Innocent joins Coke as Olympic sponsor
Share
Innocent is to join its majority stakeholder Coca-Cola by becoming an official sponsor of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The sponsorship is likely to include health and sustainability focused messaging and will see the smoothie maker include the Olympic rings on its packaging.
Innocent, which is 60% owned by Coca-Cola, will launch a “significant” Olympic activation campaign including on-pack promotions, events and in-store and digital activity.
The sponsorship takes advantage of Coca-Cola’s long-standing global partnership with the International Olympic Committee, but marketing activity will be separate.
In a statement, the brand says: “It’s a great fit for us as we’re a London company with strong health and sustainability credentials. The London 2012 Olympics will be the most sustainable ever and are all about getting people active and healthy - which is what we are all about.”
YouGov Insight:
Coca-cola
· 68% of UK adults drink Coca-Cola (or variants like Diet Coke) while 42% drink Pepsi (or variants).
· Coca-Cola/Coke is easily the world’s biggest soft drinks brand, but the company behind it can now claim an astounding portfolio of 500 brands and ’3,300 beverages’.
· Coca-Cola’s maximum consumer penetration in the UK reaches over 80% among younger men and women and has a similar rate across the social grades.
Readers' comments (1)
Toby Southgate, The Brand Union | Tue, 13 Dec 2011 10:47 am
Innocent’s sponsorship of the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics epitomises the value of adopting a strategic approach to sponsorship in today’s society.
Historically, the primary objective of sponsorship was profile-raising amongst relevant audiences. This was an acceptable and a successful approach, but brands now live in a completely different landscape, due to the advances in the ways consumers access information, connect and interact. Brands must evolve in this new hyper-connected environment, and so must their tactics for sponsorship.
Finding the synergy between the values of the brand sponsor and the vehicle in question is crucial. Innocent’s involvement with the Games suggests an understanding of how a strategic approach to sponsorship can potentially deliver value. As a brand, Innocent’s foundations have been built upon their passion for a healthy lifestyle, sustainability and ‘being good for you’. Couple that with its London heritage and the brand appears to be an ideal partner for the Games; the connection is easily identifiable by consumers, positively enforcing the brand’s reputation.
Moreover, when Coca-Cola acquired a 60% stake in Innocent, many believed Innocent’s founders had ‘sold-out’ sparking a consumer backlash. The Olympic partnership realigns Innocent with all it originally stood for, reminding consumers of Innocent’s core brand values
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment