As the world's most high-profile tennis tournament gets underway today, a raft of global brands ranging from Polo Ralph Lauren and Champagne Lanson to Haagen-Dazs and IBM will get their chance for plenty of airtime over the next two weeks as Wimbledon 2018 sponsors
Robinsons and Slazenger will be among the Wimbledon 2018 sponsors (Credit: KruLive)
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As the oldest tennis tournament in the world and the scene of sporting greats like Roger Federer and Serena Williams, SW19 provides an ideal platform for the Wimbledon 2018 sponsors.
The Championships, Wimbledon, kicks off in London today (2 July) and runs until 15 July - also featuring stars like Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
The All England Lawn Tennis Club’s (AELTC) premier event is considered the most reputable and prestigious of the sport’s four Grand Slams for its rich heritage and traditions.
Not only does the grass tournament have a strict dress code for the players, it’s also one of the few tournaments that doesn’t allow advertisement hoardings around the courts.
But that doesn’t mean they go unnoticed.
Although it isn’t always openly displayed - some of the bigger brands it works with includes Evian, Ralph Lauren and HSBC - which have now become part of the Wimbledon experience.
Here’s a full list of the Wimbledon 2018 sponsors and advertisers.
Slazenger
Credit: Slazenger
The British sports manufacturer Slazenger has become synonymous with tennis by having its logo on the Wimbledon balls.
It has been the official supplier since 1902 and remains one of the longest unbroken sponsorships in history.
Founded in 1881, it is one of the oldest surviving sporting brands, selling equipment and clothing for tennis, cricket and hockey.
As one of the Wimbledon 2018 sponsors, Slazenger will provide just over 54,000 balls for each tournament.
The team works with sports scientists at Loughborough University to ensure all the balls are perfect for the tournament - every ball will be tested for weight, bounce and compression before it is approved.
Robinsons
Robinsons, the fruit drink brand owned by Britvic, is not known for quenching the thirst of millions of British families and Queen Elizabeth II as a holder of the royal warrant.
So it’s only right that it works alongside the quintessentially English Wimbledon tournament.
It began its 83-year relationship with The Championships in 1935, with the invention of the lemon barley water recipe, which was provided to all players.
Robinsons bottles can continue to be seen around the grass courts at Wimbledon and the company runs tennis-related competitions as part of its sponsorship.
Britvic GB marketing director Kevin McNair said: “The summer is a very important time – obviously Robinsons can be quite a seasonal product and therefore it really kick starts our summer programme.
“If we get those light medium buyers in at the start of the summer, then we know that they create a habit and they drink more.
“Wimbledon gives us the opportunity to get the feature and display we need with our retailers to get consumers to buy our product.”
In 2015, it extended its sponsorship deal for five years.
IBM
The International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) has been a supporter of the AELTC since 1990 and continues as the premier tech brand within the Wimbledon 2018 sponsors list.
The American multinational technology company doesn’t only work with one professional tennis tournament, but also works with the US Open, Australian Open and French Open.
It also sponsored the Olympic Games from 1960 -2000 and the NFL from 2003 -2012.
The company, which is currently valued at $112.5bn, records the speeds of players’ serves, real-time match statistics for broadcasters, and mobile and digital solutions.
Lanson
The official champagne of the tournament since 2001, Lanson was founded in 1760 and has been closely associated with the tournament since 2001.
It is sold in all nine bars and marquees in the grounds and, outside tennis, its wine can be found in more than 120 countries.
The French luxury champagne house will mark its 17th year as an exclusive partner of the tournament as one of the Wimbledon 2018 sponsors.
Champagne Lanson UK and international managing director Paul Beavis, said: “The Championships, Wimbledon, inevitably acts as a good barometer for what consumers like to drink.
“It’s all about understated elegance and tennis in a country garden, and we hope that our new organic Green Label, which also comes from our garden in the Marne Valley, will be a great addition to our other popular champagnes that will also be available throughout The Championships.”
