NEC Group set to continue promoting Crufts
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The NEC Group has been awarded the sponsorship contract for Crufts for the second year running, after attracting a number of new and returning sponsors to the 2012 show including brands such as Lathams and Purina. Existing sponsors such as Eukanuba, Agria Pet Insurance, Samsung, R&L Pet Products, Royal Canin, Arden Grange and VetMedic returned for another very successful show. The team has been briefed to find brands from title sponsorship level down for 2013, who want to speak to the large Crufts audience.
Crufts, billed as ‘the greatest dog show on earth’, is an event for dog breeders, owners and members of the public who simply love dogs and in 2012 attracted just over 145,000 visitors – a 6% increase from 2011. The show features 28,000 dogs, with approximately 1,900 travelling from 38 countries. First held in 1891, Crufts predates the modern Olympics by five years.
This year’s show attracted a flurry of media interest, giving headline sponsors the maximum amount of exposure to a diverse audience. The competitive elements of Crufts were broadcast on More4, with viewing figures reaching just over 2.7 million. Over 800,000 people watched the YouTube channel live, which gained an additional 3,000 subscribers over the four days and over 16,000 comments during the live stream and over 66,000 fans also joined the conversation on facebook.
Crufts 2012 was popular with the media; over 800 journalists registered to attend. A total of 142 national and regional BBC and commercial station interviews took place before Crufts with a total of 118 broadcasts being aired on BBC and commercial radio stations covering the whole of the UK on a national and regional level. Around 340 pieces of print coverage appeared in regional, international and national outlets, as well as online ahead of the show, reaching a total of 258 million people.
Simon Wheeler, from Agria Pet Insurance, one of this year’s sponsors, commented: “Crufts 2012 was the best yet for Agria Pet Insurance. The show offers the opportunity to engage dog breeders, owners and members of the public alike and, as one of the major sponsors, generates great, high profile brand awareness for us.”
Annaliese Reekie, sales & marketing director P&G Pet Care said: “The principal sponsorship of Crufts 2012 was an important step in the relationship between the Kennel Club, and P&G Pet Care. Crufts is a fantastic platform for Eukanuba, a leading pet nutrition food, to drive greater awareness of our nutritional benefits and raise the Eukanuba brand profile amongst its core audience of dog lovers and breeders across the UK to drive sales within the pet specialty market.”
Andrew Evans, managing director at Vet-Medic Pharmacy, said: “Crufts 2012 was our best show yet, with great support from the Kennel Club, we continue to make affordable veterinary medicines available for all pet owners at the world’s greatest dog show.”
