Tuesday, November 9, 2004
JOHN SMITH'S TO SPONSOR THE GRAND NATIONAL
Aintree Racecourse announced today (Tuesday, November 9) that the UK's number 1 selling ale, John Smith's, is to sponsor the Grand National meeting in a new three-year multi-million pound title sponsorship agreement. The very first John Smith's Grand National meeting will take place on Thursday 7th - Saturday 9th April 2005.
John Smith's, the Scottish & Newcastle owned brand, will add the Grand National meeting, one of the 'Crown Jewels' in the British sporting calendar to its current portfolio of sponsorships within British horseracing. The Grand National race itself will become The John Smith's Grand National for the duration of the sponsorship agreement, 2005 - 2007 (inclusive), with an option to extend for a further three years.
Announcing the new sponsorship agreement, Managing Director of Aintree Racecourse, Charles Barnett said: "We are thrilled to have forged a relationship with such a powerful brand as John Smith's and are extremely excited about the prospect of working together to take the event to new levels over the next three years. Scottish & Newcastle plc is the UK's leading brewer and already has a successful track record in sports sponsorship, particularly with The Foster's British Grand Prix; Kronenbourg 1664 Official Beer of the Open Golf Tournament and Scrumpy Jack official drink of the English Cricket Team. We are confident that fresh ideas and this new association will help us to continue to build the Grand National meeting as the nation's favourite sporting occasion."
Tim Seager, Marketing Director of brand owners, Scottish & Newcastle added: "We are delighted to add the Grand National, a major world-wide sporting event, to our racing sponsorship programme.
"The simple fact is that John Smith's drinkers love their racing and there's a perfect fit between the Grand National and the No Nonsense Pint. This agreement means so much more than simply attaching our logo to an event; we have made a long term commitment that will see the John Smith's Grand National, and racing in general, brought to life in pubs, clubs, supermarkets and off-licences, in a way that other brands have done with football. We are all very excited about the benefits this new partnership will bring to: racing; our business; our trade customers and John Smith's drinkers over the next three years."
John Smith's is Britain's number 1 ale brand selling over 1 million pints a day.
John Smith's current list of sponsored races include: The John Smith's Cup at York; The John Smith's Northumberland Plate; The John Smith's Midlands Grand National at Uttoxeter and The John Smith's Stakes at Newbury.
The John Smith's 'No Nonsense' campaign with Peter Kay has scooped over 50 advertising and marketing awards since 2002- making it the sixth most awarded advertising campaign in the world.
John Smith's association with racing dates back to 1959 when the brewer's Magnet Ale became the first commercial sponsor in flat racing, entering into an enduring partnership with the nearby racecourse at York. Now re-titled the John Smith's Cup, it is the longest-established flat race sponsorship in Britain.
John Smith was just 24 years of age when he purchased a run down brewhouse in Tadcaster in 1847 - eight years after a horse called Lottery had won the first ever Grand National at Aintree - beginning a successful brewing heritage that has spanned more than one and a half centuries.
It takes approximately 20-22 seconds to pour the perfect pint of John Smith's Extra Smooth - that's more than it takes a world class athlete to run 200 metres.
John Smith's is enjoyed in many parts of the world - including Australia, Africa and the Arab Gulf.
Scottish & Newcastle plc is the UK's leading brewer and enjoys top three status in 14 other countries. S&N's UK brands include: John Smith's; Foster's; Kronenbourg 1664; Strong Bow; Newcastle Brown Ale; Mc Ewan's and Courage together with many other regional and international beers.
The company has a long and successful track record in sports and arts sponsorship including, in the present day: The Foster's British Grand Prix; Kronenbourg 1664 Official Beer of the Open Golf Tournament; The John Smith's Cup at York; Scrumpy Jack official drink of the English Cricket Team and Beck's Futures at the ICA.
Facts on the Grand National
2005 will be the first year in 13 years a new name has been associated with the Grand National. Martell Cognac first sponsored the race in 1992.
The Grand National is the World's most famous race, broadcast in over 140 countries with an estimated audience of over 600 million viewers. The three-day meeting attracts 150,000 racegoers.
The Grand National is amongst the top three annual sporting events in the world by TV audience (along with the FA Cup Final and the Superbowl).
For old articles (from 1st March 2000) go to the Newslink
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