Or… How to Sponsor the America’s Cup for less than $20 Million.
5th Man Guest Spot. Stadium Sailing. High Speed catamarans. Racing close to shore. Big brands. Top Sailors.
They say that imitation is the best form of flattery, and if that’s so, then the Extreme Sailing Series should feel pretty good – because the new America’s Cup promotes all of the things above, but they didn’t do it first.
The Extreme Sailing Series is a commercially based sports sponsorship opportunity that compares favourably with sports like Golf, motor-sport and Rugby. Designed as a B2B platform, there are also huge sponsorship benefits with brands who want to engage with an affluent, global audience.
The Extreme Sailing Series is one of only two annual global sailing series. While the America’s Cup World Series is planning to be more international, only the World Match Racing Tour visits a similar number of markets around the world to the Extreme Sailing Series.
Teams competing in the series visit the United Kingdom, France, Italy, China, the Middle East and Turkey. Global brands like GAC, Prada, Emirates Airlines, Oman Air and Red Bull activate their sponsorships through a combination of hospitality and consumer activity in race villages around the world.
Originally designed to meet the hospitality needs of iShares, the Extreme Sailing Series is built for spectators. Whether they are VIP guests in the purpose built hospitality suite or the fans on the shore, the entertainment value of the racing is just as important as the results.
For the very special guests there is the 5th Man experience – a concept now copied by the America’s Cup, Audi Med Cup and World Match Racing Tour. In no other sport can a guest ride onboard with the athletes during the race. You can play a round of golf with your favourite PGA star, but you won’t affect his score. This is something that Motorsport Marketing can’t deliver.
If Extreme Sailing or Stadium Sailing is something that you can see in your sports marketing mix, then give us a call. We can advise on how to engage with the series as a title sponsor, or how to sponsor your very own sailing team.
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