[SPONSORSHIP] UBS & FORMULA 1

. From a 2010 article (*). Swiss financial services company UBS have signed an agreement to be a global partner of Formula One. The company, whose previous major sports sponsorship was with the Alinghi America's Cup team, joins LG, Mumm and DHL as Formula One global partners. Just Marketing International (JMI), the specialist motorsports agency, brokered the deal on the company's behalf, negotiating with Formula One Management's Bernie Ecclestone. No official financial details were released, but well-placed sources have indicated the initial five-year deal is worth up to US$40 million annually, roughly the equivalent of a Formula One team title sponsorship.

Oswald Grubel, UBS group chief executive, said of the deal: "UBS has 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 organisations in the world will fulfil all these criteria, and it constitutes a key element of our newly launched branding activities. The global reach of F1 complements the many local activities we support." UBS has just rolled out a new global advertising campaign and it is understood that it's Formula One sponsorship, which will begin in September, will feature extensive trackside advertising, including unique positioning.

“All of us at JMI are delighted that UBS has chosen Formula One as a global sponsorship platform," added Zak Brown, the founder and chief executive of JMI. "The partnership has strong alignment to UBS’s truly international stature and strategic business objectives, particularly in key growth markets. We are proud to add UBS to our cherished portfolio of clients and privileged to support another fine brand in its introduction to and ongoing presence in the sport.” The deal will officially begin with the Singapore Grand Prix, Formula One's night race, on September 26th. It is understood that the deal is for five years, with options beyond that.

(*) Tom Love: "UBS sign US$200 million Formula One partnership", SportPro, 23 August 2010.
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