US eyewear brand Oakley have inked a multi-year deal with Italian Formula 1 giants Ferrari it was announced at the weekend.
The deal was confirmed at the Circuit of The Americas track in Austin, drugs Texas by Oakley CEO Colin Baden and Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal Stefano Domenicali.
As part of the partnership the two brands will share design philosophies, technical advances, inspiration and innovation over a multi-year period.
Anheuser-Busch brand Michelob ULTRA has retained its position as the Official Beer of the PGA Tour in a new multi-year sponsorship deal announced today.
Michelob ULTRA continues to maintain a strong presence on the PGA TOUR, seek Champions Tour and Web.com Tour, buy activating at more than 55 tournaments through the support of its wholesalers.
“As one of our longest-tenured sponsors, order Michelob ULTRA has introduced a number of successful programs and advertising campaigns built around the TOUR relationship,” said Jay Monahan, Chief Marketing Officer of the PGA TOUR. “Next year marks the 20th anniversary of our relationship with Anheuser-Busch, and we’re delighted that it also marks the beginning of our new agreement.”
“The PGA TOUR has been one of our premier sponsorships for nearly two decades, and we are thrilled to have Michelob ULTRA continue as its official beer sponsor,” said Blaise D’Sylva, Vice President, Media, Sports and Entertainment Marketing, Anheuser-Busch. “We will continue to leverage Michelob ULTRA’s sponsorship to grow our brand by connecting with beer drinkers through dozens of marquee events every season.”
Over the years, Michelob ULTRA has utilized the PGA TOUR relationship to launch consumer promotions such as the ULTRA Foursome, a four-day trip to four of the nation’s top golf courses, and to entertain retailers through premium hospitality facilities. Key activations at tournaments currently include the Michelob ULTRA 19th Hole, a patio hospitality space, and the newly introduced Michelob ULTRA Build-A-Bar, a high-end, 40-foot beer selling station featuring plasma screens and a rooftop viewing area.
As part of the renewal, O’Doul’s will continue to serve as the “Official Non-Alcohol Brew” of the PGA TOUR” as well.
DB Schenker has extended the agreement to provide the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) with logistics, freight forwarding and customs clearance services for the four year period across Sochi 2014 and Rio de Janeiro 2016 Paralympic Games as well as other key IPC events.
Both the IPC and DB Schenker have been working together since Athens 2004.
“We are pleased to have DB Schenker further develop the logistics service offering to the IPC and our NPC’s. Consistent quality logistics services continue to be a major planning and operational requirement across our events,” said Xavier Gonzalez, Chief Executive Officer of the IPC.
Heiner Murmann, Member of the Board of Management, responsible for Air and Ocean Freight, Schenker AG, commented: “We are pleased to develop further the relationship with the IPC, as their Official Logistics Supplier. We are committed to provide logistics concepts, support and services at all times, ensuring that the IPC will always fulfil its strategic priorities.
“While thousands of athletes are already training hard for the Paralympic Games in Sochi 2014, our logistics preparations are also in full swing, making sure that the IPC will reach their goals.”
Qatar Football Association (QFA) have signed a four-year sponsorship deal with Shell to sponsor Qatar football national teams at senior and junior levels.
Qatar Shell has been sponsoring the Emir Cup for eight consecutive years, vialis 40mg and in February of this year the two partners announced the launch of their corporate social responsibility initiative, rx Koora Time, cialis which aims to improve the health and well-being of Qatar’s children and youth through football, in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030.
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmad Al Thani, QFA President, said: “We are very happy to extend our partnership with Qatar Shell to support our national team. This announcement caps a great year of participation between the two organizations following the successes of the Koora Time initiative and the the Emir Cup.”
He added: “Through working closely with Qatar Shell, we are hoping to continue to inspire greater participation in football at a grassroots level across Qatar.”
Wael Sawan, Managing Director and Chairman of Qatar Shell companies, said: “Qatar Shell has long supported football in Qatar having been the Platinum Sponsor of the Emir Cup for eight consecutive years. We are delighted to join hands with the QFA once again to support the Qatar national teams as they rebuild for the future.”
“Our partnership is a great opportunity to engage very closely with the fans to promote and facilitate greater access to the sport at a grassroots level hence supporting the development of football in Qatar as the country gets ready for the FIFA World Cup in 2022.”
