Fast forward to February 2012 and the outlook looks a great deal brighter. 2012 saw the dawn of a new England; new coaching staff, new playing squad, new ambitions and a fresh start. The 2011 World Cup now consigned to the history books, the focus has shifted to the future and developing young talent, emphasizing a new code of conduct for players, in particular patriotism and re-enforcing the pride and privilege of representing your country.

It seems sponsors too, have forgotten England’s recent checkered past with the announcements last month of RFU partnerships with Lucozade Sport and Maximuscle, underlined by today’s news that O2 have signed a new four year landmark deal estimated to be worth £18m. This deal comes at a time where public confidence in the RFU is on the long road to recovery and with a revitalized playing squad optimistic of performing well as hosts in the World Cup in 2015.  

So it seems- the benefits of brand association with the red rose, its heritage and 141 year tradition, which enable the delivery of brand credibility and fan loyalty, have overwhelmingly outweighed the fears that the fallout of England’s World Cup off-field controversies of the recent months had damaged the commercial value of the RFU.

O2 and QBE Insurance have shown their faith, now it is up to the likes of Land Rover and Nike to show their hand.

Ben Green

Generate Sponsorship

Official sponsors adidas, Cannon, Carlsberg, Castrol, Coca Cola, Continental, Hyundai Kia, McDonalds, Orange and Sharp plus national sponsor of the competing teams and more will be maximising the opportunity of a summer of football and we will start to see a definitive increase in activity from TV advertising, social media, and in-store activation. All against a backdrop of London 2012

It will be interesting to see the variation in sponsorship activation that appears in the coming months.  The question now is who will stand out? Which brands will be able to capitalise on the Euros prior to a summer that will surely be dominated by Olympic fever?

PM

Many people look at legacy as the above, are the venues being used? But how exactly will the games be deemed a success and how will this be measured? Will it be sell-out crowds, economic growth, positive public feeling or a stack load of medals? For the general public, once the furore over a possible large gold medal haul has subsided, they will be looking at how they have actually benefited. This willl more than likely mean an upturn in the economy. If the public start to see a positive impact on their lives post games then they will surely see the games as a success.

However I fear that the games are set to be looked upon as a great event but one that will not create long term benefits. The negativity around the games so far is very much driven by the negativity in the press but we have to remember that the games are being delivered on budget and on time, no mean feat given out previous history of building stadia i.e. Wembley. This is a great achievement and is a great advert for Britain showing that we can make things happen.

All in all the one thing that all of this legacy is going to be built on is how well our athletes do at the event. If they do well the country will be immersed in the games, will look upon them with fond memories and will more than likely see them as a success. Or at least this will leave them with a positive view with a lesser emphasis on ‘legacy’. If we do badly then we will all be wondering where all the money has gone and what have I got back from the games.

How will we measure the success of the Olympics and its legacy?               

SO

Hovis is already activating well but to ensure this initiative really makes an impact it now needs to broaden its association by fully activating both internally and externally and further engaging its target audience through all channels.  This will take the sponsorship from being a clever association and move it beyond just a ‘sponsor an athlete, put on pack, push healthy lifestyle’ campaign.  In doing so Hovis will differentiate its campaign from other non-sponsor activity and create a more impactful sponsorship with far broader benefits.

NW

Mike Mainwaring, Consultancy and Activation Director at Generate will also be speaking this morning on ‘The Golden Decade of Sport for Great Britain’

All sponsorships are based on customer insight and ‘giving back’ is at the heart of their strategy. Having admitted they were behind their rivals on the ‘sponsorship VIP access = loyalty’ driver they have certainly made up for time with their activation looking more multi-dimensional, customer driven than their rivals plus with some superb viral results.

Other notes from the morning is the prevalence of NPS as a loyalty measure for sponsorship.

RP

There is no doubt that the sport in the UK in the run up to 2017 will be crowded with major sporting events (2012, RWC, Glasgow 14), but this will create a nice stepping stone. Both 2012 and Glasgow 2014 also have the opportunity to suck new sponsors into athletics so I see it as a real advantage. RWC 2015 will be popular with sponsors but highly competitive amongst an already defined Rugby marketplace.   

The continuity from London 2012 to 2017 is a major bonus for UK Athletics, the London 2017 bid was a genuine coup for London 2012’s legacy promise and Athletics in the UK. UKA now needs to plan long term and build its commercial infrastructure.

Qatar wants to use athletics as a way developing and growing an economy that comes with hosting major games, as well as using the event as a catalyst for infrastructure development, showcasing their country and creating a stepping stone for other major event bids. Major sponsors need the right mix between existing and developing economies and London 2017 offers international sponsors a platform in a consumer and commercial hub.

 RP/SD

RP

RP