Ralph Lauren
Polo Ralph Lauren is the first designer in the history of The Championships to partner with AELTC and dresses all Wimbledon on-court officials.
It is one of the most recent partnerships as the two prestigious brands only joined forces in 2006.
The clothing company provides the elegant uniforms for chair and line umpires featuring classic navy blazers and cream-coloured trousers.
Ball boys and girls also wear the polo designs, including navy polos and sporty shorts and skirts - helping to uphold the club’s traditions.
It also sells the same products in its stores, online and at the centre court shop in the Wimbledon grounds.
PIMM’S
Pimm’s and Wimbledon now go hand-in-hand after the alcoholic drink became an icon of British summertime and the staple drink at the tennis tournament.
The summer-long drink is known for its phrase “Pimm’s O’Clock” and has successfully achieved its unique image and character over the years by having long-term mutually beneficial supplier agreements.
It has a special bar and pop-ups stalls across the site during the tournament, while in recent years it has even served up its own cocktail called “The Pimmbledon”.
Haagen-Dazs
Helping the tens of thousands of spectators cool down is luxury ice cream brand Haagen-Dazs, which will be the official cream of The Championships for the third year in a row.
Last year, it launched a £2m Wimbledon summer campaign that included the creation of a limited edition ice cream variant.
It took over the London underground stations near the tennis courts, and also ran five kiosks and two scooping parlours within the grounds.
It will be interesting to see what it has in store for this year.
Jaguar Land Rover
During the tournament, tennis players and their entourages will need something to get around in - that’s were Jaguar Land Rover comes in.
The car manufacturer has previously supplied 170 luxury and high-performance vehicles throughout the tournament.
Some of the models it offered last year included the Jaguar XE and XF, as well as the XF Sportsbrake and XJ models.
Jaguar Land Rover UK marketing director Laura Schwab said: “Wimbledon is a British icon, which is recognised globally as the pinnacle of international sport. There’s no other event like it.
“The tournament captures our imagination in different ways. For some, it’s the feeling of summer, but for others it’s British sport at its best.
“We’re very excited to be working with the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club to establish our new partnership and celebrate what makes Wimbledon so special.”
Stella Artois
One of the UK’s favourite premium beer brands is also the official beer of UK tennis.
Since 2014, Stella Artois has supplied its distinct, crisp and slightly bitter-to-taste beer to tennis enthusiasts.
The beer company was founded in 1926 and originally brewed in Leuven, Belgium, but it is now a global brand.
Lavazza
Credit: @LavazzaUK
Italy’s premier coffee brand will serve its top-quality products to its 39,000 spectators in the tennis grounds as one of the Wimbledon 2018 sponsors.
The international coffee company renewed its supplier contract last year, securing its position as the official Wimbledon coffee until 2020.
It also partnered with tennis icon Andre Agassi as the brand’s global ambassador for the tournament.
Throughout the competition, it will provide more than 200 coffee machines at 60 service points, including 13 bars and restaurants, as well as areas reserved for players and match officials.
In 2017, more than one million cups of coffees were served to the crowds inside and outside the grounds.
Evian
Since 2008, Evian has been the water of choice for tennis players during matches.
The French multinational corporation recently added another five years to its contract to remain the official bottled water supplier until 2022.
It also works with the reigning Wimbledon champion and world number three, Garbine Muguruza, who is the company’s brand ambassador.
James Ralley, head of marketing and commercial at the AELTC, said: “We have always been very impressed with how Evian activates their relationship with The Championships and we look forward to further collaboration and success in the next stage of our partnership.”
HSBC
International bank HSBC is in charge of providing the on-site banking services for the players, public and retailers during the tournament.
HSBC also backs the HSBC Road to Wimbledon National 14 & Under Challenge competition.
It’s the UK’s largest national junior grass court tournament and those involved compete for the chance to play in the national finals, which are held at Roehampton in August.
HSBC is one of the largest banks in the world, serving more than 100 million customers globally and has 8,000 offices in 88 countries.
