Media Republic Offers Innovative Formula One Sponsorship on eBay
2007-04-06 17:16:07 -
AMSTERDAM, the Netherlands, April 6 /PRNewswire/ --
- Innovative sponsorship of Formula One motor racing is offered for the first time at online auction with opportunity for short or long term brand visibility.
For the first time ever in Formula One history, team sponsorship is being offered by auction. Dutch cross media agency Media Republic (www.mediarepublic.com) came up with the idea to bring together the online icon eBay (Nasdaq: EBAY) with the glamorous world of Formula One. In the Spyker Formula One Team (AEX: SPYKR) Media Republic has found a solid partner to cooperate in this unique auction. eBay will facilitate the auction, offering all bidders the opportunity to spread their brand message at the highest level in world motor racing. From midnight on Friday, 6 April, anyone will be able to bid for their brand and/or message to be viewed by a global eBay audience, that numbers in the billions annually. The price tag for the whole-season sponsorship is not for the faint-hearted - believed to be starting at euro 500,000 for a place on the upper-side of the cars' nose cone for the entire season. To log onto the auction, which will be live until midnight on Monday, 16 April, visit members.ebay.nl/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid=spykerf ...
Bas Verhart, CEO Media Republic: "Spyker Formula One is a challenger brand with global potential. We believe there are many people out there who'd like to be involved 'from the beginning' of this long-haul success story. Of course we're expecting some corporate interest, but we also think that this is a unique opportunity for all those eccentrics and philanthropists out there, who want to propose marriage in-style, support their chosen charity or highlight just causes."
At speeds of over 300km/h, many may argue that the branding could be a bit blurred, but with pre-race publicity and visibility before, during, and after every race, as well as the sought-after hospitality packages available to sponsors, Media Republic believes that teaming up with eBay and having Formula One sponsorship up for auction is an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
According to Egbert van Keulen, manager eBay operations, The Netherlands: "We're not unknown for offering something different on the Internet but this is the very first time Formula One sponsorship has come up for auction - a first for eBay and a first for motor racing. It's a highly unique auction and we're delighted to facilitate."
Some of the most unusual items to be offered for auction on eBay have included: a MiG-21 fighter jet, David Beckham's BMW convertible, and Pope Benedictus XVI's Volkswagen Golf, which ultimately sold for almost euro 190,000. The most expensive item so far to be sold at online auction with eBay is a $4.9 million private jet.
eBay.nl will also be facilitating a memorabilia charity auction of promotional items that include Spyker Formula One Team hospitality and track test days with pit visits to see the mechanics at work, a 'Spyker Experience Day' that includes a tour of the Spyker factory as well as wind jackets, baseball caps, T-shirts and polo shirts. Proceeds from the auction will be donated to projects sponsored by War Child in Colombia. ( www.warchild.org)
To help communicate team news and promote team progress, the Spyker Formula One Team has just launched its digital magazine. It's free and available at: www.spykerf1magazine.com. The next race of the F1 season will take place in Malaysia on 8 April, followed by a race in Bahrein on 15 April, just before Spyker F1's European debut in Barcelona, Spain, on 13 May.
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