Easily transferable to the corporate world, the values of sport are excellent vectors of communication, both internally and externally. Especially when it comes to high-profile events such as the Olympic Games, the Football World Cup, the Six Nations Tournament, Roland-Garros, the Tour de France, the Vendée Globe or the Ryder Cup golf tournament. "Only sport makes experience such intense emotions to people of all ages and backgrounds"says Sophie Girault, deputy sales manager at the Stade de France. The sports stadium, which hosts major football and rugby competitions as well as the Andros trophy, a car race on ice, pampers professionals. As well as a VIP reception area and a dedicated ticket office, companies can hire private boxes all year round - which may or may not be shared with other companies - or reserve them on request. Other options include enlisting the presence of a renowned player and taking an exclusive tour of the changing rooms or paddocks in the case of the Andros Trophy. "Our range is broad enough to suit all businesses, including SMEs and SMIs."says Sophie Girault.
Didier Soumaille, director of FG Smart Events and designer of the Stadium Experience, is proposing an alternative to stadium stands with the creation of fan zones during a major sporting event like the football World Cup. "In conjunction with such an event, we can transform sports venues into attractive stadiums with a number of modules: private areas, live broadcasts and a range of entertainment, including holograms of famous players or the chance to put yourself in the referee's shoes using 3D glasses."
Grégory Bot, director of Ydéos, the official public relations agency for the Route du Rhum, also gives his clients the chance to experience these extraordinary sensations. From October 24 to November 4, Saint-Malo was immersed in the excitement of the Route du Rhum. legendary transatlantic race which takes place every four years. This year, the port of Saint Malo welcomed the boats of the 123 participants, a dozen chartered vessels - mainly traditional sailing boats -, a village teeming with people and, ashore, private areas in prestigious locations such as the Palais du Grand Large, the race HQ.
Highlights
During these twelve days of preparations, almost 150 incentive events have been organised, culminating in the day of the start. It's a momentous occasion when corporate guests can climb aboard one of the old sailing ships, launches or ferries to watch the competing boats take to the skies live. On request, commentary is provided by sailing professionals. "For a sponsor, the visibility is considerable, with two million visitors to the village in 2014 and broadcasts of the regatta in a wide range of media, including television channels..."says Grégory Bot. There was the same jubilation on arrival in Guadeloupe for a privileged few. They were offered complete packages including flights, accommodation, catering and entertainment. But they still had to book well in advance because, celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, the 2018 event attracted a huge crowd.
Édouard Coudurier, Chairman of the Le Télégramme group, one of whose subsidiaries, OC Sport, is organising this race, points out that "2018 has a special flavour. 40 years old for a legendary race that has become the transatlantic race par excellence. This is confirmed by a record number of entrants, equivalent to that of the legendary and historic English Transat in 1976, won by Éric Tabarly."
It's no doubt because of this enthusiasm that La Mie Câline didn't hesitate for a second to choose sailing as a means of communication, as David Giraudeau, Managing Director, explains. "This commitment is the fruit of a wonderful meeting in 2015 with the skipper Arnaud Boissières, who like me comes from Les Sables-d'Olonne. Initially, I planned to buy days at sea with him for my franchisees and employees."But, on the day of the meeting, in order to better convince the potential sponsor, the yachtsman puts his boat on the water. in the company colours. This immediately appealed to David Giraudeau, who immediately decided to sponsor the sailor. Within a year, a partnership was established with a view to the 2016 Vendée Globe race.
"When Arnaud came to introduce himself to our 250 employees and talk about his life as a sailor and his challenges, he received an extraordinary standing ovation."Everyone followed his training sessions and performances assiduously. On the day of the start, Arnaud de Boissières' appearance on the TF1 television news made a big impression. considerably increase brand awareness of La Mie Câline, as well as the brand's stand in the Vendée Globe village. As a result, the brand, which was recognised by 58 % of French people in 2014, was recognised by 71 % in 2018. Accompanying the skipper on all his races, the Route du Rhum 2018, but also the Barcelona World Race 2019 and the Vendée Globe 2020, should further boost this popularity. The image of Arnaud Boissières has now been transformed into Captain Arnaud, a comic strip character who, accompanied by two children, sets off on thrilling adventures on land and at sea, which younger children can follow on a range of snack boxes.
