Hollis Sponsorship Bulletin

British Airways has signed up as official airline of the England 2018 World Cup Bid and is partnering with football hero Gary Lineker OBE to rally the nation to back the bid.

As England 2018 ambassador, Gary unveiled the British Airways aircraft that will fly the England 2018 bid book to Zurich, home of FIFA. The Airbus A319 aircraft will sport a giant black and white football on its nose. The bid book represents England’s formal proposal to FIFA and sets out the country’s vision for hosting the World Cup.

British Airways launches its campaign by flying the England 2018 team to FIFA’s headquarters on May 13, to officially hand over the bid book to President Sepp Blatter. The value in kind partnership will allow the England 2018 team to fly around the globe to meet with key figures in world football as they seek to earn the right to stage the tournament in England. In December,  British Airways will fly the England 2018 team into Zurich for the final presentation to FIFA.

Willie Walsh, British Airways CEO, said “It’s our goal to support the bid campaign to bring the World Cup to England in 2018. We have a world-class airport in Heathrow Terminal 5, and the infrastructure for transport, accommodation, security and stadiums to stage a global event in this country. We look forward to playing our part in backing the bid.”

There will also be an opportunity for British Airways customers to back the bid by providing their messages of support in Terminal 5 in the coming weeks. These will be reproduced on the livery of the plane taking the England 2018 bid to FIFA’s headquarters in December.

North American-based companies will spend US$1.09 billion to sponsor music venues, festivals and tours in 2010, a 4.2 percent increase from the US$1.08 billion spent in 2009, according to IEG Sponsorship Report.

In a positive sign for music properties, the increase outpaces IEG SR’s projected 3.4 percent rise in total sponsorship spending and represents the third largest increase in spending among the major property types, following causes (6.1 percent) and entertainment tours and attractions (5.7 percent).

“Music remains a vital passion point for consumers, and marketers are increasingly aligning with music events, tours and venues to tap into that passion,” said William Chipps, IEG Sponsorship Report’s senior editor.

As in years past, much of that growth is driven by new and incremental spending on big-ticket sponsorships, with auto, apparel, beverage, cameras, insurance, technology companies leading the charge.

While national music festivals and tours have found success securing corporate partners, many regional and local events continue to struggle, Chipps said.

“While the economy appears to be rebounding, many marketers continue to take a cautious approach to sponsorship by focusing on large, established properties that provide broad reach.”

Sports marketing agency Essentially has been appointed by Clydesdale Bank as consultant to help activate the brand’s three-year title sponsorship of the new domestic 40-over competition, the Clydesdale Bank 40.

Essentially will manage activation for the brand both in and out of the cricket grounds and assist with the integration of the brand’s current cricket ambassadors into the programme. With a strategy to provide compelling and engaging experiences for consumers, Essentially’s team aims to ensure the Clydesdale Bank 40 quickly establishes itself as a destination event for cricketing fans throughout the country.

Clydesdale Bank has been a long-time supporter of cricket and the ECB. The bank was an official partner of the domestic Twenty20 competition between 2005 and 2009 and also has established links with various counties and individual ambassadors Paul Collingwood, Alastair Cook and Alec Stewart.

Caroline Darnbrook, Head of Business and Private Marketing, commented: “We are extremely excited about the opportunity we have with the Clydesdale Bank 40 to build on our involvement with cricket and provide fantastic experiences for cricket supporters.”

The Clydesdale Bank 40 is one of three competitions making up the 2010 domestic season. The 18 First Class Counties alongside Scotland, The Netherlands and the Unicorns (a team of players without first class contracts) – have been divided into three groups and each team will play every other team in their group, home and away. The three teams finishing top of each group will qualify for the semi-finals with the next best team across all groups awarded the remaining place. The finals will take place at Lord’s on 18th September.

npower, who recently announced a three year title partnership with the Football League, has officially appointed Octagon as its sponsorship consultancy.  Octagon will consult and activate npower’s sponsorship portfolio, recently strengthened by the three year Football League sponsorship which will see npower replace Coca-cola as title sponsor.

New campaigns are planned for the coming football season including a nationwide community programme and an affinity scheme.

In addition, Octagon will support and activate npower’s involvement with the summer Cricket Test series against Bangladesh and Pakistan, England’s bid to host the Football World Cup in 2018 and their ongoing Wembley Stadium partnership.

Kevin Peake, Marketing Director, npower, said: “Through our Football League, 2018 bid support, Wembley Stadium partnership and Test match cricket activation we are showing a commitment to support sport in England and Octagon will be a key player in activating this to the fullest of its capabilities’

England Rugby League has joined forces with the Royal Marines to promote leadership and mental strength among players involved at every level of the national team.

The Royal Marines have forged successful partnerships in recent years with the RFU and the Cambridge rowing team and now hope to propel England to the next level leading up to the 2013 Rugby League World Cup which is to be held in the UK.

Lt Col Matt Jackson (RM) said: “Our strategic partnership will maximise the potential recruiting angle for both organisations, with particular emphasis for us on recruiting young Royal Marine Officers.”

Business consulting firm FTI Consulting has signed as sponsor for the ECB and PCA’s  Most Valuable Player (MVP) rankings system. Under the new sponsorship deal, FTI MVP rankings awards will be presented to the leading domestic player at the end of each County season and the leading England player at the end of the domestic international season and the winter tour period. A monthly FTI MVP rankings award will also be announced throughout the summer for the leading player across the LV= County Championship, Friends Provident t20 and Clydesdale Bank 40.

Originally conceived by the PCA, the FTI MVP rankings, powered by PA Sport, are a cumulative points system that rewards players for every run scored, every wicket taken and every catch held – and how well they do it.   Recent winners include Ottis Gibson in 2007, Martin van Jaarsveld in 2008, and Marcus Trescothick in 2009.

