Etihad Airways Wins With Formula 1
Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, took home top honors at the Arabian Sponsorship Awards for the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Etihad Airways signed a three-year deal in December 2007 to become the title sponsor of the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, starting with the inaugural event in 2009.
The Abu Dhabi-based airline won the award for the 'International Sponsorship' category at the awards ceremony in Abu Dhabi yesterday.
"Etihad's sponsorship of the inaugural Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix showcased both Etihad and Abu Dhabi to a global audience of more than 600 million people," said Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways' chief commercial officer.
"We are proud to have played a key part in supporting the biggest international event ever to be staged in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and to play an integral part in its promotion and success. Based as we are in Abu Dhabi, the title sponsorship of the inaugural F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was a perfect and logical fit for Etihad Airways," he added.
Etihad's sponsorship objectives, and applied strategy, centered on raising global awareness of the airline and its brand, securing additional passenger revenues, building better relationships with new and existing corporate clients and helping to showcase Abu Dhabi to the rest of the world.
Voters also viewed as being highly complementary to the airline's existing strategy and sponsorship portfolio, which includes the Scuderia Ferrari F1 racing team, according to a release by the Arabian Sponsorship Forum.
A combination of internal and external communication channels was used to activate the sponsorship, engaging six different audiences - Etihad's customers, its staff, the travel industry, the general public, media and rights holders - and resulting in an impressive return on investment.
The day after the race saw a record-breaking spike in visits to Etihad's website and in bookings. The airline's media coverage for October and November also more than doubled.
Here's a full list of the entries for each category:
Business to Business (presented by Emirates Palace)
Commercial Bank of Qatar: Qatar Masters
Etihad: Abu Dhabi Corporate Masters 2009
Mubadala : Scuderia Ferrari
Business to Community (presented by African & Eastern)
Etihad: Junior Rugby Festival
Leisure Corp: Dubai World Championship / Race to Dubai
Mubadala: Scuderia Ferrari
Business to Consumer (presented by Sports Pro Media)
Castrol: Goal
Du: Ramadan Majlis
Zain: Saudi League
Sponsorship Under $250K US (presented by Mac Davidson)
Audi: Abu Dhabi Rugby Club
Emirates NBD: Adrian Hayes Greenland Quest 2009
Etihad: Junior Rugby Festival
International (presented by Abu Dhabi Sports Council)
CommercialBank of Qatar: Qatar Masters
Emirates NBD: Adrian Hayes Greenland Quest 2009
Etihad: F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
photo credit: www.etihadairways.com
