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| If willing to significantly fund sponsorship, the sponsor would have maximum media exposure on every news item, update report, and feature which the media report. The 29ft long, 6ft beam rowing boat would be sign written with your logo and name. Depending on the level of sponsorship, the team could be named by the sponsor. This is a high exposure branding phenomena with all the extra benefits which can be extracted from this exciting adventure. | ||
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| The boat itself is a fantastic canvas for corporate
advertising and could be utilised in marketing campaigns for the organisation.
Members of the public will be drawn to the boat and will want to know about
where the rowers will sleep, how they will cook, how they will navigate,
and no doubt some more basic enquiries will be raised! The sponsorship also lends itself to the opportunity for corporate events; there could be launch events; race start events; and completion events. Corporate sponsors may want to use the start in La Gomera or the finish in Antigua as prizes in strategic campaigns. Other benefits include a positive brand image, which aids sales, recognition and recruitment – the branding gives a positive corporate image through promotion of adventure, endurance and fitness. These qualities make the company attractive to customers and talented potential recruits. Sponsoring of this team of women rowers also boosts the company’s image in terms of diversity management. Supporting an all women team in what is often depicted as a male domain, gives the company a very positive image particularly for the business of attracting female consumers and talented women who may be looking for a progressive organisation to work for. There are also opportunities to use the boat as a part of employee involvement schemes. People can be encouraged to be involved in supporting the rowers, updates could be printed in corporate newsletters, and a progress chart could be sited on the Intranet. Projects like this increase employee loyalty and enhance team spirit, giving employees a work-based focus with a difference. Fitness and endurance are desirable qualities in staff, research has shown that fit people cope with stress better, are absent from work less often, are more motivated and are more optimistic in facing change and challenges in the workplace. Our challenge could have perfect fit with your organisational PR strategies. Sponsoring the team would also give managers and staff an opportunity to discuss and identify issues around employee commitment; rewards for hard work; endurance in the face of adversity; adapting to change; and motivation. You may want to use these messages in team building training and motivational sessions. There is the opportunity to use the challenge, and the rowers, as examples or role models in terms of commitment and teamwork. All these opportunities could be exploited by the sponsoring organisation. Another opportunity, which may be attractive to a sponsor is the educational link. One of the rowers is a teacher, another a trainer. We would be interested in taking the boat to schools to promote participation in sport. This is another branding opportunity and a positive indicator of social responsibility in the local community. |
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| International and national media figures show
that the PR value of the 2001 race was a fraction under £3,000,000.
Woodvale events, who host the race, are projecting a significant increase
in those figures for this year. (A comprehensive analysis of the media
coverage of the 2001 race is provided in appendix 2.) The race gives a local sponsor a chance to appear on the national and international stage. Their brand will be recognised world-wide in the coverage which follows the race, and the events around the race. Local media coverage has already included a 2 feature articles in ‘7 days’ – the colour magazine, delivered to households throughout Guernsey. THE GUERNSEY PRESS has given significant coverage to the launch, with large articles on both the front and back page and a full centre spread feature. The press have also published updates announcing our reserve rower and our appointment of a project manager and all the committees that have been set up to help. It is expected that this level of interest will continue and they have committed themselves to publishing monthly updates in the build up to the race and weekly reports from the event itself. CHANNEL TELEVISION have featured the launch as the first item on Channel Sports and will have the opportunity to run a feature with each of the rowers (who can all be interviewed wearing sponsor clothing), and also to report on newsworthy events in the lead up to the race, follow our progress, and of course the race finish. Channel Television have offered to provide a camera for the crew to report back via satellite. GUERNSEY NOW have committed space in their March issue to an update feature on the rowers’ progress and training schedules. RADIO GUERNSEY are committed to a monthly slot where one or more of the rowers will talk about their mental and physical preparation, as well as the ups and downs of preparing for this huge endurance event. They have already interviewed four of the rowers live on different occasions and have featured the launch and updates on the news. ISLAND FM are a part of the excitement too. News bulletins and live interviews have already taken place with more scheduled. We can offer live links by satellite phone from the rowers to the listening public as we cross the Atlantic. THE BBC have announced that one of their popular presenters Ben Fogel will be taking part in the race alongside a ‘celebrity rower’. This guarantees the race will have high national profile and coverage. One of the unique features of this sponsorship is its longevity. The pre-race build up will be a whole year, the race itself taking approximately 2 months. Your brand will constantly be exposed to the media alongside a captivating human-interest story, for 14 – 16 months. All this is fantastic value for money for corporate sponsorship totalling under £100,000. |
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