01 Mar 2010
Speaking exclusively to Sportindustry.biz, Duncan Lewis, the strategic marketing and commercial lead for Commonwealth Games England, talks about the commercial challenges facing the England team as they prepare for the Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
First things first, will England be at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi?
Yes absolutely, we will be there with our largest ever team overseas. There have been one or two articles to the contrary but there is absolutely no substance in them whatsoever. We have sought all the advice we should and spoken to all the experts we should be speaking to, we will carry on doing that, but there is no doubt that we will be there.
Has the security issues surrounding the event had adverse effect on sponsorship deals?
Difficult to say, we haven’t had any direct feedback to that effect from any of the people we have spoken to.
I guess that any uncertainty around an event can’t be helpful but I think that people are realistic about the world we live in at the moment and security is going to be an issue for any sporting event anywhere in the world. It’s no different for the Commonwealth Games and it’s something that people feed into the occasion, but overall people are smart enough to set aside some of the more sensationalist bits of media coverage and look at the facts rather than the headlines.
With other major sporting tournaments going on this year do you think that the Commonwealth Games has fallen down the pecking order?
I don’t think so, there are a good three months between us and the World Cup. We see it as a very positive thing actually as it will focus people on English sport rather than GB, which is great and one of the things we are guaranteed to be at Delhi is successful.
We think that post World Cup, if the guys win the tournament which I hope they do, that we’ll be surfing on a wave of enthusiasm for all things English sport. If not then we will be able to deliver some success to a ‘success starved’ public.
What have you done to promote interest in the Commonwealth Games?
All sorts of things, it’s not just about what we’ve been up to in regards to promoting the Games, the whole organisation has been reinventing itself over the last 18 months.
So we have more proactive relationships with our sports, new governance policies in place, we have a brand new board – all of whom joined in September of last year – and great former athlete representatives such as Dame Kelly Holmes as well as key figures in the sports administration world such as Peter King from UK cycling.
The marketing and promotional pieces have been the tip of the iceberg on top of that, we have a new brand logo for the team which we worked very hard on.
Previously we had the rose and that had done a great job but it was more of a blazer brand than a marketing brand and it was more difficult for the public to identify with it.
Also the RFU had developed quite a lot of equity in the rose so we wanted something to set ourselves apart a little bit and that had the dynamism and the stature to sit alongside The FA, RFU, ECB as the other English sporting brand hence the lion and the 'We Are England' and its been successful since it launched in October.
We have been promoting actively in the sponsorship market, with some success in terms with the deal with Adidas.
There are other in the pipeline that will hopefully bear fruit sooner rather than later and we are also looking to get this brand out into the public to get everyone excited about the Games.
One of the great things about our proposition is that we offer real breadth with 17 sports and 4 para sports which are fully integrated unlike the Olympics where they are two separate events.
With the Games being held in Delhi do the broadcasting hours limit sponsorship deals?
Not really, I think the time difference is only something like a 5 hour time difference so from a broadcasting prospective I think that it's quite favourable.
The significance of these Games as the last multi-sport event before the London 2012 Olympics is huge. It's the last chance for athletes, coaches and sponsors to have a proper dress rehearsal.
With the next Commonwealth Games being held in Glasgow, have you been looking to tie up 8 year deals?
We haven't specifically, but we are constantly talking with the organising committee in Glasgow to make sure that the commercial landscape makes sense and that it is successful event for the athletes and organising committee.
So if people came to us and said they wanted to do a longer deal to support the team then we would have a conversation with them about it.
How has the recession hit the Commonwealth Games?
I think that it hasn't hit us any more or less than anyone else it's a tough market place out there but a tough marketplace for everybody.
You have to make sure that you are proactive in terms of delivering rights packages to potential sponsors to make sure they add value and give benefit and are tailored to be flexible to fit in with their business plans.
That is something we are fortunate to have the flexibility to do as we start from a clean sheet of paper - that means we can tailor deals as there are no legacy or associations of brands with the property.
We are very confident that, with the work we have done over the last 18 months, we are a property that represents great value for for the right brands to align with.
Are there any potential stars of the future set to be unearthed at these Games?
I'm sure there will be, you just have to look back at the history of the Commonwealth Games, the likes of Christina Ohuruogu have made their mark in this competition and she says that she can't wait to compete in the Games again.
There is a young weightlifter called Zoe Smith who is a very hot prospect and there are some guys in shooting who are great prospects as well and of course there will be lots of the established stars out there.
That is the great thing about the Games as it bridges the gap between the emerging talent breaking through and the established stars and they will all look to be preparing for the London 2012 Olympic Games.
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