What's the real value of sailing sponsorship?

by The World Yacht Racing Forum on 15 Nov 2008

Annemarie Meyer, Co-Head Sports Sponsorship, UBS. SW

The World Yacht Racing Forum interviews Annemarie Meyer, Co-Head Sports Sponsorship, UBS.

The World Yacht Racing Forum (WYRF) : Does sailing provide good value for todays sponsors?

Annemarie Meyer (AM) :Compared with other sports, the rights in sailing are generally less expensive, but they can also deliver less media coverage. Therefore, the value really depends a great deal on the activation in brand and in business.

WYRF: What advice would you give to potential partners interested in sailing?

AM: It is important to activate properties properly. When activation know-how and budgets are not available, it is not as easy, as most of the properties in yachting do not automatically generate media coverage.

WYRF: Do you think the sailors understand the sponsor's needs? Do they usually 'play the game'?

AM: Some do, and some do less. What I have noticed in the past five years is the majority of people involved in the sport of sailing are willing to listen and learn in order to be able to play a more valuable role.

WYRF: Is sailing an expensive or inexpensive sport from a sponsor's point of view?

AM: It depends on the objectives and target groups. If they fit well or are the same, sailing properties and activation are less expensive than other sports but reaching the general public with sailing could become very expensive despite the comparatively lower costs for the properties, because considerable media investments have to be made.

WYRF: UBS has been involved in sailing sponsorship for decades. Why sailing?

AM: 'The target groups of sailing are similar to those of UBS. Internationally speaking, UBS is aiming for wealthy private clients and corporate decision-makers. As far as Switzerland is concerned, we hope to reach a much broader audience. Alinghi succeeded to awaken the interest of the public with the victory at the America's Cup in 2003. Sailing images are also ideal to illustrate our core values (teamwork/partnership, know-how, commitment, professionalism, leadership, etc.) and messages.

The races produce a huge amount of images, carrying strong emotions. Media Coverage: Alinghi and the America's Cup produced many stories in print titles and in the web as well as numerous hours of TV coverage around the world. Finally, hospitality opportunities give UBS the possibility to strengthen existing client relationships, as well as to develop new relationships to prospects across business groups.

Annemarie Meyer will be debating 'The real value of sailing sponsorship - How effective is the return?' during the World Yacht Racing Forum, alongside Andrew Pindar (CEO Pindar Group), Ricardo Simoneschi (B Plan Marketing) and Ulrich Lacher (Managing Director IFM Sports).