Rabobank & Sports

Rabobank is the biggest Dutch sponsor in sports  for a long time. They have 38 million Euro invested in sponsorships. The company launched a new sponsoring campaign; 'Win more than the game'. The idea behind this campaign is structural sponsoring for top-class sports and sports for all. Rabobank is sponsoring in cycling, hockey, horse-riding and sports for the disabled. The company also sponsors local sport clubs for recreational use and sports for the youth.

Rabobank does not only support these sport activities with money, knowledge and expertise are also included in the sponsorship. The company offers them their network and connections to help them with their ideas and putting them in practice. So instead of sponsoring through money, this company is trying to form a long-term relation that is structural and durable. One of Rabobank's famous slogans is 'Together we bring sports further'. This stands for the creative style of sponsoring that the bank is applying.

It strikes me that Rabobank is using such an involving and original style of sponsoring. I think that their way of sponsoring is bringing sports and marketing close to each other in a very progressive manner. With their slogan 'Together we bring sports further' ,Rabobank shows that they believe in cooperation. By working together it will be able to bring sports to another level. I also like the fact that Rabobank is not basing it's sponsoring on single payments, but on durable relations. This way the company is really helping the improvement of sports. 

ABN AMRO And Sports

ABN AMRO is sponsoring different initiatives and big events in sports, community, culture and business. The public knows ABN AMRO especially for its sponsoring in sports events. The bank is known for being the head sponsor of the football club Ajax.

Next to football ABN AMRO is also intensively promoting through tennis. This year their will be the 38th ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament. The company started in 1974 as the head sponsor of this big event.

The bank is also sponsoring events and teams in hockey, golf and running. The company doesn't sponsor events with a religious or political nature. Neither individuals or party's.

Remarkable is that ABN AMRO isn't only sponsoring top-class sports, but also sports for all. On top of that the company is sponsoring sports events for disabled people. The ABN AMRO World Wheelchair Tennis Tournament is a great example for this positive way of marketing.

ABN AMRO is all about marketing through sports. I like how the brand is so intensively involved with sports. Especially the fact that the bank is sponsoring sports events for disabled people. Because of ABN AMRO, these people have the opportunity to play in professional and qualitative tournaments. Normally these events are subsidised by the government, so it's great that ABN AMRO is stimulating and promoting this. Besides, the bank is also promoting sports for everybody. This way they have a bigger audience and more people will be attracted. These marketing actions have social aspects, that's why I think ABN AMRO is a great marketeer in the business.

Sports Marketing Idea Of The Year (2009)

In the winter of 2009 Red Bull launched a surprising marketing idea called 'Project X'. Red Bull build a secret half-pipe hidden in the mountains of Colorado. The snow there is like powder and only experts can snowboard in those areas. That's why Red Bull was able to dodge the media and keep it secret. The energy drink brand did not inform the public on purpose. The company invested a large sum of money into this project. 300 man hours were used to build the foam pit, 250.000 of cubic yard of snow were moved, 30 heli-bombs were dropped to get enough loose snow and 8000 lbs of steel was used. This shows the immense scale of this project.

Shaun White the most talented snowboarder of our time, was the lucky man that was qualified to use this very special half-pipe. Filmed from a helicopter in the middle of the mountains Shaun White did the most amazing tricks. He even did a series of tricks he invented himself and were unseen.

I can understand why this was the best sports marketing idea of 2009. Red Bull came up with an amazing idea and did not even inform the media about it. The secret and hidden aspects make this project very interesting. I can imagine people finding this project very cool, because its so creative and unusual. This way the project started a viral process, which Red Bell of course anticipated on. A lot of people started talking about it, and later on the media loved it.

The video's that resulted from Project X and the tricks that Shaun White preformed were breathtaking and I really liked it to spend time reading about this project.

'Red Bull Gives You Wings'

Red Bull is an energy drink created by the Austrian entrepreneur Dietrich Mateschitz. He started his company Austrian Red Bull GmbH in 1987. Nowadays Red Bull has developed into the most popular drink in the world. Through aggressive advertising it has spread its popularity. The brand is sponsoring many tournaments, sports teams, celebrities and even record labels. The slogan the brand is using is; 'Red Bull gives you wings'. Indicating the energy you get from the drink. The company claims the increase in performance, concentration, emotional status and vigilance.

Red Bull is especially concentrating on extreme sports. They advertise through any extreme sport you can name, even rare and unknown extreme sports. Nowadays the brand really stands for extreme sports. The brand is one of the biggest companies sponsoring anything that has to do with sports.

Red Bull is the perfect example of marketing & sports. It became the most popular drink in the world through sports. This is why I admire Red Bull for its advertising tactics, sponsoring and excellent marketing.

However I have some doubts about the brand. In 2009 researchers found traces of cocaine in the popular drink. I am against drugs, it has ruined a lot life's. So the fact that they used it as an ingredient, while even children are drinking it is bizarre to me. Studies have shown that regular use of Red Bull is certainly not healthy. This makes my opinion about Red Bull rather negative. Sports shouldn't be used to promote drinks that are unhealthy, and especially not when there's drugs in it.

