Aberdeen Asset Management, An Post, Beazley, Budweiser and Genworth Financial are the shortlisted brands in the Business-to-Community category for the 2013 ESA Excellence Awards to be decided this month.
The ESA Excellence Awards, organised by the European Sponsorship Association, recognise excellence within the sponsorship industry across Europe.
The Business to Community nominees were entered for the following sponsorship projects: the Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week sailing regatta, the An Post Cycle Series, a five-event amateur cycling series in Ireland, Beazley’s support of British Fencing, Budweiser Club Futures, the CSR component of Budweiser’s FA Cup sponsorship and Genworth’s Putts4Charity campaign.
The winners of the 2013 ESA Excellence Awards, of which Sports Sponsorship Insider is a partner, will be announced at the Awards Ceremony and Dinner to be held in London on January 29, 2014.
Below, in the second of a series of sponsorship profiles across ten award categories, Sports Sponsorship Insider summarises the five Business-to-Community category contenders.
Project: Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week
Rights holder: Cowes Week Limited
Agency: WSM Communications
Wealth management group Aberdeen Asset Management is shortlisted in the Business-to-Community category for its title sponsorship of the Cowes Week sailing regatta. It is also shortlisted in the Business-to-Business category for its sponsorship of the Scottish Open golf tournament.
Aberdeen first sponsored Cowes Week in 2011. The initial agreement has been extended until the end of 2015. As title sponsor of Cowes Week, Aberdeen aims to grow the profile and popularity of the event. In 2013, Aberdeen refined this objective by enhancing the event experience with a focus on the local and sailing communities.
Project: An Post Cycle Series
Rights holder: Irish Sports Council
Agency: Wilson Hartnell Public Relations
In 2009, Irish postal service An Post extended its support of Irish Cycling to include grassroots events in association with the Irish Sports Council. The joint annual initiative, the An Post Cycle Series, involves five events in five Irish counties between May and September.
The aim is to encourage lapsed and new riders, including families, to join with regular enthusiasts in mass participation community cycle events. Each event has a 10k family spin, a mid-range 50/60km option and longer routes up to 160 km. In 2013, more than 16,500 cyclists took part in the Series, a 300 per cent increase on 2009.
Project: Beazley British Fencing
Rights holder: British Fencing Association
Agency: WSM Communications
In January 2011, specialist insurance company Beazley signed a five-year deal to support British Fencing through 2015.
The decision to become involved with British Fencing was reached after evaluating six Olympic sports and judging the best fit for Beazley in terms of demographic, ownership, investment level, tradition, competitor landscape and how much the sport needed corporate backing.
Fencing was chosen because it aligned with Beazley’s brand values –precision, accuracy, intelligence and determination. Since London 2012, Beazley’s focus has shifted to the grassroots of the sport and the creation of a meaningful legacy for the fencing community.
Project: Budweiser Club Futures
Rights holder: The FA
Agency: Octagon
Budweiser Club Futures is the Corporate Social Responsibility part of beer brand Budweiser’s FA Cup sponsorship and the first time that the competition’s lead sponsor has directly invested its own money into a grassroots programme as part of its sponsorship.
Club Futures aims to ‘help clubs to help themselves’ by investing £1 million directly into 16 teams competing within steps five to seven of the football pyramid. The grants give the funds to clubs to improve facilities, help them become self-sustainable and become an asset within their local community.
Project title: Genworth Putts4Charity
Rights holder: European PGA Tour
Agency: Momentum UK
Insurance company Genworth has been an Official Partner of golf’s European PGA Tour since 2007. In key markets for the brand, Genworth operates an experiential extension of its Putts4Charity Corporate Social Responsibility initiative, enabling both tournament public and European Tour professional golfers to raise money for charity.
To date, the initiative has raised over €1.1 million. Funds donated by the Genworth Foundation went to the primary beneficiary, SOS Children’s Villages, which provides care and support for underprivileged children around the world, as well as other children’s organisations such as Barnardo’s Ireland.