Djokovic, IBM and Rolex win

There are many readers here, when they heard a reference to the Big Blue, would think instantly of IBM. There are many theories doing the rounds on why IBM is referred to as the Big Blue; one of the most believable theories is that it is defined by the colour of the IBM logo.

However, when it comes to Wimbledon, the Big Blue is no longer the Big Blue. Have a look at this:

 So while the world was focused on the high-stakes championship match between Nadal and Djokovic (which Djokovic has just won 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3), there was much at stake for the brands involved in Wimbledon, the various sponsors who make Wimbledon what it is.

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Only, at Wimbledon, they’re not called sponsors. They’re ‘Official Suppliers’. Unless a brand manufactures or supplies a product or service that enriches the tournament, it cannot be associated with Wimbledon. In their own words:

“The Club has always sought to retain the unique image and character of The Championships and has successfully achieved over many years by development a range of long-term mutually beneficial Official Supplier agreements with a range of blue-chip brands, as well as specifically not commercializing the Grounds overtly.”

Not for Wimbledon a galaxy of logos in various shapes, sizes and colours; your brand should be one that the event owner wants and needs.

Each sponsor has a role to play in enhancing the experience. Witness the list of Official Suppliers:

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Slazenger, Official Ball (1902); Robinsons Official Still Soft Drink (1934); Rolex Official Timekeeper (1978); IBM Official Supplier of Information Technology (1990); Hertz Official Car (1995); G4S Official Security Services Provider (1998); Lanson Official Champagne (2001); Ralph Lauren Official Outfitter (2006); HSBC Official Banking Partner (2007); Evian Official Bottled Water (2008); Jacob’s Creek Official Wine (2011); Lavazza Official Coffee (2011); Sony Official 3D Partner (2011)

The figures in brackets refer to the year the brand first began the association with Wimbledon. Slazenger, then, has an astonishing 109 year association with Wimbledon; Robinsons 77 years, Rolex 33 years and IBM 21 years - this, in an age when we can’t recall the sponsors of other events held just months earlier.

Obviously, if the sponsors’ (sorry, official suppliers’) relationships date back to 1902, the tournament itself must be older - and steeped in tradition.

• Wimbledon’s first tournament was in 1884, when strawberries and cream first made their appearance. During the 14 day tournament, more than 24,000 kilograms of strawberries dunked in 7,000 litres of cream will be consumed.
• Players have to be dressed in ‘all-white’, a rule that was made in 1963. Players have been asked to change if the clothing is found to break the rule.
• This ’tradition’ is a bizarre one: Wimbledon etiquette dictates that female players at Wimbledon be referred to as ‘Miss’ or ‘Mrs’ during matches. Male players, however, are only called ‘Mr’ when using the replay challenge.
• And, of course, vuvuzelas are banned!

It’s this package - the heritage, the tradition and the belief in their own brand - brand Wimbledon - that makes Wimbledon such an attractive proposition for sponsors and for players.

The tradition of Wimbledon extends to the personalities associated with the game. The winners, traditionally, receive their trophies from the Duke and Duchess of Kent. The camera pans the stands for glimpses of royalty - and other celebrities. This edition, for example, Rory McIlroy, Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton, Sachin Tendulkar and Mark Webber, to name just a few, were spotted. The presence of celebrities adds to the magical experience that attending Wimbledon or watching it on TV is, causing more to want to attend the matches more to want to watch it on TV. How badly do people want to watch the Wimbledon Mens finals this year? Well, a ticket for the match you just saw cost some of the spectators - whom you might have seen during the broadcast - as much as $30,000!

Notwithstanding the tradition, the history and the celebrities – the package that gets fans to pay such astronomical prices for watching the matches — brand managers must have tried to negotiate for more - more signage, more freedom in branding, more integration of their messages at Wimbledon.

And Wimbledon keeps saying a firm ’no!’.

And they obviously know what they’re doing. It’s this tradition, the rigidity, the refusal to commercialise that has made the tournament what it is.

A tournament that promises a global cumulative audience of almost 400 million viewers during the 14 days.

And when brand managers are faced with audiences of such proportions, they won’t negotiate too hard.

And they’ll agree to their brand guidelines being bent just that little bit, even if they grimace when they see their blue logo transformed to green.

400 million people being exposed to your green logo is better than none seeing your blue one.