The 49er class is spectacular, aesthetic, and tests the very best sailors in the world! It is an ambition of the class association, that we continue to try and leverage our strengths into great sponsorship and endorsement opportunities for our sailors.
We have been very lucky over the past few years to have had a class sponsor in SEIKO! They have made a huge contribution to the class association and sailors over the years. Since 2007, when they partnered with the 49er class, the sailing world have moved on, and it’s time for us to take another leap.
It is the proposal of the class to build on what we know has been working and provide a platform for growth.
You’ve likely all seen the proposed numbering format for the 49erFX. Whether the 49er decide to adopt something similar or not, this is the proposed look for the class. We are fairly far along with our SEIKO to continue sponsoring the class in 2013. Discussions with SAP are just started, but both have indicated that jib space looking something like the proposed above would be a good solution for them. Since sailors rarely use the jib space for advertising currently, it seems like a good compromise for everyone involved.
The exciting part of this development, should it come to fruition is not the stickers, but rather what we do with the sponorship money. It is the proposition here that we broadcast both our World and Europeans, 2013, live on the internet and also tape delayed across many TV sport channels around the globe. We will purchase 4 off 26 minute episodes to air on TV and also many secondary TV slots to accompany the main show. Here is a slide showing the value created by this plan.
With this plan, all teams will be able to go out to the sponsor marketplace and give a firm return opportunity to those you’re asking for a sponsorship. Until we have real footage to show them beyond the excellent racing captured in Garda, it may still be a tough sell, but we’ll be on the road as a group to taking the next step.
The class will be circulating a survey where we would like you to indicate whether you agree to put the SEIKO and SAP on your sails for 2013 events. I hope you are willing and able to say yes.
Further, there is another proposal to keep pushing forward with the 49er branding. If we are lucky enough to sign with SEIKO and SAP, we would like to continue looking for additional sponsors. As well, we hope you all will have luck finding sponsors. And finally, 9er Inc. is interested in becoming an agent for some of you who might wish us to find sponsors for you. Here is a proposal for how it could work.
So if I, Ben, was still racing and had my sponsors, this is how it would look.
Some notes:
- A teams major sponsor goes on the 2nd panel.
- A teams suppliers and other sponsors could go into a matrix like many sponsor backdrops use these days. That allows companies to get there logo in many of the close up shots without detracting from the long distance shots of your main sponsor.
- Team put their names on their boom, this is just one option, we could also opt as a class to have everyone put their names on the bottom panel somewhere, just a suggestion.
- The title sponsor, as prescribed by the advertising code, is on the bow still. That is assigned by the event organizers.
- We are proposing that the sailors grant us access to the panel with the number in it. The class could use that space to further develop our media plan and quality.
Again, on the survey I referred to earlier we’ll put two more options to the sailors. One is to allow the class access to the number panel of the main sail. The second is if you would like 9er Inc. to follow up with you on becomeing your agent for the sailor portions of your boat.
