Official FIFA Partners Extend Their Global Football Commitment
Through Marketing Programmes on Official Site
LONDON, United Kingdom – 28 November, 2001 - Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq: YHOO), a leading global Internet communications, commerce and media company, and Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the world governing body of football, today announced that Budweiser and MasterCard International have joined as the first two global marketing partners of FIFAworldcup.com, the Official Web site of the 2002 FIFA World Cup™ (http://www.FIFAworldcup.com). Today’s announcement coincides with the launch of FIFAworldcup.com as fans all over the world anticipate the Final Draw from Busan, Korea, on the 1st of December.
As FIFAworldcup.com launch partners, Budweiser and MasterCard will reach millions of passionate football fans globally and regionally through relevant and customised marketing programmes, such as exclusive title sponsorship, customer usage promotions, and various multi-media advertising units to deliver their message. In addition, both sponsors will receive additional visibility across the global Yahoo!Ň network, which reaches more than 218 million unique visitors every month. Budweiser and MasterCard are both existing Official Partners of the FIFA World Cup™, and their official Web site involvement further underscores their collective commitment to FIFA and world football.
“We are extremely pleased that both Budweiser and MasterCard have joined us as marketing launch Partners of FIFAworldcup.com. Both are world-class companies and hall-of-fame marketers with keen focus on value and quality. That is why this integrated relationship with Yahoo! and the FIFA World Cup™ is a perfect match,” said Randy Bernstein, vice president, Yahoo!-FIFA World Cup™ relationship. “As marketing launch partners, both companies can take full advantage of integrating their marketing programmes into the official site for more than eight months, including the six months leading up to the 2002 FIFA World Cup™. For millions of passionate football fans worldwide, FIFAworldcup.com is the place they need to go for the most compelling FIFA World Cup™ information – regardless of country, time zone, or hemisphere.”
Budweiser
Budweiser, a leader in sports marketing, is the exclusive sponsor of “The Budweiser Challenge—The Official FIFA World Cup™ Pick and Win Game,” a free multi-language game, where people can predict the finish of all eight groups and the points each team will earn during the first round of competition. The global winner receives two tickets and a trip to the 2002 FIFA World Cup™ Final match in Yokohama, Japan. In addition, Budweiser will be the presenting sponsor of the FIFA World Cup™ “Goal of the Century,” offered in streaming video, and the “Budweiser Scoreboard.”
“Budweiser’s sponsorship of FIFAworldcup.com is another exciting way for the world’s best-selling beer to bring football fans and enthusiasts to one of the world’s greatest sports,” said Tony Ponturo, vice president of Global Media and Sports Marketing, Anheuser-Busch, Inc. “There are millions of football fans worldwide and we want them to know that Budweiser is the official beer of the FIFA World Cup™.”
MasterCard International
MasterCard plans to conduct promotional activities on the FIFAworldcup.com site designed to leverage its status as “Official Card of 2002 FIFA World Cup™” and encourage card usage online, as well as to direct football fans to MasterCard’s own FIFA World Cup™ site. MasterCard will announce the specifics of their customised programmes in 2002.
“As a truly global brand, our sponsorship of FIFAworldcup.com further establishes the link between MasterCard and the FIFA World Cup™ for the millions of MasterCard cardholders around the world who are passionate about this great game,” said John Stuart, senior vice president, Sponsorships & Event Marketing, MasterCard International. “For the great number of football fans unable to travel to Asia to witness the excitement of FIFA World Cup™ firsthand, MasterCard is committed to ‘bringing the game to the people and the people to the game’ through sponsorship of this compelling Web site.”
FIFAworldcup.com – One Global Stage
In September 2001, Yahoo! and FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association), the world governing body of football, entered into an exclusive, multi-year, global relationship. Through the agreement, FIFA and Yahoo! will jointly produce, market, commercially operate the official Web site of the FIFA World Cup™ (http://www.FIFAworldcup.com ). At the same time, Yahoo! has become one of 16 Official FIFA Partners worldwide. The deal includes the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan™ (May 31 – June 30) and the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ in Germany.
FIFAworldcup.com gives fans instant and uninterrupted access to extensive FIFA World Cup™ information in six languages—English, French, German, Spanish, Japanese and Korean. The official site has four main sections—Tournament, Pure Football, Entertainment, and Destination Asia—contain breaking news, real-time results, a photo gallery, and archived video highlights from the vaults of FIFA. Yahoo! will be supporting the FIFA-produced content with its full range of services, including Yahoo! Broadcast, Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Games, and, rolling out in 2002, the Official FIFA E-Shop will operate on the Yahoo! Shopping platform. Leading up to the 2002 FIFA World Cup™, FIFAworldcup.com will also integrate other Yahoo! services into the Web site, such as Yahoo! Auctions, Yahoo! Mobile and Yahoo! Messenger.
About Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is a leading global Internet communications, commerce and media company that offers a comprehensive branded network of services to more than 218 million individuals each month worldwide. As the first online navigational guide to the Web, www.yahoo.com is the leading guide in terms of traffic, advertising, household and business user reach. Yahoo! is the No. 1 Internet brand globally and reaches the largest audience worldwide. The company also provides online business and enterprise services designed to enhance the productivity and Web presence of Yahoo!’s clients. These services include Corporate Yahoo!, a popular customised enterprise portal solution; audio and video streaming; store hosting and management; and Web site tools and services. The company’s global Web network includes 24 World properties. Headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., Yahoo! has offices in Europe, Asia, Latin America, Australia, Canada and the United States.
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Media Contacts:
Phil Pendaries, Fleishman-Hillard, +44 (0)20 7395 7054, pendarip@fleishman.com
Georga Douglas, Yahoo! UK and Ireland PR Manager, Direct Line: +44 207808 4592, gdouglas@uk.yahoo-inc.com |
