Tennis

Italian coffee brand Lavazza wants to develop its association with tradition and national heritage by expanding its presence at the tennis Grand Slams.

Chinese consumer electronics brand Hisense is focusing on the US, Western Europe and Australia as it looks to use sponsorship to increase awareness outside its home market of China.

Danone-owned mineral water brand Evian wants to engage customers and promote healthy lifestyles using its long-term partnerships with premium sports properties.

Dutch bank ABN Amro has undergone a major change in sponsorship strategy since Sports Sponsorship Insider last spoke to the brand in February 2014.

International Premier League Tennis (IPTL) received a multi-million dollar sum from regional soft drinks group Coca-Cola India for the title sponsorship rights to the inaugural team tennis series with just weeks to spare before its launch on November 28.

This month, Sports Sponsorship Insider completed a survey of the portfolios for the Wimbledon tennis championships and the Australian, French and US Opens, following the conclusion of the 2014 Grand Slam tennis season.

Brazilian bank Itaú Unibanco has become the Presenting Sponsor of the Miami Open, a mandatory event on both the ATP and WTA tennis tours, formerly title sponsored by consumer electronics company Sony.

Trading company EZTrader is using football as a tool to strengthen its brand image in Europe and help the company to expand into new markets, Shimon Citron, chief executive at EZTrader, told Sports Sponsorship Insider.

Simplifying the way organisations and individuals use technology is the overarching aim of software company SAP. Sports sponsorship is a great way to reinforce this message, Chris Burton, Head of Global Sponsorship at SAP, told Sport Sponsorship Insider.

The global appeal of football is central to payment services company Western Union’s deal with the Uefa Europa League but the brand is considering refining its portfolio to reach more consumers in North America and Asia, Marc Audrit, vice president, global brand for Western Union told Sports Sponsorship Insider.

The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), the organising body for the Wimbledon tennis championships, did not approach the market before signing beer brand Stella Artois as a top-level sponsor in a deal signed this month.

Sponsorship has proven a “flexible instrument” to financial services company UniCredit that has supported brand building and will provide a platform for future business related objectives, Daniele Penna, head of strategic sponsorships at UniCredit Group told Sports Sponsorship Insider.

Since the New Year, the Australian Stock Exchange-listed ANZ Banking Group has bolstered its portfolio of sponsorships in Australasia and Asia by extending sponsorship’s of the Australian Open tennis championship and ANZ Championship netball competition.

State-owned Dutch bank ABN AMRO is set to overhaul its sponsorship strategy in the summer of 2014 and stablise its focus on partnerships with properties in the Netherlands, Ernst Boekhorst, manager of sponsoring and events at ABN AMRO and director of the ABN AMRO foundation, told Sports Sponsorship Insider.

Sponsorship revenue from the ATP World Tour Finals will rise to around £15m (€18m/$24m) this year, comprising around 25 per cent of the Association of Tennis Professionals’ total sponsorship income in 2013.