Will cycling now be...
 

[Closed] Will cycling now become the middle class sport for advertisers

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Seems as if after this weekend, many advertisers will see the huge and relitively cheap way of advertising their wares, on bikes, cyclists clothes, banners, or just leaving a vehicle parked in view of the cameras and spectators.
Much more than football matches that usually only have advertising on 3 sides of the pitch, the parts the cameras film.


 
Posted : 06/07/2014 10:10 pm
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it was like that last weekend and the weekend before that ! and the weekend before that ! infact since i can remember ?

Thats the idea behind advertising ?


 
Posted : 06/07/2014 10:17 pm
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I get the feeling, you're a glass half empty kinda guy, project.


 
Posted : 06/07/2014 10:21 pm
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Here's hoping.


 
Posted : 06/07/2014 10:22 pm
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What do you mean 'will it become'?


 
Posted : 06/07/2014 10:22 pm
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I get the feeling, you're a glass half empty kinda guy, project.

It was full before the evil govvunment cuts, innit comrade?


 
Posted : 06/07/2014 10:24 pm
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That was the whole purpose of the tour de france's creation. Didn't see many guys racing in plain clothing today, just mobile advertising. Team Sky is not advertising the blue thing that is above your house.


 
Posted : 06/07/2014 10:28 pm
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What changed this weekend? Is there more international cycling events coming to the UK?

Dirty Grubby Advertising
[img] [/img]
[img] [/img]


 
Posted : 07/07/2014 12:55 am
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Hardly a new thing is it?

[img] [/img]


 
Posted : 07/07/2014 1:14 am
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Already is.


 
Posted : 07/07/2014 6:37 am
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and also from your OP what has class got to do with it?


 
Posted : 07/07/2014 6:41 am
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I don't think comparing cycling to football is the best analogy, given what premiere league footballers earn.


 
Posted : 07/07/2014 7:53 am
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In a word, Yes


 
Posted : 07/07/2014 8:22 am
 JAG
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All ready is/was 🙂


 
Posted : 07/07/2014 8:51 am
 tsd
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Hopefully for Belkin so they can keep going.


 
Posted : 07/07/2014 9:14 am
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We just need a few Pharma Companies sponsoring, it would round things out quite nicely


 
Posted : 07/07/2014 9:47 am
 JoB
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Would you approve if Socialist Worker was one of the sponsors?


 
Posted : 07/07/2014 9:57 am
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[url= http://www.amgentourofcalifornia.com/ ]Amgen Tour of Calafornia[/url]
(they make EPO amongst other things)


 
Posted : 07/07/2014 10:01 am
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Seems as if after this weekend, many advertisers will see the huge and relitively cheap way of advertising their wares, on bikes, cyclists clothes, banners, or just leaving a vehicle parked in view of the cameras and spectators.

I'd dispute the 'relatively cheap' price tag you've attached to it. Have you seen the budgets these teams commit? I'd imagine getting your logo plastered all over Le Tour, you'd be into World Cup football, or Olympics type money.

We were wondering yesterday, as the 100th liveried Octavia came past, how much money Skoda must chuck at the event? Its got to be way into the tens of millions, minimum!


 
Posted : 07/07/2014 10:02 am
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Do you mean a bit like this?

[img] [/img]


 
Posted : 07/07/2014 10:03 am
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To be honest, the thing that surprises me is that I have absolutely no idea what 90% of what they are advertising actually is.


 
Posted : 07/07/2014 10:06 am
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😆


 
Posted : 07/07/2014 10:09 am
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Hs anyone ever bought anything (not bike related) because of advertising seen at the Tour or some other bike race etc?

I don't think I consciously have, though when in France I do tend to go to Carrefour if I need to go to the supermarket so maybe their advertising has had an effect. And we are going to get our hall floor done soon, so I wonder if Quick Step will be getting our business.


