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"I have known Sally for 10 years and have followed the growth of Redmandarin from a small start-up to one of the most respected names in the industry. Redmandarin has managed to do what most sponsorship agencies fail to do : build a reputation based purely on the strength of its strategic counsel. We're very pleased to be partnering Redmandarin in respect of London 2012."
Frank Craighill, Chairman, Helios Partners Inc
Deputy Chairman, Octagon Worldwide, 1998-2003
Managing Director, Advantage International, 1983-1998
Redmandarin and Helios
Redmandarin’s partnership with Olympic sponsorship specialists Helios Partners offers an unparalleled skill-set and expertise. We are in the strongest possible position to offer impartial strategic advice to any brand seriously considering a partnership with 2012.
Helios Partners, Inc. are truly Olympic heavyweights. Chairman Frank Craighill was Deputy Chairman of Octagon Worldwide until 2003, and part of the team that pioneered the modern approach to global Olympic sponsorship in the early 1980’s. During the 1996 Atlanta Games, Advantage International, a firm he co-founded, managed the sponsorship activation for ten official Olympic sponsors.
"I've known and worked with Sally for many years, and have immense respect for what she has achieved with Redmandarin. The company shares our beliefs in rigorous analysis and unbiased strategic advice. They’re our natural partners in Europe."
In the capacity of President and CEO of Meridian Management, Chris Welton was the exclusive manager of the International Olympic Committee’s worldwide sponsorship programme between 1996 and 2004, and previously Vice President of Market Development for the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games. Chris is CEO of Helios Partners.
"Between us, we have negotiated well over 50 Olympic contracts – from all sides of the table, so we have unique experience and insight into how to obtain value from Olympic sponsorship. The commercial dynamics of Olympic sponsorship are very different from nearly every other form of sponsorship: you can have a sharp understanding of media exposure, but be completely lost in terms of leveraging the Olympics."
Helios President Terrence Burns has a long history in Olympic marketing as sponsor, IOC agent, and Olympic consultant. As a sponsor, Burns was responsible for the planning and implementation of Delta Air Lines’ sponsorship of the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. Based on Delta’s success, Burns was recruited by the IOC in 1996 to assist in the creation of Meridian Management, where Burns served as Meridian’s Senior Vice President, managing the day-to-day marketing relationships with the IOC’s TOP Partners and spearheading the first-ever global assessment of the Olympic Brand in 1998. The work is still the basis for brand communication within the Olympic Movement.
"Olympic sponsorship can look very daunting from the outside, but it doesn’t have to be. We can help sponsors create effective and strategic partnerships with LOCOG that could have a major impact on business growth in the next six years. Anyone looking seriously at 2012 should speak to us."
Redmandarin and Helios will be making a series of presentations to companies in the four categories initially indicated by LOCOG – financial, telecommunications, utilities and automotive - to outline the potential value of Olympic sponsorship, critical success factors, and the need for a robust business case to be developed prior to any agreement.
