"Sports sponsorship is the solution"

Michael K. Rasmussen, Chief Marketing Officer of the VELUX Group speaks to Florian Oediger from German sports sponsorship magazine, SPONSORs, about why his company has decided to act as title sponsor of the EHF Men’s Champions League and why VELUX is not considering football sponsorship.

SPONSORs: Mr. Rasmussen, VELUX will be title sponsor of the EHF Men’s Champions League over the next three years. How did this come about?

RASMUSSEN: Well, you know, the media landscape is becoming increasingly complex. On a limited marketing budget, it has become all but impossible for us to promote our products effectively across Europe through conventional advertising.

For us, sport sponsorship is the solution; on the one hand, we get ample space for presenting our brand at a reasonable price, and on the other hand we can reach our clients in an emotional environment and engage in B2B activities.

SPONSORs: This is not an entirely new discovery. Why are you taking this step now?

RASMUSSEN: We have decided to position ourselves even more closely to our customers. The EHF Champions League covers many of our most important European markets. Over the next three years, we want to invite as many of our customers as possible to handball events. Therefore, VIP tickets for all of the 148 matches are a key component of the sponsoring package.

SPONSORs: How was your decision influenced by the premiere of the newly created EHF FINAL4 in late May?

RASMUSSEN: The event staged in the LANXESS arena was an important test for us. We were already active there as the presenting partner. We invited a large number of customers and carried out our own surveys. The responses were extremely positive. The EHF Champions League is developing incredibly well. We are happy to be part of this development.

SPONSORs: Other sports are more often in the media limelight. Why have you decided on handball?

RASMUSSEN: Football sponsorship with a similar impact on the European market – such as the UEFA Champions League for example - is not something within our reach. Moreover, football has already become the playground of many big brands, so individual advertising messages may be easily overlooked. In the EHF Champions League we hold an outstanding position as title sponsor. Also, most matches are played in the autumn and in winter when our customers - tradesmen and builders - are less busy due to bad weather. This is the best time to invite them.

SPONSORs: Which European markets are you focusing on in particular?

RASMUSSEN: Germany is certainly a very important market. But we do business in all European countries. We are seeking to expand our network of dealers, tradesmen, and architects. Sponsorship helps us to achieve this.

SPONSORs: Velux is also the title sponsor of the VELUX 5 Oceans round-the-world yacht race. May we expect further sponsorship deals in the future?

RASMUSSEN: One should never say never but for the time being I believe we are well positioned.

SPONSORs: Working with its partner Sharp, EHFM is planning to introduce a standard LCD perimeter advertising system in all matches by the 2011-12 season at the latest. Are you supporting this project?

RASMUSSEN: Overall, I consider the work of EHFM to be extremely professional. This certainly includes their efforts to display the EHF Champions League sponsors attractively in all arenas. They have got our support!

SPONSORs: Mr. Rasmussen, thank you very much for the interview

VELUX - the company

VELUX is a brand in the global building materials and home improvement industry. The VELUX product range comprises roof windows and skylights as well as sun screening, roller shutters, thermal solar panels and accessories for window installation. The Velux Group has about 10,000 employees world-wide, including almost 1000 in Germany.

The Group’s headquarters are located in Hørsholm, Denmark, north of Copenhagen; the head office for Germany is located in Hamburg. VELUX has sales companies in almost 40 countries and manufacturing locations in eleven countries.

The VELUX Group is owned by VKR Holding, which is wholly owned by foundations and family. In 2009, VKR Holding’s revenue amounted to 2.1 billion Euro and net profit for the year came to 173 million Euro. 

Acknowledgement

Article reproduced with the kind permission of SPONSORs. The article orginally appeared in the October 2010 issue of the magazine and was written by Florian Oediger. More information can be found at www.sponsors.de.