'Stand up, Speak Up'

There is a lot of racism in European football. On national television everybody could see how Spain's coach Luis Aragones made racist comments about Thierry Henry. Eto'o was the subject of racist supporters, they made monkey sounds whenever he was in possession of the ball. It also often happens that supporters do the Hitler salute. There are numerous of other racist examples. This is very offending for the players themselves and the soccer fans.

Thierry Henry protested against this growing problem together with Nike. They launched the campaign  'Stand up, Speak Up' in 2005. The symbol of the campaign is a black and white wristband. Fans can wear this wristband to show their opposition against racism. The campaign also included television commercials and t-shirt designs. The wristband promotion raised 6 million Euro for the campaign.

I have a lot of respect for Thierry Henry for his decision to finally do something about the racism in football. I'm really offended by the racism that is still connected to the sport. Soccer should be a game to unite people, not dividing through racism. I also admire Nike for helping Thierry on his mission against racism. Nike associating its brand to this very positive social campaign was a great marketing success. The fact that 6 million Euro was raised with the wristbands show this even more. I hope other big brands will stand up against racism in the future too. It has showed that it has a great opportunity for marketing.

'Me, Myself'

In February 2009 Adidas officially launched a new campaign 'Me, Myself'. The campaign's main motive is to support the launch of their new women's website. On this website women will be able to share their personal stories about the struggles they have during sports and daily training.

Individuality, motivation and inspiration are the key aspects in these stories. It is possible to vote on these stories via Facebook and other social networking applications. The three women with the most inspirational stories and the most votes will be staring in the campaign next to famous basketball star Candace Parker. Candace Parker is the face of this campaign, she is the best the best female basketball player in the world. The winners will have a photo shoot with Candace Parker. These photos will be used in on-line and in-store marketing advertisements. Just like the 'Impossible Is Nothing' campaign Adidas is having a lot of success with these inspirational and personal style of marketing. 

I really like the interactive aspect from this campaign. The fact that it is possible for the public to vote, makes this a remarkable campaign for all the women around the world. The posted stories are an inspiration and motivation for women. Not only in sports, but also in their daily life. It will stimulate their self confidence and individuality. I personally think every women have the right to become an independent and strong woman. The Me Myself campaign from Adidas is helping the emancipation of women. There are still people that have the idea that women should be home with their kids. I hope Adidas breaks this image with their campaign. And i hope a lot of women will be inspired by the winning stories.

'Impossible Is Nothing'

In 2007 Adidas launched a remarkable campaign named 'Impossible Is Nothing'. The campaign is based on true stories from more than 30 athletes from all around the world. These sports stars tell about the obstacles they faced on their way to becoming successful, which looked impossible for them at first sight.

Each athlete chose a turning point in their career which was defining for them. They also made hand-drawn illustrations and words  that stand for the problems they faced an their persistence to hold on to their dreams. The campaign was handed to the public through clothing designs, posters, books, documentaries, commercial films and exhibitions.

'Impossible Is Nothing' is one of my favourite campaigns. It inspires people to do what they dream of. And it gives the message that hard work will accomplish your goals, even though there are a lot of obstacles on your way. The stories are very personal and touching, it is the perfect way to the catch the attention of the public. The fact that they took so many athletes, all with different stories shows the scale and quality of this campaign. How Adidas linked all of this to its brand is exemplary for marketeers all around the globe.

Next to commercial aims Adidas also stimulates its customer socially. This way Adidas makes profit and the public is also stimulated in a very positive manner. This created a win-win situation that is progressive for both sides. And that is way this marketing campaign is so successful and respected around the world.

Grassroots Sports Marketing

Grassroots sports marketing is a form of social marketing which stimulates people to start doing sports. This kind of marketing is based on social activities. These activities have the purpose to benefit the public or to stimulate positive social changes. So its objective is not to make profit. This makes it non-profit marketing, also known as social marketing. One of the founders of social marketing is Philip Kotler. This kind of marketing has shown its effectiveness and is becoming known all around the world.

Because grassroots sports marketing's purpose is not to make profit or making financial benefits, it is usually implied by the government. Grassroots sports marketing needs to be subsidised by the authorities. The budget for social sports marketing is a lot smaller then the budget for sport events and sports teams. Private companies won't gain much advantage from this kind of marketing, so it is very rare that private companies will imply this kind of marketing.

Social sports marketing is used by the government to improve the public health. Often the subsidies come from the public health centre to decrease the cost of disease.

I think that grassroots sport marketing is a very positive stimulation for the public. Nowadays obesity is a big problem, with this kind of marketing these people can be motivated to start practising sports. Sports can also be a very good distraction for people who are falling into crime and drug addicts. This way they can get their mind of things while doing sports. I hope to see more social sports marketing in the future.

Gillette's Sports Campaign

In 2007 Gillette launched its biggest marketing campaign 'The best a man can get'. Before the campaign started the company did extended research to understand a man's thinking. This included how men feel about their confidence and doubts. Promoting through sports seemed the best opportunity to advertise their hygiene and shaving products.

