Judges put cricket sponsorship top of the order
Monday 21 March 2005
Lloyds TSB and Cricket Scotland took top honours at the Scottish Business in Sport Dinner in Glasgow (Friday 18 March) for their sponsorship of cricket in Scotland. They won the new category of Best use of PR/Media in Sport in Scotland and then went on to scoop the overall Scottish Sport Sponsorship of the Year Award 2005 presented by Patricia Ferguson MSP Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport and Andy Keir, Head of the Sports Business Group for title sponsors at Shepperd+ Wedderburn.
Alastair Dempster, Chairman of sportscotland said: "The Scottish Sport Sponsorship Awards seek to recognise the important role business sponsorship plays in Scottish sport and by spotlighting good practice we hope to encourage even more to get involved.
Lloyds TSB and Cricket Scotland were chosen as overall winners as they displayed all of the creative flair, sporting commitment and commercial impact that the judges were looking for. The idea of the collaboration was to heighten Lloyds TSB’s profile in Scotland whilst at the same time raise the profile of, and participation, in Scottish Cricket. The success of this partnership speaks for itself with a 700% increase in children’s participation in Scottish cricket and the introduction of an International Women’s Festival for cricket. The judges were also impressed by the imaginative and attention grabbing campaign that included the use of a cricket ball ‘smashing’ through branch windows, a seven foot cricket bat to promote fixtures, and a Lloyds TSB Scotland Kidzone at Saltires matches. These were all used to promote the game of cricket alongside the Lloyds TSB Scotland brand to fans and non-fans alike throughout the cricket season.
The Scottish Sport Sponsorship Awards were launched by sportscotland in 2001 to recognise excellence and creativity across Scotland’s vibrant sport sponsorship scene. The evening recognises the best in sport sponsorship, rewarding those businesses and sports which by working in partnership, have sparked brilliant results in the field of sport sponsorship.
This year saw the introduction of three new categories to give a wider variety of companies a chance to showcase their sponsorships – Best Sponsorship of Team or Individual, Best Sponsorship of a Sporting Event, and the Best use of PR/Media in a Sport Sponsorship.
This year's Scottish Sport Sponsorship Personality of the Year is Mark Hunter, Marketing & International Development Director at Coors Brewers. Mark has pioneered a number of ground-breaking sponsorships which have helped keep Carling in its No.1 spot. These have included top football properties such as the Carling Premiership, Worthington Cup as well as, of course, the Old Firm double of Rangers FC and Celtic FC. Prior to this, Mark was Director of Marketing at Tennent's in Scotland where he was responsible for the Tennent's Scottish Cup, sponsorship of the Scottish Rugby Union and the award-winning 'T in the Park'.
Alastair Dempster, Chairman of sportscotland said: "The Scottish Sport Sponsorship Awards seek to recognise the important role business sponsorship plays in Scottish sport and by spotlighting good practice we hope to encourage even more to get involved.
"The additional resources sponsorship brings to sport is vital to the survival of many sports in Scotland, from the local village team upwards. In return, sport offers the commercial sector unique promotional benefits such as association with a healthy active image, direct access to target audiences, and when effectively executed, a sponsorship can be an extremely powerful marketing tool."
One of the highlights of the evening were the two guests speakers, former international tennis player Pat Cash and double Olympic sailing gold medallist Shirley Robertson OBE. Amongst the Sporting Champions also attending the awards ceremony were hammer thrower Shirley Webb; gymnast Steve Frew; and sprinter Nick Smith.
Category award winners
Best Community Sport Sponsorship
Sponsored by Communities Scotland
Winner - Marine Harvest Scotland and Shinty
Commended – Glenfiddich ® Grampian Games Heavies Championships
Best First-time Sport Sponsorship
Sponsored by Bank of Scotland
Winner - Fresh ‘n’ Lo Great Scottish Run
Commended – Highland Perthshire Sports Trust
Best Sponsorship for Young People
Sponsored by Anderson Strathern Solicitors
Winner - Bank of Scotland Talented Young Athlete Programme (Athletics)
Commended – RAF Careers and The Scottish Hockey Union Limited
Best Use of PR/Media in Sport Sponsorship
Sponsored by Scotland on Sunday
Lloyds TSB Scotland and Cricket Scotland
Best Sponsorship of Team or Individual
Sponsored by PMP
Carling – Official Sponsor of Celtic FC and Official Sponsor of Rangers FC
Best Long-term Sponsor
Sponsored by Radisson SAS Hotel, Glasgow
Winner - Tennent’s Scottish Cup
Commended – Famous Grouse, Scotland Team Sponsor – Scottish Rugby
Best Sponsorship of a Sporting Event
Sponsored by EventScotland
Winner - IRB Under 21 World Cup in association with Intelligent Finance
Commended - Britannic Asset Management Women’s 10k and Tennent’s Scottish Cup
Scottish Sport Sponsorship Personality of the Year 2005
Mark Hunter, Director of Marketing and International Development, Coors Brewers Ltd.
Overall award winner Scottish Sport Sponsorship of the Year Award 2005
Lloyds TSB Scotland and Cricket Scotland
- sportscotland is the national agency for sport in Scotland. Working with our partners, our core responsibility is to develop sport and physical recreation in Scotland.
- The award categories are designed to accommodate the broad range of sponsorships that currently exist within Scottish sport, from local community projects through to the support of national teams. These range from best sponsorship of young people in Scottish sport to best long-term sports sponsorship. The seven category winners are then considered for the overall Scottish Sport Sponsorship of the Year Award 2005.
- To find out more about the Scottish Sport Sponsorship Awards log onto: www.sssawards.org.uk
The independent panel of industry experts who judged the entries were:
- Ritchie Campbell - Chair of Judges
- Helen Day - Vice Chair, European Sponsorship Association
- Alan Ferguson - Managing Director, The Sports Business
- Sandra Greer - Consultant, Sports Marketing Surveys
- Andrew Keir - Head of Sports Business Group, Shepherd+ Wedderburn
- Rhona Martin OBE – Curling Olympic gold medallist
- Ken Miller - Head of Marketing, sportscotland
- Jane Ulke - Director, Vice Chair, The Marketing Society, Scotland
The evening was staged in partnership with Shepherd+ Wedderburn.
The two guest speakers for the evening were:
- Pat Cash – In 1987 Pat won the Men’s Singles Title at both Wimbledon and the Australian Open. At Wimbledon in 1987 Pat is remembered for his famous climb through the seats on Centre Court to embrace his family after his win.
- Shirley Robertson OBE – Shirley is one of Britain’s greatest ever Olympians. She is a double Olympic sailing gold medallist winning gold in the Europe Class at the 2000 Games in Sydney and again in 2004 Games in Athens in the Yngling Class. Her gold in Athens, with her crew of Sarah Ayton and Sarah Webb, was Britain’s first gold medal of the Games.
The Sporting Champions scheme in Scotland uses sports stars such as Shirley Webb, Steve Frew and Nick Smith to inspire and motivate young people to become involved in sport as part of an active, healthy lifestyle.
Pictures of all the award winners with are available free of charge from Steve Lindridge, Ideal Images, mobile: 07718 919597.