Santander and Team McLaren Mercedes Announce a Five-year Sponsorship Agreement
MADRID, Spain, Nov. 1 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Ron Dennis, Chairman and CEO
of the McLaren Group and Team Principal of the Team McLaren Mercedes Formula
One team, and Juan Manuel Cendoya, Executive Vice-President of Santander and
head of Communications, Corporate Marketing and Research, today signed a
sponsorship agreement for the bank to become an official team sponsor
(Corporate Partner category) starting January 1st, 2007.
The agreement is in line with the bank’s aim of enhancing the Santander
brand’s international positioning and recognition, placing it alongside the
largest banks in the world.
Formula One television broadcasting reaches an audience of over two
billion people in 200 countries. Over 700 million spectators watch the races
throughout the year in markets where the Group is present, with Brazil,
Italy, Germany, United Kingdom and Spain taking the lead. In Spain alone, the
last race in which Fernando Alonso took part, becoming world champion for a
second time in a row, attracted more than 8.6 million television viewers.
The contract, which was signed in the bank’s headquarters in Madrid,
will enable Santander to put its brands on the team’s 2007 cars, on the
drivers’ overalls (chest and sleeves) and those of the mechanics’ (on the
back) as well as on helmets and other items. The Santander logo will be
visible for the first time during the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team’s
presentation in Valencia, on the 14th, 15th and 16th of January 2007. The
agreement also allows the Group to use both the image of the car and of two-
times Formula One World Champion Fernando Alonso to promote its financial
services globally.
Juan Manuel Cendoya said: "In 2007, we will have a single brand which
will identify us in the 40 countries where the bank is present. A team like
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes is an excellent platform for our brand globally. It
is an international, innovative and modern team, as is our bank, which is a
world financial leader."
Ron Dennis said: "I am delighted to welcome Santander as a sponsor.
Having a brand like Santander, with excellent results and a great
international presence, joining our sponsor lineup is a positive. Both
companies are dynamic and have the ambition to continue growing and
innovating. We hope this agreement will bring new successes in the future."
Santander (SAN.MC, STD.N) Is the largest bank in the Euro Zone by market
capitalization and one of the largest worldwide. Founded in 1857, Santander
has euro 798,540 million in assets and euro 961,093 million in managed funds,
67 million customers, 10,583 offices and a presence in 40 countries. It is
the largest financial group in Spain and Latin America, and is a major player
elsewhere in Europe, including the United Kingdom through its Abbey
subsidiary and Portugal, where it is the third largest banking group.
Through Santander Consumer Finance, it also operates a leading consumer
finance franchise in Germany, Italy, Spain and nine other European countries.
In the first nine months of 2006, Santander recorded euro 4,947 million in
net attributable profit, 28% more than in the same period of the previous
year.
