: Thu Feb 26, 2009 7:08 am  

SaintsFan wrote:

Pilks didn't once sponsor Saints. It employed half the town at one time but opted to support union

SaintsFan

I don't know how far your history goes back with Saints, do you remember the trial of underground heating? this was going to be financed by Pilkington's but where a small time thinking Board frightened of losing power (and most of them had a Union background from Cowley and Moss Lane)

Are you fully aware how many times Pilkington in the days of Sir Harry may have wanted more involvement? - I was also born in the town and just live outside now, but I have supported the London Club since my teens because of small time thinking.

J

: Thu Feb 26, 2009 7:42 am  

I think this is a good thing. It ties the club into the community and a recognised sporting establishment. I believe it will help raise the profile of both organisations.

: Thu Feb 26, 2009 8:47 am  

Some people just arent happy (mentioning no names!)

: Thu Feb 26, 2009 9:08 am  

Don't quite see why Lister and Gutterfax are getting so hot and bothered over this. Up until this week we were the only SL team without a major shirt sponsor, which I think spoke volumes about the current situation, both economic and administrative, at the club.

As has been mentioned by other posters, this is much better than nothing. We've got good recent links with St Mary's College, particularly through their sporting prowess and crucially it is a local institution. The club always seem to be getting flak for not developing things in the Richmond area but here's evidence of that.

In the current climate sponsors are pulling out left, right, and centre - we were never going to get a blue-chip sponsor, and St Mary's demonstrates a commitment to academia and the local area which I think is worthy and good PR. This might not be a long-term tie-up but at least its a positive arrangement for both parties and doesn't leave us odd-one-out amongst the SL sides as the only one without a main sponsor.

: Thu Feb 26, 2009 9:21 am  

The tie up now brings in a new captive audience (students)
It could provide a supply line to the Academy sqauds (adding another tier)
It could sway borderline Union players to turn to league from a younger age.

: Thu Feb 26, 2009 9:27 am  

Ok.....my original posts are still available to view as I can't delete Listy's "quote" posts and to be honest, a lot of the sentiment in those posts is still true, but have had time to crunch some numbers and mull over the pro's and con's of this deal and from a professional point of view, I can see the benefit to the club as a community awareness excercise.

As a Sales and marketing professional, I understand that the club isn't the most attractive proposition and accept that any sponsor on the jersey is better than none. What upsets me and I know a lot of work was done to even get TNT on board for the Manly game, is the percieved lack of commercial activity at the club. We have been Quins RL for 3 years now and have failed to attract any unrelated paying sponsorship, sold little in the way of match day, match ball or corporate boxes and have stagnated with our crowd figures. All of this points to us operating on a strict budget, with the obvious aim of creating interest through the community team.
The problem is, I have yet to see the tangible results (and by this I mean the paying spectators) at the ground. Last year v Wigan we donated loads of tickets to the youth of the London RL community and I haven't seen many of them coming back with mum and dad.

If you read the press release, the quotes from the club are from our CEO stating the community work done is great, Brian saying the same thing and from the head of youth development....no comment from the commercial team.

Community is all well and good, but if the Union lot decide they don't want us there anymore, it's back to square 1.....again.

: Thu Feb 26, 2009 9:34 am  

Gutter

You seem to think that TNT are waiting with open arms and a blank cheque book!
What if they could only afford a one-off event?

There are 2 sides to this coin which some people just arent considering, its all well and good saying we play in fornt of '000s and have TV audiences of hunders of thousands, but if the Quins target market doesnt fir in with the company profile - they wont sponsor you!

I worked for Audi Marketing and knew that Rugby was a sport they didnt consider, because the demographic and 'culture' of Rugby didnt seem right.

They positioned themselves as engineering/technical brand leaders and a prestige brand.

Therfore they are active in Rally, Skiing (for the engineering/technical side) and alligned themselves with Polo, Man Utd and Real Madrid.

: Thu Feb 26, 2009 9:54 am  

ExiledFromHull wrote:

Gutter

You seem to think that TNT are waiting with open arms and a blank cheque book!
What if they could only afford a one-off event?

There are 2 sides to this coin which some people just arent considering, its all well and good saying we play in fornt of '000s and have TV audiences of hunders of thousands, but if the Quins target market doesnt fir in with the company profile - they wont sponsor you!

I worked for Audi Marketing and knew that Rugby was a sport they didnt consider, because the demographic and 'culture' of Rugby didnt seem right.

They positioned themselves as engineering/technical brand leaders and a prestige brand.

Therfore they are active in Rally, Skiing (for the engineering/technical side) and alligned themselves with Polo, Man Utd and Real Madrid.

I do not for one second believe it is easy...if it was all we would need is someone to answer the phone and TAKE orders. What the crux of the problem is, is that we have (I bloody well hope we have anyway) contacted hundreds, if not thousands of companies with not 1 success. We sold 1 box last year, a fact that Boss Hogg didn't seem to worried about when he told us...in fact he smiled when he said it . If we are going to sell 1 box a friggin year and do contra deals for shirt sponsorship, then I think we might be a bit top heavy in the commercial department where we employ 2 people.
TNT and Quins could have a mutually beneficial relationship if only the correct business plan was put together. We have 15 empty boxes per game...why not offer them as prizes, awarding raffle tickets when normal tickets are sold through TNT and by selling raffle tickets at the games? Prizes to the value of £10,000 in exchange for exposure in TNT to the value of £10,000......
In the current climate, the free mags and papers in london are having their nuts squeezed by advertisers. It isn't brain surgery, it's simply knowing how to deal with these people. As far as I am concerned, there is nobody currently on the payroll at Harlequins Rugby League with any experience of buying or selling advertising.

The varying degrees of experience as declared on the club site include a Bus Dev manager for an immigration company, selling exhibition space for BBC Haymarket, organising events at a waxworks and being a rock DJ

Sorry, but the cold hard facts are that times are hard and we are not in the least bit geared up to face the challenges ahead when it comes to the commercial side of the club.

: Thu Feb 26, 2009 10:02 am  

OK

Im willing to do it!

But here's a very very cold and hard fact.
A hospitality experience where only enough people come in to fill 1 stand isnt very sellable!

Fact!

: Thu Feb 26, 2009 10:07 am  

ExiledFromHull wrote:

OK

Im willing to do it!

But here's a very very cold and hard fact.
A hospitality experience where only enough people come in to fill 1 stand isnt very sellable!

Fact!

Agree.

Gutterfax has touched upon it but i'm not really sure so I'll ask you, the "expert". When it comes to the sponsorship of a main shirt, isn't it up to the club to sell it rather than be approached by businesses to "buy" it? This is what worries and disappoints me that no success has occured in this respect.