiger Woods following allegations about his private life. The company, which has worked with Woods for six years, said: “Accenture and Tiger Woods have had a very successful sponsorship arrangement and his achievements on the golf course have been a powerful metaphor for business success in Accenture’s advertising. However, given the circumstances of the last two weeks, after careful consideration and analysis, the company has determined that he is no longer the right representative for its advertising.”

Initially, many of Woods’ sponsors said they would stand by him. But as the story of his extra-marital affairs has unfolded it has become tougher for them to make a call.

The argument in favour of dropping Woods is a) that he is no longer an appropriate spokesperson for family-oriented brands and b) that his decision to take a break from the game will impact on media exposure. The argument in favour of staying loyal is a) that it can reflect well on a brand to stick with stars through troubled times and b) there will be a halo effect on the brand partner if Woods bounces back in a year or two’s time. If he does manage to come through this personal crisis, there is massive potential for brands to lock on to the Tiger Woods redemption story.

Brands assessing their options include AT&T, Gatorade, Gillette,  Electronic Arts and Tag Heuer. Nike however is going nowhere – issuing a company statement to the effect that Tiger Woods and his family “have Nike’s full support”.