Singha to continue successful sports marketing

After experiencing success from partnerships with international sport teams and events, Singha Corporation plans to press forward with its sports-oriented marketing to boost its brand awareness next year.

Voravud Bhirombhakdi, newly appointed vice managing director of Boonrawd Trading, said that after the success of its “World of Speed” campaign for motor-sports fans, the company would move into water sports next year.

He declined to elaborate on which sport he was looking at, but said it would be about “speed” and would be an international event held in Thailand. A press conference would spell out the details in mid-2015. 

Singha was among the first Thai companies to use sports marketing to enhance brand awareness. The beer manufacturer has been a global partner with several elite sports teams, including English Premier League teams Manchester United and Chelsea and, in motor sports, Infiniti Red Bull Racing and Italy’s AF Corse.

Initiated by Voravud, Singha Corporation in August launched the “World of Speed” campaign to grant motor-sports enthusiasts the chance of a lifetime to witness world-class racing events, including Formula One’s Singapore Grand Prix and MotoGP in Spain.

The brewery firm is now in cooperation with four major motor sports - F1, MotoGP, Ferrari Challenge, and the GT Championship in which AF Corse competes, said Voravud, who is fond of auto racing. 

“We have been going in the right direction. Sports marketing is part of our brand-building strategy. Even though it will not create much sales volume, we want to do it to support Thai athletes as well as to give Thai people the chance to get close to world-class sports,” he said. The strategy will also help make Singha a global brand, he said.

“It is relevant to our policy that we want to expand our brand and products to international markets and make the world recognise us.” He added that next year the company planned to boost sales volumes seriously abroad.

Singha started its marketing in motor sports by becoming the beer partner of the Red Bull Racing team before becoming a full team partner for the entire competition since 2010, Voravud said. 

The team’s good performance in Formula One resulted in Singha becoming a global partner with several other elite sports teams such as Manchester United and Chelsea.

“F1 is world-class sporting event, and is expensive. To be a partner of the team you need to have high credibility, not just a lot of money. Our brand in that [world class] level attracted other teams to us,” he said. 

By being a partner with the Ferrari Challenge, a one-make supercar race series, the Singha logo will appear on all cars competing in the tournament. He acknowledged that Singha’s sponsorship in this series might not boost the brand much, but it would be good in long term because Ferrari is a powerful brand – the one most associated with motor sports – and the race has a strong fan base. 

Singha is also global partner as well as official beer partner of the MotoGP motorcycle racing. He said this partnership could boost both sales volume and brand awareness because its logo would be seen in most stadiums hosting the events. 

In some stadiums, Singha beer is sold exclusively, he said. 

The partnerships with world-class teams or events would also enable the company to patronise Thai athletes wanting to compete on the international stage, he said. 

Singha Corporation, a subsidiary of Boonrawd, spends billions of baht a year to support Thai athletes.