Image: Cleo Barnham

Alex Thomson Racing announce the results of an incredibly successful four year campaign as they look to the future, with the team’s sights set firmly on winning the Vendée Globe in 2020.

The team have delivered over €200 million in sponsorship return since 2014 and have set a new benchmark for delivering value within the sport of sailing. Setting a benchmark of 12 times return on investment, Alex Thomson Racing have over the past 14 years, built a platform which delivers exceptional value in excess of sponsor expectations. This positions Alex Thomson Racing as the leading team in delivering value in sailing.

Following Thomson’s success on the race track in the 2016/2017 Vendée Globe, where he finished in a close second place and broke his own record as the fastest Briton to sail solo, non-stop around the world on a monohull, the team have declared their firm intention to become the first British team to win the race in 2020.

Thomson and the team compete in the IMOCA Ocean Masters Championship, which as an international race circuit, provides the perfect runway for the team to compete on in the lead up to the Vendée Globe.  Over the last four years, circa 60% of the team’s sponsorship and media value was generated through offshore races within the Ocean Masters circuit.  The Vendée Globe provided the team and its partners with the remaining 40% of the value.

“Through Alex Thomson Racing, we are able to reach new customers and emotionally engage with our current customers in a unique way. Working with Alex Thomson Racing, BOSS has become one of the strongest and most credible brands within the sport of sailing. We are looking forward to a continued partnership with the team.” Mark Langer, CEO HUGO BOSS AG

CEO, Alex Thomson Racing, Stewart Hosford said, “We are in the process of securing funding to ensure that we put together a winning campaign for the next Ocean Masters cycle and for the Vendée Globe in 2020. As a team we have two aims; to win the Vendée Globe in 2020 and to deliver value and return to our sponsors and partners.

At the beginning of our last four year cycle we focused on ensuring that we delivered on, and off, the water and it’s clear that we have achieved both objectives. With the most recognisable boat on the circuit, we have managed to deliver the emotion and core values in off-shore sailing to our partners.
Our values as an offshore sailing team are closely linked with those of our sponsors and many global brands; technological development, ambition, competition, team work, risk management and sustainability.”

The digital reach and engagement the team has delivered includes over 38 million online video views of incredible offshore footage from the Southern Ocean along with stand-out viral campaigns such as the Mastwalk and Skywalk. The team’s fan base and engagement rates on online channels outperform industry standards with 75% of Facebook fans engaging with team posts and fast growing organic social media followings.

Alex Thomson, Skipper of the team said “The sport of solo offshore sailing is completely unique. This is not just a story about technical sailing, which most people don’t understand; it is about human endeavour, adventure and man or woman vs the elements. This is why solo offshore sailing has such a mass following and universal appeal. We have developed close relationships with our partners, who are delighted with the values we give back to them. Our team strategy is win and return. Win on the water and return to our sponsors. By helping our sponsors achieve their objectives, they help us to achieve our objectives. For me, 2020 is a very exciting prospect; we have 14 years of experience, an excellent team, and a great opportunity to continue to win both on and off the water. For us, the future for is focused on winning the Vendée Globe, and bringing home the gold in 2020!”

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