By Patrick Avenell
SYDNEY, NSW: HTC is currently celebrating the amazing success of sprint sensation and Manx Missile, Mark Cavendish. Cavendish rides for the Columbia-HTC team in the Tour de France, and with four stage wins already on the 2009 race, the mobile phone company is benefiting from substantial television and news coverage.
Unlike in most sports, sponsors in cycling regularly christen the team with their own corporate name, meaning that every time commentators on local broadcasters SBS refer to Cavendish, or his well known team mates, including Aussies Mark Renshaw and Michael Rogers, they use the HTC brand name to identify them. Add this exposure to the world wide news coverage of Cavendish’s remarkable finish line achievements, and HTC is receiving a significant boost for its advertising dollar.
Speaking about the local impact of this sponsorship is HTC sales and marketing director Anthony Petts.
“The sponsorship is a great fit for HTC. It aligns our core values with professional cycling, a sport recognised for its toughness and smarts,” said Petts. “
“It is growing in popularity here and reaches large audiences. Also, professional cycling provides opportunities for our customers to participate in race events. Few other sports allow you to be so close to the action. This is a plus for international companies like HTC that really aim to stay close with local customers.
“We’re looking forward to when the Team Columbia-HTC comes to Australia.”
Columbia-HTC’s highest placed rider in the 2009 Tour de France is currently German Tony Martin, who is eighth, 3’07” behind leader Alberto Contador.