Combining endurance and concentration
Biathlon is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. Though a seemingly unlikely combination - one an aerobic activity which requires strength, speed and endurance; the other, a passive activity which requires concentration and a steady hand.
Infront Austria (formerly APF) is responsible for the marketing rights of the IBU World Cup and World Championships in Biathlon and has prolonged its exclusive marketing contract with the International Biathlon Union (IBU) up to and including the 2013/2014 season.
Biathlon - One of the most popular winter sports
The e.on Ruhrgas IBU World Cup Biathlon runs throughout the winter season and consists of a series of nine events regularly staged in the strong winter sports markets of Europe and North America. The IBU World Championships are held annually, except during the year of the winter Olympics. The selection of the best biathletes is based on the top rankings of the previous year’s World Cup total score.
As one of the most popular winter sports in Europe, biathlon achieves excellent television viewing figures especially in Austria, Finland, Germany, Norway, Russia and Sweden. Each year television exposure is enhanced, securing up to 1,400 hours of coverage per annum.
Steeped in tradition
Biathlon is a very old sport with its origins dating back as far as 1767. Its first appearance at the Olympic Winter Games was in 1924 with the first World Championship in Austria in 1958. The sport was finally included in the Olympic Games in 1960, however women have only been competing in Olympic Biathlon since 1992.
Meticulous competition against the clock
In a Biathlon competition, the biathlete skis distances varying from 6 to 20 km and stops at the shooting range to shoot two or four times, both the ski distance and number of shooting bouts depend on the type of competition in question. Target diameters are very small and the clock is constantly ticking - there is no time-out for shooting. In essence, the competitor begins at the start line, skis one course loop (length depending on the competition), comes to the range and shoots, skis another loop, shoots and completes the course with a final ski loop across the finish line.
Long term partners
Infront Austria has shared a close sponsor marketing cooperation with the International Biathlon Union IBU since the early 90’s. It is responsible for all tour and event sponsorship rights of the IBU relating to the IBU World Cup and World Championship Biathlon up to and including 2013/14. In addition, Infront Austria has also acquired the respective rights of numerous national federations and organisers. This has resulted in Infront being able to offer sponsors highly efficient “one-stop” services around both the World Cup and World Championships, presenting Biathlon as an attractive uniform international communication platform.
A marketing success
The IBU World Championship Biathlon and IBU World Cup events have been marketed with great success despite the economic climate. The events share a sponsorship inventory that is limited to seven sponsors to provide maximum exposure and take full advantage of the sport for the brands involved.
e.on Ruhrgas (energy) leads the pack as Title Sponsor along with Presenting Sponsors Viessmann (heating systems) and DKB (banking). Main sponsors include Erdinger Alkoholfrei (non alcoholic beer), Bauhaus (DIY retail), Ehrmann (dairy products) and adidas (sports apparel). German car giant BMW completes the pack and is also the official car partner.
Each of the brands benefit from strategic product placement and branding in prime locations of the biathlon stadiums and courses. Sponsorship rights include exclusive product placement in camera view, additional venue advertising, branding of athletes bibs, logos on interview backdrops and podiums as well as the possibility of on-site promotions and product placements.
Additionally, Ram (watches) and IFS (data processing-hardware, software and services) complement the hierarchy as time and data partners.