 
Posted : 07/07/2014 10:09 am
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I did have some Quick Step laminate flooring, but it took 3 years (and the flooring has now gone) before I made the connection to OPQS... 😳


 
Posted : 07/07/2014 10:14 am
 JoB
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Hs anyone ever bought anything (not bike related) because of advertising seen at the Tour or some other bike race etc?

yup, i've made a conscious decision to go into Rabobank and Credit Agricole, but if i wanted to buy a posh watch i wouldn't buy a Festina one

i am a little sad though


 
Posted : 07/07/2014 10:19 am
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This is moving on to discuss whether or not advertising / sponsorship actually works? I think we have to conclude that it does, even though we all, individually think we are above it. I guess that the main Tdf sponsors are selling mostly brands that aren't big in the UK though (Sky being an obvious exception.


 
Posted : 07/07/2014 10:21 am
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the thing that surprises me is that I have absolutely no idea what 90% of what they are advertising actually is.

I was surprised when I found out that ONCE were the Spanish equivalent of the Royal National Institute for the Blind. The jersey logo even included a man with a white stick.

I could never figure out what they were actually selling. Awareness, I suppose.


 
Posted : 07/07/2014 10:26 am
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I guess that the main Tdf sponsors are selling mostly brands that aren't big in the UK though

Except
BMC
Trek
Cannondale
Belkin
Merida
Garmin
Europcar
Giant
& Shimano

Apart from that nothing applicable to the UK...


 
Posted : 07/07/2014 10:28 am
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I did hire a van from Europecar, partly because of Tommy Voeckler.


 
Posted : 07/07/2014 10:29 am
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To be honest, the thing that surprises me is that I have absolutely no idea what 90% of what they are advertising actually is.

Right lets have a go

Team Sky... Something to do with Game of Thrones
Movistar Team... Spanish Vodafone
Team Katusha... Nope
Tinkoff-Saxo... A bank
Astana Pro Team... Vanity project for Kazahkstan government
Cannondale... Pushbikes
Belkin Pro Cycling Team... Laptop Bag
Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team... drugs
AG2R La Mondiale... nope
Garmin Sharp... GPS and Tellies
Team Giant-Shimano... Pushbikes and fishing reels
Lampre-Merida... No idea what Lampre do
FDJ.fr... Nope
Lotto Belisol... Clothing and no idea
BMC Racing Team... More pushbikes
Team Europcar... Car hire
Trek Factory Racing... More pushbikes
Cofidis, Solutions Credits... More banks
Orica GreenEdge... Nope somthing Australian I think
IAM Cycling... Nope
Team NetApp-Endura... Network Storage and cycling shorts


 
Posted : 07/07/2014 10:33 am
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IAM Cycling... Nope

Institute of Advanced Motorists cycling team?


 
Posted : 07/07/2014 10:38 am
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isle a man?


 
Posted : 07/07/2014 10:39 am
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FDJ.fr is the French national lottery. Part of the jersey logo is a four leaf clover.


 
Posted : 07/07/2014 10:40 am
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Isn't IAM some kind of bank as well?

Edit: Google says - Independent Asset Management. Swiss bank then!


 
Posted : 07/07/2014 10:45 am
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I thought orica made explosives....could be wrong


 
Posted : 07/07/2014 10:52 am
 JoB
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Orica is an Australian mining company that does explosives and chemicals too, their sponsorship of a cycling team could be seen as a certain amount of greenwashing


 
Posted : 07/07/2014 10:57 am
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McCain Oven Chips were advertising very strongly in the Tour caravan this weekend. I got a little packet of potato seeds thrown into the crowd by a very attractive young lady.

So I'm going to be growing my own chips... SCREW YOU McCAINS! You can't lure me into your world of convenient-but-not-very-tasty carbohydrate addiction...

Or is this the culinary equivalent of giving E's to kids to get them hooked before supplying them with the hard stuff??


