Sweet sailing for boat and brand

Simon Hull. Photo / Chris Lewis

A new high profile sponsorship could provide a weather mark for those wanting to compete at the top level

There has always been a level of sponsorship in top level sailing or powerboat racing in New Zealand. At the very elite level - America's Cup, Volvo ocean racing and the like - it has been obvious: professionally managed and of benefit to both sides.

At the next level, however, it is has often been a quite different story. In many cases, the "sponsorship" has been little other than a way for an owner to profile his company while also justifying using the company chequebook to fund his boating campaigns.

Even when the sponsor has been an unrelated party, the relationship has often been fraught. While the boat owner welcomes the cash the sponsorship brings, they often bridle at the added responsibilities.

Yet for those hoping to compete at a level that requires a serious investment, sponsorship is, for all but the very wealthy, an absolute necessity.

The higher the level of competition, the higher the level of sponsorship that is required to help get there. At the America's Cup level this means millions, sometimes tens of millions, of dollars. Even at a lower level, thousands, tens of thousands and even hundreds of thousands are required.

Once upon a time, getting such sponsorship involved finding a business owner or CEO who loved the sport, wanted to be a part of it and thought the resulting exposure would be good for the company.

Nowadays a company needs to be convinced of tangible, measurable benefits before they will even enter into a discussion. Securing a sizeable sponsorship therefore involves one first understanding the potential sponsor's business and future plans and then finding ways of helping them achieve those goals through the proposed sponsorship.

This is neither a quick nor an easy process and one that has become immeasurably harder over the last few, economically difficult years.

However, as Auckland yachtsman Simon Hull has just proved, it is not an impossible task.

Hull is the owner of an Orma 60 trimaran, the first of its kind in this country. It is an impressive beast, measuring 18 metres in both length and beam and capable of averaging 18 knots to windward in 25 knots of breeze, or 30 knots on a broad reach (averaging!).

Hull, an experienced and successful yacht racer, having spent a considerable sum to buy this speedster and get her here, was obviously keen to campaign her at the highest level.

To do this successfully requires professional crew, continuous maintenance, a regularly replenished sail wardrobe and a sizeable war chest. In other words, it requires a high level of sponsorship.

Hull, founder and managing director of the publicly-listed company Allied Work Force Group Limited, decided to treat the project as a business. Last October, while the Orma 60 was still en route from France, he employed international sponsorship expert, Mike Hall-Taylor of HTC Sportsworld. Hall-Taylor, who also does work with Emirates Team Zealand, has an impressive pedigree, including working in Formula 1 Motor Racing, football, and FMCG marketing. Together, they targeted the types of New Zealand businesses that they believed would most benefit from what the Orma 60 could offer: brand exposure and "unique customer-engagement experiences".

It proved a worthwhile exercise.

"When British single-handed sailor Pete Goss commenced his campaign to sail the Vendee Globe single-handed, it took several years and 2000 sponsorship proposals to secure the support of Aqua Quorum," says Hull.

In contrast, he and Hall-Taylor made contact with just 40 carefully selected businesses before they struck gold.

Last Thursday, Hull officially relaunched his giant trimaran as TeamVodafoneSailing, its hulls repainted in the sponsor's colours and their logo emblazoned on both the topsides and sails.

Hull says they secured the sponsorship by putting together a convincing business proposal designed to deliver a direct and measurable return for Vodafone.

"The partnership between the trimaran and the Vodafone brand is a natural fit. Their head office is next to the boat's permanent mooring in Auckland's Viaduct Harbour and, like Vodafone, the boat is fast, high-tech and cutting edge.

"It is highly visible and therefore ideal as a brand billboard."

Hull says trips on the boat were an important part of the proposal, too.

"Sailing and racing outings, followed by food and beverages dockside, were an attractive proposition for Vodafone," he says. "Skimming along under sail power at 25-30 knots is an incredible experience that money can't buy."

He says the other part of the package was giving the communications company the chance to promote its Extended 3G coverage.

"This reaches up to 60 kilometres off the coast and association with the boat, and the transmission of data such as boat speed, wind speed and direction to the Vodafone website, was a promising way to demonstrate the network's speed and reliability."

Hall-Taylor points out that, while the ongoing effort to ensure Vodafone and the boat's other sponsors get the maximum benefit is immense, there are also substantial benefits for the boat and its crew.

"Having a sponsor of Vodafone's calibre enables Simon and his team to compete more often, potentially further afield," he says. "It helps us develop the team into a professional unit and also means Simon can reinvest in the boat to push its performance even further."

The sponsorship has also allowed Hull to employ an experienced and professional crew.

Hull is also hopeful that another yachting visionary will bring a second Orma 60 to New Zealand.

"In Europe, the Orma 60s sail in a circuit with 8-10 others, at convergence speeds of up to 60 knots.

"They have a huge following and teams run on budgets of over €1 million. The boats are all professionally managed and fully sponsored.

"And the sponsors get great value."

TeamVodafoneSailing

* Length: 18 metres

* Beam: 18 metres

* Rig Height: 30 metres

* Sail Area: 285m2 upwind, 445m2 downwind

* Target speeds: 18 knots to windward in 25 knots of breeze

or 30 knots on a broad reach

* Based: Outside Vodafone HQ at Auckland's Viaduct Harbour

* Website: teamvodafonesailing.co.nz