Sailing has also attracted the founder of software publisher One2Team, Hervé Laumonier. Laumonier chose to help a yachtsman he met when he was a student at HEC, Jean-Pierre Dick. Having followed parallel paths, their friendship continued on the water, as Denis Barthélemy, R&D Director of One2Team, explains. "We've been supporting Jean-Pierre Dick for some fifteen years now, and share our respective passions: sailing and start-ups."
The two partners share the same values: innovation, rigour, performance, surpassing oneself...".These requirements are present in the preparation of a competition as well as in the life of a company. Nothing is left to chance, everything is about detail and perfection. The focus is the same: be the best !"During the races, an unofficial PC is set up on the One2Team premises so that everyone can follow the navigator from day to day, creating team cohesion. Meetings are also scheduled between the navigator and employees or clients. However, the highlights remain the weekends organised on site at the start of the race.
Team spirit
In the same way as sailing, major team sports attract companies. For Hop!, an Air France subsidiary specialising in domestic short-haul flights, sports partnerships began with Airlinair some fifteen years ago, well before its creation. As a small newcomer to the market with a nationwide presence, the airline has developed sponsorship in order to increase its national visibility and reach out to families as well as business travellers. "Our natural choice was team sports, and rugby in particular, because they convey our team spirit values. We are partners with around fifteen rugby clubs in the Top 14, Pro D2 and federal divisions. This presence strengthens our regional roots"says Hélène Abraham, the company's Deputy Managing Director.
Rugby also serves as an internal unifying element. Free tickets are offered to employees and customers. In the stadiums, meeting rooms are made available to the brand, with the opportunity to meet the players. "One of the most memorable moments was seeing and being able to touch the famous Brennus shieldthe ultimate accolade for the winning team in the French rugby union championship."Hélène Abraham recalls with emotion. Since last year, Hop! has also been a partner of the Cannes Racing Club volleyball team, France's most successful women's team in team sports. As the club's preferred carrier, Hop! is able to invite a certain number of customers to its home matches.
VIP guests
For its part, Cordon Electronics, France's leading provider of telecommunications terminal maintenance services, is associating its name with an international sporting event: the Cordon Golf Open, one of the most important golfing competitions in France. It was at the instigation of its CEO, Serge Cordon, a keen golfer, that the company became involved in this sport. Since 2013, the Breton entrepreneur has been heavily involved in professional golf, particularly at regional level, supporting young elite amateurs in the Brittany league and in 2015 becoming the title sponsor of the Challenge Tour in Pléneuf-Val-André, which then became the Cordon Golf Open. "At the end of August/beginning of September, 156 professional players, 7,000 visitors and almost 2,000 VIP guests ! It's the only stage of the Challenge Tour in Brittany and the fourth biggest professional tournament in France."says Maxime Contant, Director of Consultancy at 2M Event, organiser of the event.
There are a number of public relations packages available to companies. Among these, Pro Am offers the possibility of inviting customers or partners to play for a day in the company of professionals, while VIP tables can also be reserved in the restaurant overlooking the golf course, as well as cottages with terraces overlooking the ocean and the course. Of course, companies can also sponsor this tournament. "Golf has one undeniable advantage over other sports. It can be played by everyone, beginners or not, whatever their age, in an exceptional setting with a very country club atmosphere, soothing and conducive to exchanges."says Maxime Coutant.
But the major current trend is unquestionably runningMore and more companies are associating their name with a major event. According to Olivier Collignon, head of sponsorship at Schneider Electric, there is no question of the benefits of being associated with a major sporting event. "About eight years ago, we started to diversify and offer consumer products. Nobody knew us in this market. Today, thanks to our presence at the Paris Marathon, we are as well known as ever, especially since it became the Schneider Marathon de Paris in 2013. Our logo and colours are everywhere, especially on the Champs-Élysées, eight days before the race."
The company, which has 160,000 employees worldwide, brings together through this event 6,000 employees, customers and partners who run under its brand, i.e. almost 12 % of the marathon runners. All year round, those who wish to do so can benefit from a coaching programme. "Customers and employees train side by side, all at the same level: in shorts and trainers. This generates a different, constructive relationship. Everyone who has been through this experience is delighted and their view of our company has changed, with a growing amount of goodwill."At the same time, 200 volunteer employees are on hand to welcome participants during the event and are present at the running exhibition.
