Infront facilitates Henkel’s return to partnership with Fortuna Düsseldorf
The legendary “Pattex Chair” is back in the German Bundesliga
The most obvious visible indication of Henkel’s renewed status is the return to celebrity status of the famous Pattex Chair – a cult item developed by Henkel that has been described as one of the most original and efficient marketing tools in German football.
This seat – placed on the sideline of the pitch – is exclusively reserved for Fortuna’s coach. It is identified with Henkel’s Pattex brand of adhesives and was first introduced in the 1990s for the former Fortuna coach Aleksandar Ristic. The Pattex Chair has now been slightly modified and modernised and has celebrated its comeback at the most recent home match, with Fortuna’s current coach Norbert Meier sitting on it.
Infront, whose marketing agreement with Fortuna Düsseldorf has recently been extended until 2013/14, has played a key role in reviving Fortuna’s collaboration with one of the strongest and most significant companies in the Düsseldorf region of Germany.
Reinhardt Weinberger, Managing Director of Infront Germany, comments: “It is always a positive sign when a former partner decides to reactivate its sponsorship alliance. This is an encouraging judgement on Fortuna’s positive future prospects and – by implication - its potential as a promising marketing platform for sponsors.”
Henkel is based in Düsseldorf and is one of the 500 top-selling companies in the world (Fortune Global 500). It successfully operates in three business areas — Home Care, Personal Care and Adhesive Technologies – and employs around 50,000 staff worldwide. The glue brand Pattex has been established over several decades and is now updating its image with a revised and much more striking logo.
Jochen Wagener, Henkel’s Head of Marketing for Consumer Adhesives, gives his reasons for the reactivated collaboration: “Fortuna is a reliable partner and offers a professional environment for our marketing activities.”
Not only fans appreciate the return of their cult object. Carsten Franck, Fortuna’s Marketing Director, has expressed his pleasure about the renewed collaboration. “Having Henkel back on board is a reflection of Fortuna’s fantastic season as well as a strong message for future partnerships.”
The contract with Henkel is further evidence of the success of the collaboration between Infront and Fortuna. It demonstrates the club’s openness to innovative marketing ideas and attractive brand positioning.
Infront handles the marketing of the most important commercial rights for Fortuna Düsseldorf, including the main sponsor package; all premium and co-sponsorships; extensive parts of the stadium advertising and selected hospitality rights.
About Infront Sports & Media
Infront Sports & Media, based in Zug, Switzerland, has grown impressively in recent years and is today one of the leading international sports marketing agencies in the world. The company employs more than 500 employees across 24 offices in 10 countries and enjoys long-lasting partnerships with around 130 rights holders and hundreds of commercial partners.
With its subsidiary Infront Germany, based in Frankfurt/Main, it is one of the strongest agencies in the football marketing business in Germany, with a successful track record dating back 30 years. Infront Germany currently markets the commercial rights of four Bundesliga clubs (Werder Bremen, FC Schalke 04, VfL Bochum and SC Freiburg) as well as three clubs of the 2. Bundesliga (Energie Cottbus, Fortuna Düsseldorf and F.C. Hansa Rostock). During the 2008/2009 season, also Infront successfully distributed media and marketing rights to the UEFA Cup home matches of the national champion VfL Wolfsburg.
For further information, please contact:
Jörg Polzer
Associate Director, Communication & PR
Infront Sports & Media AG
Tel. +41-41-723 15 15
Fax +41-41-723 15 16
press infrontsports.com
www.infrontsports.com
Tom Koster
Press Officer
Fortuna Düsseldorf
Tel. +49 211 2380 137
Mobile +49 172 970 88 54
Marco Lippert
Henkel AG & Co. KGaA
Tel. +49 211 797 4068
Mobile +49 152 5797 4068