FTI Consulting’s support will enable the PCA to develop the role of the FTI MVP rankings. FTI Consulting’s technical experience has the potential to mine the existing information and help sharpen player analysis and create new coaching applications for the rankings data in the professional game and, possibly, applications for the amateur game too. This exciting aspect of the sponsorship is being jointly explored at present.

The FTI MVP rankings have been refined over the last two years and are now a robust tool providing a new perspective on player performance. The partnership will help to drive the communication of the relevance of the FTI MVP rankings to a wider audience than just players and coaches, creating debate amongst cricket fans in a sport that thrives on statistics.

Barclaycard has signed up for the fourth year running to sponsor the Mayor’s Thames Festival in 2010. The 2010 festival will be delivered in partnership with Barclaycard Freedom, Barclaycard’s new retail reward programme which launched in March.

The Mayor’s Thames Festival is London’s largest free arts festival, attracting over 800,000 people in 2009. A two-day outdoor celebration of London and its river, the festival is a vivid mixture of music, dancing, carnival, feasting, river races and street arts.   This year the festival will take place on 11th and 12th September, in the public open spaces between the London Eye and Tower Bridge.

Barclaycard first sponsored the festival in September 2007 to publicise the launch of the Barclaycard OnePulse card. Following the success of that campaign, Barclaycard then renewed its sponsorship in 2008 and 2009. Dan Mathieson, Head of Sponsorship at Barclaycard said: “We are delighted to continue our partnership with the Mayor’s Thames Festival – it’s wonderful to be associated with this truly memorable event that just gets better and better, and that Londoners enjoy so much”.

Travel group Monarch is to be this summer’s lead sponsor of the English Heritage and Tatton Park Picnic Concert Series.

The picnic concert series, which take place at Kenwood House (Hampstead) between 26 June and 21 August, Audley End (Saffron Walden) between 10 July and 01 August, and at Tatton Park (Cheshire) on 31 July and 01 August, are set play host to fifteen events, featuring world famous artists such as Blondie, Rufus Wainwright, Diana Krall, Jamie Cullum, Jools Holland and Will Young, as well as the Last Night of the Proms and the Hallé Orchestra presented by Myleene Klass.

The agreement, which has been negotiated by IMG on behalf of English Heritage and Tatton Park includes all pre-event online and offline marketing plus onsite branding and activation.

Commenting on the sponsorship agreement, Managing Director of Monarch Flights and Holidays, Tim Jeans said, ” The on-site activation of the sponsorship will support Monarch’s overarching summer campaign, ‘Summer goes further with Monarch’ which plays to the strengths within the travel group and the recent extension of the Monarch brand into holidays and hotels.  The pre-event and onsite activity will also enable Monarch to target its core 35+, ABC1 demographic.”

Oil brand Valvoline has agreed a one-year deal to become an official partner of the Engage Super League, as well as title sponsor of Super League’s under-20s and under-18s competitions.

As part of the agreement, the under-20s competition, which includes Super League sides that can only field three overage players, will be known as the Valvoline Cup. The under-18s competition will now be called the Valvoline Academy.

Valvoline is a major sponsor of a variety of international motor racing events and competitions, including the NASCAR and drag racing circuits in the US, as well as rally car, motorcycle and off-road racing teams elsewhere around the world.  However, this is Valvoline’s second sponsorship of Rugby League in six months.  Valvoline was an official partner at last year’s Gillette Four Nations.

Paul Kimberley, Super League’s commercial director said, “As shown with the England team last year and this year’s Super League, our clubs are producing more and more quality youngsters each year. This is why our under-20s and under-18s competitions are so important, and it’s a sign of just how rich they are in talent that a multi-national brand such as Valvoline has agreed to become title sponsor of the respective competitions. Their investment will help raise the profile of the competitions and provide a platform for the superb youngsters in this country to showcase their skills.”

Paul Taylor, Valvoline’s marketing manager for Europe, the Middle East and Africa said: “We got involved with Rugby League for the first time last year with the Four Nations and found great benefit from our sponsorship and are delighted to continue our involvement with the sport. The Valvoline Cup and Academy competitions will be the competitions where the stars of the future hone their Super League skills. We are thrilled to strengthen our sporting heritage with this sponsorship.”

Global Radio has secured online fashion store ASOS.com as headline sponsor of the 95.8 Capital FM Summertime Ball LIVE on air.  In a six figure deal brokered by Carat Sponsorship, ASOS.com will be included on Summertime Ball on air trails and live reads across 95.8 Capital FM as well as print materials including tickets, programmes and marketing collateral.  ASOS.com will also have brand presence at the concert as well as experiential activity.

The brand aims to use the partnership and publicity generated to promote its online fashion store as the ‘first for fashion, first for trends, the UK’s largest branded fashion offer’.

The first Summertime Ball, held in June last year, featured performances from stars including Katy Perry, Calvin Harris and Lionel Richie.  The Summertime Ball with ASOS.com, will be the station’s fourth ‘ball’ and follows hot on the heels of the success of the two day, sell out Jingle Bell Ball in December 2009 which saw the likes of Janet Jackson, Lady Gaga and JLS perform to a crowd of 17,000 on each day.

Nick Robertson, CEO at ASOS.com said: “For ASOS.com, partnering with 95.8 Capital FM’s Summertime Ball is a great opportunity to bring our proposition to life, reaching our customers with a series of both online and offline initiatives that will engage and excite them. As the UK’s largest branded fashion offer, we have 800 brands on site and add 300 new fashion products every day. We know that the ever-prevalent link between fashion and music that is so central to our customers’ lifestyles will be heavily underscored by this event.”