County Champions Durham County Cricket Club have named Gray Nicolls as their Official Kit Supplier in a new three-year partnership.
Gray Nicolls will now provide all Durham CCC playing and training kit as well as the Durham CCC Academy and Durham Cricket Board Junior County Squads kit.
The partnership will also see the re-opening of the Durham CCC Club Shop at Emirates Durham ICG with Gray Nicolls being official stockist on November 28th.
Durham CCC Commercial Director Scott Sherrard “We are delighted to have signed Gray Nicolls as our new official kit supplier. They are a proven cricket brand with a proven reputation of producing quality cricket clothing and equipment. We are already extremely impressed with the kit quality and plans for 2014.
“To sign up with Gray Nicolls as LV= County Champions is great timing for the club and we look forward to seeing the champions running out in their Gray Nicolls kit next season.”
Gray-Nicolls Sales and Marketing Director, see Richard Gray added “We are delighted to have been given the opportunity to supply Durham County Cricket Club with their kit requirements. They become the latest of a growing number of leading First Class Counties to have chosen Gray-Nicolls teamwear.
“Gray-Nicolls have enjoyed a long association with Durham Cricket from David Boon to Phil Mustard and we are very pleased to now extend this relationship into the clothing arena. Having been involved in cricket since 1855, we see the importance of being associated with the games leading players and what better way to do so than working with the current County Champions”.
Durham CCC will wear the new Gray Nicolls kit for the first time against the MCC in Abu Dhabi on 23rd March 2014.
Australian Football League team Melbourne FC has secured Automotive Holdings Group (AHG), ed the largest automotive retailing group in Australia, discount as its major sponsor for the next three years.
AHG, which will don the front and back of Melbourne’s shirts until at least the end of 2016, has been operating in Australia for 61 years. It will also feature on all playing, training and retail apparel. AHG will also gain strong exposure within the MCG at Melbourne home games.
The new partnership is a significant step in the rebuild of Melbourne and the club is confident it will be a long and mutually beneficial relationship.
AHG has targeted Victoria as a key expansion market for its organisation, with Melbourne a key branding and promotional asset for it to achieve greater market share.
Melbourne Chief executive Peter Jackson commented on the new deal: “We are absolutely delighted to have entered into a new partnership with AHG – an established, stable and successful Australian company for more than 60 years and an ASX200 listed company.”
“It’s a mutual benefit for both parties and we are excited about the opportunities and growth for both businesses.
“We are genuinely optimistic about the next three years, and we look forward to building the brands of both entities.”
AHG managing director Bronte Howson said the sponsorship would be funded within existing marketing budgets and would give the group’s automotive dealerships mass market exposure across Australia.
“This is a great branding opportunity for AHG and especially for our online presence,” Howson said.
“The partnership gives AHG strong brand exposure across Australia and strongly supports our position as Australia’s largest motoring group.
Howson said the Melbourne partnership was compared with several other sponsorship opportunities.
“The timing was right for both parties,” he said.
“Melbourne’s jumper sponsorship opened up as we were looking to increase our branding nationally. Having Paul Roos join the club as head coach, Peter Jackson as CEO and Glen Bartlett as president gives us great confidence that we’re working with a complementary leadership culture.
“The club also offers the group exposure to its influential membership, supporter base and coterie groups.”
World Superbike team Crescent Suzuki has announced it has ended its title sponsorship deal with FIXI.
Crescent joined forces with the Foreign Exchange company for the 2011 British Superbike Championship, with FIXI then extending its involvement to become title sponsor for the 2012 WSBK season, a position that continued this year.
“If FIXI hadn’t taken the decision to become title sponsor then it is without question that the Crescent Suzuki team would not be where it is today,” declared team manager Paul Denning. “Having FIXI onboard enabled the team to take many steps forward and put us in the competitive position that we are now, heading into 2014.”
Information regarding a new title sponsor for the English-based team’s 2014 WSBK programme ‘will be announced later this week’.
Lotus F1 team cars will carry the logo for Dubai Expo 2020 bid for the last few Formula 1 races it has been announced in a joint deal between global property developer Emaar Properties and Lotus F1 owners Genii Capital.
The Lotus F1 Team cars carried the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, at the 2013 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix, with their side-pods featuring the unmistakable logo of Dubai’s expo emblazoned against a bright red backdrop that contrasts with the sleek black look of the Lotus F1 Team cars.
