Australasia Awards eye Surfing Australia

Surfing Australia Updates

Surfing Australia up for Best Integrated Sporting Sponsorship and Best Rights Holder awards

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 4 October, 2012 : - - Surfing Australia has been named a finalist in two categories at the Sponsorship Australasia Awards to be held in Melbourne in October. Australia’s peak surfing organisation submitted entries in two categories. The Best Integrated Sporting Sponsorship with VEGEMITE SurfGroms and Best Rights Holder with its I Am Surfing Australia campaign with Nikon. The Sponsorship Australasia Awards were created in response to members' feedback to celebrate best practice in sponsorship. Sponsors, rights holders and agencies were all invited to enter their most successful campaigns from 2011 and more than 40 submissions were received.

VEGEMITE SurfGroms is the world’s first junior participation surfing program offering youngsters aged 5-12 years old an opportunity to learn to surf. At the same time it develops strong ocean awareness and beach safety skills at a very influential period in their lives that they will enjoy and embrace for a lifetime. Since its launch in September 2011, more than 8,000 children have enjoyed the program. A highlight in its first year was a giant grandstand and self-contained interactive zone called the VEGEMITE SurfGroms Mightiest Seat on the Beach, which took centre stage at the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast at Snapper Rocks in March.

The VEGEMITE Mightiest Seat on the Beach was open all day providing uninterrupted views of the world’s best surfers but also offered: free VEGEMITE on toast all day; tarp surfing; giveaways throughout the day with loads of VEGEMITE branded surf wax and Wahu beach toys; and regular appearances from Quiksilver surfers including the chance to meet World Champion Kelly Slater. As part of the second year of the program, VEGEMITE SurfGroms will feature on 1.5 million jars of VEGEMITE distributed to supermarkets throughout Australia.

Surfing Australia and Nikon joined forces in 2011 when Nikon became the organisation’s official camera and five-time surfing World Champion Stephanie Gilmore came on board as the ambassador for Nikon’s COOLPIX AW100 waterproof, freezeproof and shockproof camera. Gilmore also became the face of Nikon Australia’s first locally-produced marketing campaign that builds off Nikon’s global ‘I AM’ strategy.

Surfing Australia CEO Andrew Stark said during the past three years the organisation had made a concerted effort to work closely with mainstream partners such as VEGEMITE and Nikon. “Surfing Australia is committed to working with mainstream brands to enhance the delivery of quality programs to our sport. We want to increase the profile of our sport to every household in Australia and importantly achieve solid Return On Investment to our partners,” Stark said.

“The partnerships we have with iconic brands in both Nikon and VEGEMITE have been incredibly successful and the fact we are a finalist for two categories at these industry awards is testament to the success of the partnerships. We are very proud of this achievement and certainly look forward to the Awards ceremony.”

The SurfGroms program marked VEGEMITE’s first sports sponsorship for almost 90 years and Kraft Foods Managing Director for Grocery Darren O’Brien said: “We are thrilled with the success of VEGEMITE SurfGroms and it is a real credit to Surfing Australia to be recognised as a finalist in the Australasia Sponsorship Awards so soon after VEGEMITE SurfGroms' launch last year. "Like VEGEMITE, surfing is such an important part of our national identity; it’s a cornerstone of Australian culture. VEGEMITE is extremely proud to be involved in nurturing the next generation of Australia’s surfing talent and encouraging kids to stay active and healthy, giving them skills for life.”

Nick Segger, Head of Marketing, Nikon Australia said: “Nikon Australia’s association with Surfing Australia was a perfect brand fit for the brand as the capture of a photo or video is highly emotive at all levels of participation in the sport. The development of our first locally produced I AM NIKON campaign featuring Stephanie Gilmore around the COOLPIX AW100 waterproof tough camera was the first step in our partnership and we look forward to further developing our association and involvement with the sport of surfing over the years to come.”

Quiksilver is the major surf brand sponsor behind VEGEMITE SurfGroms and provided a backpack full of product to each participant and is also the major sponsor of Nikon ambassador Stephanie Gilmore.

General Manager of Quiksilver Australasia Garry Wall said: “VEGEMITE SurfGroms is a key strategic initiative for our brand in continually reaching down, engaging and inspiring the next generation of surfers. The program has multiple digital touch points but most importantly at a grassroots level on the beach.” 

www.surfingaustralia.com

Source: Surfing Australia

Author: Tim Brimblecombe

Tags: Vegemit, Surfing Australia, Australasia Awards

Awards: Surfersvillage