While the matches are heating up at Wimbledon, the World Branding Forum takes a look at the brands that are at courtside.
Brands sponsor sports for a variety of reasons, and this iconic tennis championship has its fair share of supporting brands, including the longest partnership in sporting goods history – Slazenger, which has been a partner since 1902.
BBC is the host broadcaster, and global news access audience is estimated at over one billion people in 200 territories. Wimbledon has an enviable social media and online reach, with figures for many platforms in the millions.
Wimbledon is also the largest single annual sporting catering operation carried out in Europe, with a catering staff of 1,800 people. Among some of the many items served are 350,000 cups of tea and coffee, 150,000 bottles of water, 207,000 meals, 230,000 glasses of Pimm’s, 100,000 pints of draught beer and lager, 60,000 portions of ice cream, 142,000 portions of English strawberries, 28,000 bottles of champagne, 7,000 litres of dairy cream and 6,000 stone baked pizzas.
The World branding Forum takes a look at the current sponsors of The Championships.
Slazenger – Official Ball (1902)
Part of the longest partnership in sporting goods history, Slazenger has been the Official Supplier of tennis balls to The Championships since 1902. Slazenger will supply 52,000 balls for this year’s tournament, each of which will be tested for weight, bounce and compression.
Robinsons – Official Soft Drink (1935)
The Robinsons Squash we all know and love was born at The Championships in 1935 with the invention of their Lemon Barley Water to quench the thirst of all the players.
IBM – Official Information Technology (1990)
For 26 years, IBM has been supporting the All England Lawn Tennis Club and The Championships in its mission to be the premiere tennis tournament in the world. For speed of serve, to real time match statistics provided to commentators to mobile and digital solutions IBM helps bring The Championships to the world.
Hertz – Official Transport Supplier (1995)
Hertz is the official transport supplier to The Championships, Wimbledon, ensuring the likes of Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Maria Sharapova arrive relaxed, in style and in comfort every day.
Lanson – Official Champagne (2001)
Very few Champagne Houses can trace their origins back to before the French revolution. Lanson is one such House, this Reims firm having been founded in 1760. Today, Lanson remains an active, independent, family business. Its wines can be found on all five continents and Lanson is enjoyed in over 120 countries.
Ralph Lauren – Official Outfitter (2006)
Polo Ralph Lauren is the first designer in the history of The Championships to partner with The All England Lawn Tennis Club and outfit all Wimbledon on-court officials.
HSBC – Official Bank (2007)
At The Championships, HSBC is responsible for providing the onsite banking services for the players, public and retailers. HSBC is also a sponsor of The HSBC Road to Wimbledon National 14 & Under Challenge. 20,000 boys and girls from all over Britain have set out this summer in pursuit of their Wimbledon dream. They are competing for the chance to play in the National Finals to be held at Roehampton in August.
Evian – Official Water (2008)
While Evian’s purity makes it the natural choice for the tennis stars hoping to be victorious on Centre Court, its refined style will help ensure spectators stay refreshed to enjoy their unforgettable experience at the summer’s most glamorous sporting event.
Jacob’s Creek – Official Wine (2011)
Jacob’s Creek, the Australian icon brand, is the exclusive pouring wine at The Championships from 2011.
Lavazza – Official Coffee (2011)
Lavazza spreads the quality and aroma of Italian espresso throughout The Championships. The strength of their experience, the use of the finest raw materials and advanced technological resources has made Lavazza a leader in this industry in the coffee market.
Stella Artois – Official Beer (2014)
Stella Artois, the UK’s favourite premium beer brand, is the official beer of Wimbledon. Stella Artois was originally brewed in Leuven, Belgium as a Christmas beer and has grown to become a global brand. “Stella,” Latin for star, refers to the brightly shining Christmas Star. “Artois” acknowledges Sebastian Artois, the master brewer and owner of the brewery.
Jaguar Land Rover – Official Car (2015)
Jaguar and Land Rover supplies 170 luxury and high performance vehicles to support tournament operations. The new Jaguar XE and XF, as well as successful XF Sportbrake and XJ models will be seen in London at this year’s Championships.