Gillette used the best sportsmen for this occasion. Tennis champion Roger Federer from Switzerland,  famous soccer player Thierry Henry from France and famous golf player Tiger Woods from the United States. These three athletes have shown the be the ultimate champions in sports. They have also shown to be very social and have supported many charitable organizations. These sportsmen have grown from sportsmen to living icons. Through these champions Gillette associates its brand with being the best of the world.

During almost every big sport event the sportsmen where seen on advertisements. For example the advertisements on television showed the men using the products of Gillette and the good results.

I think that Gillette made a good choice to use sports for their marketing. Men have always liked to do and watch sports. Especially the 'dream team' that Gillette combined attracts many different men. I use Gillette products myself and I'm really happy with the quality they deliver. The slogan 'The best a men can get' is true for me when it comes to shaving.

Nevertheless I think it's a pity to see Gillette suffering marketing problems nowadays. The three champions are human and make mistakes too. Henry illegally touched a ball to win a match, Tiger Woods was on the news for having affairs with 13 women and Roger Federer lost his temper during the US Open Finals. This caused a lot of negative publicity. Advertising through sportsmen will always have risks included.

'Bavaria Babes'

Guerilla-marketing is a marketing technique used to reach a very big public with limited resources in a short period of time. This 'cheap' form of marketing can be more successful then expensive public relation campaigns. This technique is based on new innovative trends and are often very unusual and outstanding. This way it catches the eye of the big public and people start talking about it. The word-of-mouth advertising is very important for this aspect.

During the 2010 Soccer World Championship Bavaria also used a form of guerilla marketing. 60 Dutch good looking girls dressed in orange 'Bavaria-dresses' showed up at the match between the Netherlands and Mexico. They attracted the attention with dances and songs. They even preformed stripteases. This was also shown on television, everybody was talking about it afterwards. This is exactly what Bavaria wanted, everybody suddenly knew about the Bavaria-babes and dresses. While Heineken paid a lot to be the official sponsor of the KNVB.

I think guerilla-marketing is a nice way to attract the attention, because it can have a lot of success without having tons of money. This way smaller and unknown companies are also able to compete with leading companies. Guerilla-marking is always something that you don't expect and that's why it is so fun to see. I like the fact that the guerilla-tactics that have already been used won't work any more. So you have to be innovative and creative to imply this tactic. It is a nice refreshing action compared to the advertisements on television which always look more of the same.

Jeans & Chess

For a long time famous people are used for promotion and advertisements. These 'stars' sometimes even become the face of a brand and act as a trademark. At the moment there is a new remarkable cooperation between  Magnus Carlsen and G-Star RAW. Magnus Carlsen was born in Norway and became a Grandmaster at the age of 13. Now at age 20 he is the number 1 ranked chess player of the world. This makes him the youngest player that has ever achieved this. He was described as 'the Mozart of chess'.

G-star Raw chose Magnus Carlsen as their model, because of his extraordinary intelligence and creative talent. The fashion brand found his straightforward approach matching with their brands philosophy. They used the chess player because it is really unexpected and new. This way they created something innovative and inspiring.

The famous jeans brand also organised The Raw World Chess Challenge. This event made it possible for 'the world' to play against Magnus. 70.000 players together from all over the world were able to play on-line against the Grandmaster. Yet he still managed to win in 44 moves.

I really like the combination of chess and fashion. People often associate chess with dull people and nerds. So the combination with trendy clothing is very unusual and innovative. I am a chess player myself and i like G-Star as a brand, in my opinion G-Star made a very good move. I also like the fact that Magnus doesn't look like the standard model at all. He gives a new flavour to the world of fashion.

Link to the G-Star Raw site containing information about Magnus and the RAW World Chess Challenge: http://www.g-star.com/en/friends/magnus-carlsen/friends-magnus-carlsenabout_raw_chess/#/nl-nl/friends/magnus-carlsen/friends-magnus-carlsenabout_raw_chess/

Heineken & The 2012 Olympic Games

Nowadays a lot of companies sponsor sport events. For example, the Olympic Games and the Super Bowl are one of the biggest and most spectacular events, with a lot of sponsors involved. Many companies use such events as an opportunity to promote their business and products. These companies are often not even related to sports, this is called using 'marketing through sports'. Their aim is not to encourage people to practice sports, but to associate the big happening and famous sportsmen with their brand to gain publicity.

Heineken was granted an explicit beer-contract for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. The beer-company will  sponsor the Olympic Games, provided that only Heineken beer will be served at the event. Heineken also stated that they will use the occasion to promote safe drinking.

I think that these big events are a good way to promote a product. Millions of people are watching the happing on  TV and live. This way you will gain a lot of publicity, sales opportunities and word-of-mouth advertising.

Nevertheless I think it seems strange when beer companies are sponsoring sport events. Beer and sports don't really match in my opinion. Sports is about being healthy and alcohol really doesn't fit to that. The fact that they will  advertise safe drinking doesn't change my opinion. I think it's more a trick to mask the fact they are associating a bad thing with a good thing. Drinking beer in my opinion is a bad habit and shouldn't be promoted trough positive things like sports.