byLarry EderRunBlogRun opines: If you want to be a player in performance running, you take over a marathon or a series of road races, or so it seems. With the announcement just minutes ago of New Balance taking over from adidas as footwear and apparel sponsor of London, it is two major victories for the Boston, MA based brand. New Balance now has New York and London Marathons, members of Abbott World Marathon Majors, in two media capitals, in its family of properties. Both stories have been under reported, mostly because the negotiations were kept very private.
In the end, NB continues to grow, in a footwear market that has more losers than winners in the past two years. Both New York and London are considered two of the finest running markets in the world, as well as two of the largest global marathons.
What does this mean for New Balance? Having major events in major media capitals gives NB a much bigger consumer view. It is also perfect running product testing labs in both markets as well. More to come on this announcement.
NEW BALANCE BECOMES OFFICIAL SPONSOR OF THE VIRGIN MONEY LONDON MARATHON
Global athletic leader New Balance will become the official shoe and kit sponsor of the Virgin Money London Marathon in a new long term agreement announced today (1 May).
The sponsorship will also include other events organised by London Marathon Events Ltd, including the 2018 Vitality Westminster Mile, the Vitality London 10,000, the Standard Chartered Great City Race and The Big Half, the new half marathon in London.
“New Balance is the ideal sponsor for London Marathon Events and we look forward to working with them over the coming years,” said Hugh Brasher, Event Director. “Our company values are perfectly aligned and both organisations work to give back to the communities in which we operate. As part of the agreement, New Balance will make an annual contribution direct to The London Marathon Charitable Trust, which works to inspire activity and fund recreational projects in the areas where we organise events.
The relationship between New Balance and the London Marathon dates back to the early 80’s when New Balance was the shoe and kit sponsor in the formative years of the event.
“We are eager and excited to begin our long term sponsorship with London Marathon Events and the charities they support,” said Tom Carleo, Vice President of Running at New Balance. “The values, history and vision of the two brands have amazing synergies. Together we will bring energy, creativity and passion to the world class events that the London Marathon team has created.”
New Balance, who is also the official shoe and kit sponsor of New York Road Runners and the TCS New York City Marathon, continues to add strategic sponsorships in support of major marathons in leading cities worldwide.
The online entry system to enter the public ballot for the 2018 Virgin Money London Marathon opened today and will close at 17:00 on Friday 5 May. More than 250,000 people from the UK applied to enter the 2017 event.
ENDS
Some notes on London Marathon
• The 2018 Virgin Money London Marathon takes place on Sunday 22 April 2018. For more information, please visit www.
• The London Marathon was first held on 29 March 1981 and the millionth finisher in the history of the event crossed the line in 2016
• In 2016 the Virgin Money London Marathon raised £59.4 million for charity, setting a new Guinness World Record for an annual one day charity fundraising event for a tenth successive year
• Since 1981, the London Marathon Charitable Trust has awarded grants totalling in excess of £65.5 million to more than 1,170 projects in London, Surrey and other areas where London Marathon Events Ltd has organised events
About New Balance:
New Balance, headquartered in Boston, MA has the following mission: Demonstrating responsible leadership, we build global brands that athletes are proud to wear, associates are proud to create and communities are proud to host. New Balance is the only major company to make or assemble more than 4 million pairs of athletic footwear per year in the USA, which represents a limited portion of our US sales. Where the domestic value is at least 70%, we label our shoes Made in the USA. New Balance owns five factories in New England and one in Flimby, U.K. New Balance employs more than 5,000 associates around the globe, and in 2016 reported worldwide sales of $3.80 billion. To learn more about New Balance, please visit www.newbalance.com and for the latest press information please visit http://newbalance.
