Amsterdam, 20 May 2010 - For the first time the finals of Europe's elite club football and rugby tournaments reach their respective climaxes on the same day. This Saturday (22 May) the eyes of the sporting world will witness the climax of the innovative sponsorship programme being undertaken by the world's leading premium beer brand, Heineken.
Since first engaging the brand with the Heineken Cup in 1995 and the UEFA Champions League in 2005, Heineken has successfully implemented a sport sponsorship strategy in a way that builds brand equity through its association with high-impact, high profile premier events.
Now in it is fifth year as a sponsor, Heineken's relationship with UEFA Champions League has connected the brand to a global network of football fans. With over 50,000 hours of coverage worldwide, 80 million consumers watching each match night and a global live reach of 1.245 billion TV viewers in 220 countries and territories during the 2008/09 season, Heineken has used the power of football's premier club tournament to strengthen the brand in Europe and to help break into new markets across the world in South America, Africa and Asia.
The Heineken Star Experience has been the showpiece activity over the last four seasons with the aim of creating unique viewing experiences for consumers. The concept sees Heineken host the ultimate screening of the UEFA Champions League Final at an exotic location for a select group of competition winners. After hosting previous Star Final events in Iceland, South Africa and Thailand, this year's event heads to the home of the football fiesta, Brazil.
In 2010 through the Star Final website, its Facebook page and viral video more than two million people from around the globe engaged with the brand, demonstrating the power of Heineken's UEFA Champions League sponsorship. 300 lucky consumers from markets including the United Kingdom, Italy, Argentina and South Africa will watch the final from the Forte de Copacabana in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
In addition, Heineken hosts the official UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour, giving fans the opportunity to be one-on-one with the famous sporting icon and providing another opportunity to maximise the global appeal of both brands. Over the last three seasons, Heineken has taken the trophy to four different continents, visited over 20 cities around the word and given over 180,000 visitors a unique moment with the revered trophy. In 2010, the tour visited the US for the first time.
Hans Erik Tujit, Global Manager Heineken Activation, said:
"The UEFA Champions League is the largest sponsorship that Heineken is involved with and provides a truly global platform for the brand to generate strong awareness not just in markets where Heineken is already available, but also in new territories. Consumer research shows that fans connect strongly with the Heineken brand via their passion for UEFA Champions League and our sponsorship awareness amongst football fans is very high."
Guy-Laurent Epstein, UEFA Marketing Director, said:
"The continuing partnership of UEFA Champions League and Heineken combines the excitement and success of the competition with the values of this major international brand. The support and contribution of Heineken towards European football, particularly in creating innovative ways to extend the fans experience beyond the action on the pitch, is highly valued."
During Heineken's 15 year association, the Heineken Cup has firmly established itself as the premier rugby club competition in the Northern Hemisphere. The agreement, which was extended for a further four seasons in 2008, has seen Heineken involved with the tournament for close to 1,000 games of rugby between Europe's top club sides with game attendances now approaching 10 million.
The growth in popularity of the tournament and the exposure this has generated for the brand across markets such as the United Kingdom, Ireland and France has helped to build brand recognition with a core audience of 25-45 year old males.
Jean Pierre Lux, ERC Chairman, said:
"Heineken has been the only title sponsor since the Heineken Cup's inception in 1995, and its support has enabled the tournament to grow in stature and popularity. In 2010 the Heineken Cup has reached more viewers and consumers than ever before and this could not have been achieved without the support of Heineken."
Didier Debrosse, Heineken President Western Europe, said:
"Our partnerships with the UEFA Champions League and the European Rugby Cup hold great importance for the brand in terms of the global exposure they provide us. Over 20 years of combined associations with the two competitions demonstrates Heineken's continued commitment to creating exciting experiences for consumers through the use of sports sponsorship and investing in the brand."
Heineken also uses its sponsorships to help promote its 'Enjoy Responsibly' messaging, integrating its responsible consumption programme into the sponsorship of UEFA Champions League and the Heineken Cup. The brand uses its 'Enjoy Responsibly' messaging on one of its three perimeter boards at each UCL match and carries similar messaging in all promotional materials, including programme adverts and big screen advertisements at all Heineken Cup matches. Heineken also runs its 'Enjoy Heineken Responsibly' match break ads during UCL matches, reaching an estimated audience of 150 million viewers per game week. This supports the initiatives already being implemented in each individual country.
In 2011, Heineken will once again sponsor the Rugby World Cup to be held in New Zealand. This will be the fourth time it has sponsored the Rugby World Cup.
Press enquiries:
Jeroen Breuer
Senior Press Officer
Heineken International
Tel: +31 (0)20 52 39 355
Marnie Kontovraki
Heineken Brand Consumer PR Officer
Heineken International
Tel: + 31 (0) 20 52 39 355
Marnie.Kontovraki@heineken.com
Editorial information:
The Heineken brand, that bears the founder's family name - Heineken - is available in almost every country on the globe and is the world's most valuable international premium beer brand. Additional information is available on http://www.heineken.com and http://www.heinekeninternational.com/presscentre.
