UBS revs up global rebranding with Formula 1 partnership
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Swiss bank UBS is to become a global partner of Formula 1.
The news comes just a day after the bank launched a global campaign to regain trust among its most important clients.
On Sunday, 22 August, in Switzerland, the bank embarked in a global rebranding drive with a new, reportedly multi-million pound, advertising campaign.
The partnership with Formula 1, meanwhile, will be formally launched at the 2010 Singtel Singapore Grand Prix, which takes place from 24 to 26 September.
The agreement follows a comprehensive evaluation of the commercial benefits of all global sponsorship properties by UBS.
The bank says the deal makes “good commercial sense” given that Formula 1 is a year round, highly visible, and popular sport with an especially strong presence in many of UBS’s key growth markets such as Asia, Middle East and Latin America.
The long-term partnership will also provide “excellent branding and hospitality opportunities” that fit with UBS’s global footprint and business strategy.
Oswald Grübel, UBS group chief executive, says: “We’ve been searching for a global sponsorship platform that has appeal to our clients, promotes our brand globally and makes good commercial sense.
“Our new partnership with one of the largest and most popular sporting organizations in the world will fulfil all these criteria. The global reach of F1 complements the many local activities we support.”
The deal also constitutes a “key element of our newly launched branding activities”, he adds.
The new campaign, devised with advertising agency Publicis, loses the “you and us” strapline in favour of the claim: “we will not rest”.
Geared towards rebuilding trust among the bank’s customers - UBS was one of the banks hardest hit by the credit crisis - the television, online and print campaign focuses on famous individuals who reached their goals through dedication and determination but also thanks to the support of teams. This includes former astronaut Neil Armstrong.
But the campaign also has an internal element, with a personal declaration on the group’s website from Grübel, aimed at UBS’s staff following the a tumultuous couple of years.
The campaign will arriving in the rest of Europe at the end of this month.
YouGov Insight:
Sport
· 78% of UK sport followers say that they follow football on the television, while 1 in 4 say that they follow football ‘live at the event’.
· 82% of men watch football on TV and a third go to live games. 72% of women watch football on TV but only 15% attend live.
· 35% of UK sport followers say that they watch rugby union on television, whereas only 20% say that they watch rugby league.
· Of those who watch live sport, 52% bought a snack the last time they were at an event while 43% said they bought an alcoholic drink.
· It’s a dead heat between those who prefer to watch sport from the comfort of their living room and those who like to be in the thick of the action at live events (24% each).
Click here for more information on this YouGov market report