Schneider intends to preserve the warm, innovative image conveyed by running. The company plans to go even further by taking part in the New York and Hong Kong marathons. "This would enable us to cover the three main geographical areas in which we operate"explains Olivier Collignon. In the meantime, Schneider wants the carbon footprint of the 2019 edition of the marathon to be 100 % offset and, to achieve this, is working in particular on waste management during the race.
A prestigious race
Vitabio, the organic food specialist, is also committed to well-being and fitness, and is taking part in a prestigious race, La Parisienne, for the third year running. "It enables us to reach our core target group: urban, health-conscious women."says Albane Kergaravat, Product Manager. In 2015, the brand had just one stand where it distributed its products. Vitabio quickly realised direct impact of its presence on consumers who were not familiar with the brand. In view of this success, the company decided to get more involved by offering a range of events on the stand - tastings, massage workshops, sports classes - and by inviting three female social network influencers to come and run with the Vitabio team, as well as offering participants a bottle of organic fruit juice. In terms of internal communication, newsletters keep employees and partners informed throughout the year about the preparation and running of the event. This approach has encouraged some women to run and join the Vitabio team.
The St-Yorre mineral water brand has also chosen to get involved in major trail running and triathlon events, as Chantal Galus, brand manager, explains: "The St-Yorre brand of mineral water has also chosen to get involved in major trail running and triathlon events.For the last 10 years, we've been working with major trail competitions - Ironman, Templiers, MaXi-Race, Mont-Blanc Marathon... - as well as road races such as the Paris 20km."This presence represents around a hundred events a year. This sponsorship aims to establish St-Yorre as the water for trail runners. To promote the brand, it also relies on ambassadors such as renowned trail runners Aurélien Collet and Sylvain Perrin.
Dimension Data has chosen to sponsor cycling races through a multi-faceted partnership with the ASO group, which organises the Tour de France. Initially, in 2014, it was a purely technological collaboration, with the company having developed a programme enabling more than nine million fans to track the position and speed of the riders in real time. A feat that has enabled Dimension Data to benefit from increased visibility and attract new partners and customers. "Since 2015, we have gone one step further by sponsoring a cycling team from South Africa, our company's country of origin."says Olivier Grosjeanne, Head of Cloud and Data Centres at Dimension Data in France.
These actions have not only had a marketing benefit for the brand, but have also contributed to enriching internal and external relations. "We invite our customers to the Tour de France and organise events such as the EBC, the executive business centre, with a lorry in which we present our new products and respond live to some of our guests' problems. What's more, every evening after the stage, our technicians fine-tune our programmes so that our system becomes increasingly relevant."
The benefits of this sponsorship have been felt in terms of increased engagement and following of the content created for the cycling event. There has also been renewed interest in Dimension Data, as Olivier Grosjeanne confirms. "Thanks to this event, our company is associated with the top 5 technology brands that make sense at this type of event. It has forged us an innovative and dynamic image. Internally, as we are an international company, we have united our employees from different businesses and countries around a common research programme."Owned by Japanese operator NTT, Dimension Data will certainly be present at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, where they will be able to stay at the Keio Plaza hotel, which has put in place a special business offer for the Olympics, as well as for the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
Sponsorship and performance
A slightly different example of sponsorship has been chosen by Point.P. After some twenty years of sponsoring the League Cup, the building materials merchant ended the partnership three years ago for reasons of budget and fatigue. Until one day, when Jacques Pestre, Managing Director, came across Performance Pact. This scheme is a form of sponsorship supported by the Ministry of Sport. Partner companies undertake to support a player by paying €23,000 to the Performance Pact Foundation to finance his high-level sporting project and open doors to facilitate his professional integration. "We created the Point.P Athletes team, made up of 13 sportsmen and women, including eight women, in 13 different disciplines, including four disabled sports. We wanted to anchor this team in the regional network of our company, which is present in 11 regions, each supporting one or more athletes who come to share their experiences with our employees and customers."says Jacques Pestre.
This support goes hand in hand with the Génération Artisans programme, a community of 8,000 members of small and medium-sized construction firms that Point.P supports. the company colours national and international competitions. They also come to share their experiences within the agencies and find out about their various professions. "These young people didn't know each other before we formed this team. Bringing them together from time to time is enriching for them. Friendships are formed"says Jacques Pestre. This is one of the benefits of partnerships between companies and sport. And another good reason for those who haven't yet dared to take the plunge!
