Lots of reseach goes into which sports events car-makers advertise at. Catherine Cronin reports on the creative world of car sponsorships
At Pebble Beach Tiger Woods swivels his hips and sends the ball soaring at 180mph, his golf bag in the background enscribed with Buick, the less than flashy US car company.
Of the 30-odd tournaments in last year's US PGA tour, nearly one-third was title-sponsored by car makers including Ford, Honda, Mercedes, Buick, Nissan and Chrysler.
The European PGA featured Volvo, Nissan, BMW and Mercedes. Peugeot is obvious at the Telstra Dome while Hyundai will partner Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup.
Sometimes it seems the major international sports events are novel motor shows as well as world-class sports on tour. Car companies are also important players in the €55 million sponsorship market here.
It has been speculated that Renault's three-year Late Late Show cost €1 million. For Toyota, the cost of acquiring the rights to the Special Olympics was €1.3 million while the three-year GAA deal has been estimated at €500,000, both before including the supply of cars. The cost of the Irish Open rights alone has been speculated at €850,000, even before Nissan undertakes any other associated advertising and marketing.
"Sponsorship by car companies is different to most others," says John Trainor, managing director of Amarach Consulting. "Ultimately it's about driving traffic into their dealerships to give them the opportunity to make the sale."
It's not surprising that popular sports are used to reach large audiences or suggest sporty connections with cars. But why do some pay to have the thrill of yachting, the wholesomeness of a puppy, the glamour of fashion, and the rugged charm of George Hook rub off on the product?
"The link between Volvo cars and yachts may seem strange but yachting is very popular in the Baltics, its core market, and also in France. They are appealing to their niche," says Trainor.
Saab in the US discovered that compared to the average population, most of its drivers own dogs. "Saab uses the doggy theme which is held up as a very effective example of niche sponsorship," adds Trainor. The Saab 9-5 Estate sold there comes with dog restraints and its corporate gifts include feeding bowls.
But Teutonic Volkswagen and designer dresses? Volkswagen is previewing the new Golf in Ireland at the nationwide Catwalks Fashion Show, not unlike Mercedes-Benz's launch of its special-order "CLK Giorgio Armani Design Car" at Milan. For VW the main reason for associating with fashion is that its in-house research found that 47 per cent of its buyers were women.
There's the argument that fashion and car design have shadowed each other since dusters and goggles were de rigueur in open-top roadsters. For Ford's design chief J Mays, a trip to Prada or Samsonsite, is a reconnaissance mission as both turned nylon back packs into objects of desire. Still not that many cars are really mimicking the humour of the catwalk, so the sponsorship must be to associate with style and the female market, one of the motoring successes of recent times in terms of buying cars and influencing their purchase.
And reaching the drive-time audience in the Pale and car buyers outside, motivated Nissan's and Renault's respective broadcasting deals.
Of course the sponsorship might just be because the boss loves soccer or fancies a box at the opera. Arnold O'Byrne, former MD of Opel, admits his passion for soccer influenced Opel's 14-year £2 million sponsorship of the Irish soccer team. "I was probably Luton Town's only season ticket holder," he says. "But my customers were also soccer fans. At the time it was the only one available. I knew the game and the FAI shared their plans to take on Jack Charlton.
"The team's success engendered fantastic goodwill and I believe it was a good contributory factor to Opel reaching top spot in volume sales here for the first time ever in 1996 and for a few years after it was in second or third position," says O'Byrne.
However, a riot in the stand or a punch up on the pitch might not really deliver the kind of publicity a sponsor wants. The Roy Keane controversy led to speculation that 7UP, which he endorsed, suffered after the World Cup.
The Evil Knievel toy makers didn't anticipate the biker's battering of a publicist and his girlfriend or his praise in later years for Wild Turkey before a jump, while the axing of TV3's The Weakest Link gave Nissan few opportunities for payback. But even when the profile seems immaculate, the link between sponsorships and sales might not always be so clear. "D'you see Ronan's car" was a common refrain with neighbouring kids, but to what extent the Boyzone star's association with Peugeot as well as his regular endorsements influence sales of the already pretty stylish 406 coupe? And because Tiger owns a few Buicks, would that tempt you if they were on sale here?
"Initiatives that involve the dealers tend to work well," says Fiat's Joe Gantly, "but sometimes it's also just about giving something back to the community." In the past, Fiat has sponsored the National Pony Championships and the transfusion helped lift the quality of young show-jumpers. "Giving back to the community is probably what's behind many of the local initiatives as well as the likes of Toyota's relatively low-profile second-level sponsorship of the Special Olympics," says Trainor.
Still, while it's a long way from the sweaty locker rooms, when marketeers reel off the figures for sponsorship costs and rights, they know that buying a new car is a decision often made with the heart. And like sports stars, first place is where they want to be.
Art: Nissan
Broadcast: Renault - Late Late Show; Nissan - The Right Hook; Toyota - RTE's F1 coverage. FAI: Fiat
Fashion: Audi, Alfa Romeo, VW
GAA: Toyota GPA: SEAT
Golf: Nissan
Irish motor sports: Alfa Romeo
Rugby: Ford
Sailing: Alfa Romeo, Ford