 
Posted : 07/07/2014 10:57 am
 emsz
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Kattusha is Russian for Cathy or Katie dunno what they think they advertise though 🙂


 
Posted : 07/07/2014 11:24 am
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AG2R = Private healthcare/pensions
Lotto = Belgian national lottery
Belisol = Double glazing (I think)


 
Posted : 07/07/2014 11:51 am
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I suppose its more the case, that for the most part Bike manufacturers don't need to be the "main sponsors" for Grand tour Pro-cycling teams, they're seen more as [I]Just[/I] equipment suppliers and the proper Big money comes from Comms, Banking, Pharma, maybe the odd Car company...

The UK was of course awash with big money sponsorship sports this weekend...

I suppose you have to take a bit more of a "Global Perspective" on cycling sponsorship; Pro-cycling's popularity across the rest of the world, especially continental Europe, the rolling TV coverage the big tours get, how many column inches and nice big photos the tours get in French, Spanish, Italian, etc papers and magazines, and who might be reading those... Its a fair bit of exposure for a relatively modest outlay if your a big global company...

Set it against a sport like F1 where sponsors will be spending a lot more to get their logo on a cars side pod and have it on TV for 19 weekends worth of coverage, for a front running team that's probably something like ~60 hours of screen time along with the [I]"positive associations"[/I] for sponsor's brand if its all over a Winner's car... On top of that there's print media exposure, not bad if you want the world to be aware of your brand and see it positively...

The viewing demographic for both sports is probably quite similar, as reflected by the similar types of sponsorship they pick up, Middle-upper middle classes, with disposable income and free time, ideally, if you're a Comms/Pharma/Buiness management Software/Banking outfit, with some influence over buying decisions...

[url= http://cyclingtips.com.au/2010/11/how-much-do-pro-cyclists-make/ ]This article adds a bit of perspective IMO[/url] it's old now (2010/11 ish) but it talks about [I]typical[/I] rider pay levels, and how at the top of the sport suscessfull riders will be negotiating for upwards of 1 million GBP/USD/EUR per season, where the top five F1 Drivers are probably upwards of £10 Million...

Interesting that the British stages of the TDF have attracted some rather more [I]British[/I] sponsorship (See McCain comment above) I don't think the UK still quite see cycling in the same way as the rest of the world, hence its used to promote Oven Chips rather than Blue Chips over here...


 
Posted : 07/07/2014 11:51 am
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Acording to a recent article in some trade journal advertisers where turning away from ball sports, due to the failure to actually win anything, the drunken lout image of football supportors, and high over paid wages they get, making the middle clases disalusioned with them.

Where as cycling is seen as an outdoor, fittnes thing, with lots of cheaper so far advertising oportunities on local cycling clubs and local events and some of the bigger national events, with unlimited space for free advertising on spectators shirts, we do buy trade team tops, and shorts, and also on vehicles.
Just look at how many sky shirts where in evidence on spectators along with all the Skoda cars, that will just be sold on after the race .


 
Posted : 07/07/2014 11:53 am
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Kattusha is Russian for Cathy or Katie dunno what they think they advertise though

I thought it was named after those multiple rocket launchers from the second world war. (in the same way as Leopard Trek was partly named after a WWII panzer). I think Katusha is indirectly funded by some fairy large Russion businesss including Gazprom


 
Posted : 07/07/2014 11:58 am
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Acording to a recent article in some trade journal advertisers where turning away from ball sports, due to the failure to actually win anything, the drunken lout image of football supportors, and high over paid wages they get, making the middle clases disalusioned with them.

Indeed. There are certain values you want to attach to your brand. And you want to be associated with winners. I'd imagine that a few marketing departments are presently cringing every time Sturridge, Joe Hart or Rooney appear in the World Cup Ad Breaks in their slots pre-booked months ago.

Paying a fortune to be associated with, without a doubt, the worst team in the competition, who went out at the first hurdle, with a whimper, after a truly pitiful performance.

Money well spent there then eh?

