Puma’s decision underlines the race’s stature as a compelling marketing platform. It comes after confirmation from Swedish telecommunications giant Ericsson that it will participate again following its entry in the 2005-06 event.
Three boats are now officially involved and further sponsorship announcements will be made in the next few months with entries from Europe, the Americas and Asia. Under the deal with Puma, the sportswear company will also become the official supplier of replica merchandise for the event which starts in October next year.
“We are thrilled to announce Puma’s entry into the Volvo Ocean Race - one of the world’s iconic sporting events,” said Jochen Zeitz, Chairman and CEO, PUMA AG. “The race’s global reach, lifestyle appeal and true sporting characteristics match the PUMA brand perfectly and provide PUMA with exciting new opportunities to make a strong mark in the world of sailing, on and off the water. This continues our strategy to expand into new product categories and explore the potential of the brand.”
In 2005-06, the Dutch banking group ABN AMRO recognised the race’s corporate appeal with a two-boat campaign with one of its entries taking overall honours. Other syndicates in the race were backed by the Spain’s Telefonica-movistar, the Dutch oil and gas recruitment specialists Brunel, ING Real Estate, the property arm of the global financial institution, Vivo, Brazil’s largest mobile operator, and Ericsson.
Commenting on the latest high-profile sponsor for the event, Glenn Bourke, the Volvo Ocean Race CEO, said, “I am delighted for the Volvo Ocean Race that a company with such global gravitas as PUMA has come on board.
“What I am most pleased about is that a big consumer brand sees the race as a viable mechanism for promoting their brand and showcasing their products.
“All of our syndicate sponsors have dissected the commercial benefits in minute detail. They have studied the amount of media exposure we generate, the duration, global nature and DNA of the race and how that changes brands. All those elements stack up to a compelling business case.
“The new markets the 2008-09 race is going to - India, China and the Middle East - have an enormous interest in the human drama of the race. People can get their brain around sailing round the world for nine months in debilitating conditions. That’s a story of interest to the Joe Public who has no understanding of sailing in general. It’s a story that is broadening in its appeal globally.