Covering a race distance of 308.405 km through 56 laps of the circuit, the joint promotional effort in support of Dubai’s World Expo 2020 bid is estimated to reach an audience of over 250 million people across the world. With the final decision on the candidate city to be announced on November 27, the global outreach through the Lotus F1 Team cars will generate a strong buzz for the city.
Mohamed Alabbar – Chairman of Emaar Properties – said: “The UAE’s bid to host the World Expo 2020 in Dubai has captivated the world through its compelling message – ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future.’ It is a true mark of our confidence and ability to host world-class events, and would be a unique occasion for us to celebrate the cultures and people of the world, as we already do in Dubai. Our partnership with Genii Capital to promote the bid on the Lotus F1 Team cars underlines Dubai’s ability to connect with a global audience, facilitated by the city’s world-class infrastructure and cosmopolitan outlook.”
Gerard Lopez of Genii Capital said: “With Dubai-based Emaar Properties coming on board as an Official Partner of Lotus F1 Team, launching a global campaign to help raise awareness of the Expo 2020 bid was a natural fit. The Lotus F1 Team cars will feature Dubai Expo 2020 branding, reaching out to several million people and further supporting Dubai’s ambition to host the world’s foremost event.”
Abu Dhabi Racing has entered into a partnership agreement with Kaspersky Lab, healing one of the world’s fastest-growing IT security vendors.
The new agreement will help fund the growing competitive programme being undertaken by Abu Dhabi Racing, which has been working on a number of initiatives to bolster the emirate’s presence in global motorsport since being established a year ago.
It means the familiar Kaspersky Lab branding, which has appeared on Ferrari’s F1 cars for three consecutive seasons, will now be carried by Abu Dhabi Racing into competitive action in the FIA Middle East Rally Championship and at some of the world’s top circuit racing events.
“We are very pleased to have formed a working partnership with Kaspersky Lab, a name which is familiar to motor sport lovers around the world because of the company’s association with Ferrari,” said Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Racing.
“Since we launched at the end of last year, we have been working to secure additional, strategic partnerships to promote the destination of Abu Dhabi, and provide the next crop of UAE National motor sport drivers with feasible options to compete professionally. This is another important step towards achieving our objectives.”
“I’m delighted to welcome Kaspersky Lab as our new partner,” said Khaled Al Qubaisi, Managing Director of Abu Dhabi Racing and a member of the Team Abu Dhabi by Black Falcons’ which has won the Dunlop 24 Hours of Dubai for the last two years.
“We are aligning ourselves with a company which is already the IT security provider to many world-renowned brands, and we look forward to developing a fruitful working relationship which will bring strong results for both partners.”
Khalid Abu Baker, Managing Director, Kaspersky Lab Middle East commented: “Having solid experience in motorsport sponsorship, Kaspersky Lab is eager to apply its expertise in partnership with Abu Dhabi Racing. We are sure that Emirati drivers have the potential and ambition to succeed at an international level. We hope that this agreement is the start of a mutually fruitful relationship between Abu Dhabi Racing and Kaspersky.”
Gianluca Meloni, General Manager, Middle East of Media and Sport Management, the sponsorship agency for Kaspersky Lab, said: “This agreement marks the start of what we are sure will be a mutually beneficial working relationship between Abu Dhabi Racing and Kaspersky Lab.
AT&T, an American telecommunications company, has extended its sponsorship deal with Formula 1 champions Infiniti Red Bull Racing.
AT&T has been a sponsor of Red Bull since 2012 and before then was a sponsor of Williams F1 from 2007-2011.
Red Bull, whose German driver Sebastian Vettel has won the world title for the past four seasons, said AT&T’s support would help it adapt to rule changes that will take effect from next season and could threaten its dominance.
“The 2014 changes will cause a major ripple effect across our entire sport, radically transforming the car’s design,” Christian Horner, head of the Red Bull team, said on Friday.
“AT&T is helping us meet these challenges by providing solutions that empower our engineers no matter where in the world they are working,” Horner added.
Telecoms partners are very sought after in Formula 1 as they can spped up communications between circuits around the globe and their home bases.
Formula 1 has a contract with Indian giant Tata Communications and with the Mercedes F1 team.
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