Cycling on the other hand seems to have cleaned up its act immensely after the dark days of full teams getting sent home in disgrace for doping. What this weekend showed is that it now has genuine mass appeal. A fact no doubt observed in marketing departments and ad egencies throughout the country

The good thing seems to be that its a very different thing to football. Contrast the FA, with all the money funnelled to the top, while the grassroots game is left to whither. Then look at the Sky sponsorship, with money being put into the grassroots, and public participation. Same with Wiggle and the sponsorship of the womens team. So it bodes well that if theres big sponsorship money coming into the sport then its going to the right places. Can't see how this is anything but a good thing really.


 
Posted : 07/07/2014 12:01 pm
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yay, let's hope they do more to cement the image of cycling as mainly for white middle class males.


 
Posted : 07/07/2014 12:03 pm
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I struggle to see a problem with any aspect of cycling being "normalised" in mainstream media.

🙂


 
Posted : 07/07/2014 12:07 pm
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Many of the brands on the hoardings at World Cup matches I've also never heard of.


 
Posted : 07/07/2014 12:17 pm
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Acording to a recent article in some trade journal advertisers where turning away from ball sports, due to the failure to actually win anything, the drunken lout image of football supportors, and high over paid wages they get, making the middle clases disalusioned with them.

Football sponsorship you say?

[img] [/img]

Something tells me the financially secure, middle classes are not the target demographic...

I still see a fella commuting the other way to me in a [I]Livestrong[/I] Top quite often (He's not the friendly nod type, very serious looking), I'm assuming he's either wearing it "Ironically", He's not been watching the news much lately, or his only other cycling jersey is covered in Swastikas....
Brand Value and Associations can be rather choppy, you want to be careful who you sponsor these days, There must be quite a lot of good quality cheap Yellow and Black Nike kit still floating about out there with no bugger wanting to buy it...


 
Posted : 07/07/2014 12:45 pm
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What is 'Bellysol'? A cream you rub on your abdomen?


 
Posted : 07/07/2014 1:19 pm
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Sportpursuit are currently selling off lots of Livestrong clothing. I'll bet it doesn't function any worse than it did two years ago.


 
Posted : 07/07/2014 1:42 pm
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If I had any Livestrong kit, I'd still wear it, and if anyone decided to be a dick about them I'd tell them Lance is my hero because he pisses Hora off so much.


 
Posted : 07/07/2014 1:46 pm
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Sportpursuit are currently selling off lots of Livestrong clothing. I'll bet it doesn't function any worse than it did two years ago.

You know what I Just had a quick look, even with the discounts they have its still a bit steep IMO, I don't doubt the kit functions very well indeed, but the branding is quite a deterrent that was really my point, the LS brand is completely devalued...

I could do with some cheap new Bib-shorts but having "Livestrong" across My arse and Up either leg just puts me off, I'd pay a tenner, maybe £15 and then do my best to remove the branding but pay good money to dress up as the most hated man in cycling?... Nah.

I'd rather go for a ride in this get up:

[img] [/img]


 
Posted : 07/07/2014 1:59 pm
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Hs anyone ever bought anything (not bike related) because of advertising seen at the Tour or some other bike race etc?

No but I'm having myself one of these - http://eurohorns.com/shop


 
Posted : 07/07/2014 2:04 pm
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I'm assuming he's either wearing it "Ironically", He's not been watching the news much lately, or his only other cycling jersey is covered in Swastikas....

Or maybe he is just able to separate the cancer charity from the fallen idol that founded it?

http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2014/04/01/lance_armstrong_livestrong_how_the_charity_came_back_from_the_scandal.html


 
Posted : 07/07/2014 2:06 pm
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Huge opportunities for SME,s and larger companies to now get on board the cycling band wagon and sponsor teams in local races or even events.

Many small shops and cafes have had world wide advertising due to the pictures beemed from england around the world, and mostly for a very small outlay.


 
Posted : 07/07/2014 5:52 pm
 beej
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Much of the sponsorship is about hospitality opportunities rather than selling stuff to the general public. Run purchasing for a chain of hotels? Hmm, they might buy a shed (or warehouse) full of laminate flooring. Ride in a team car at the tour Mr Purchasing Manager? Nice lunch? Meet the riders?


 
Posted : 07/07/2014 6:37 pm