FedEx serves up a five year sponsorship deal with French Tennis Federation
FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE:FDX) will become an official sponsor of the French Tennis Open, one of the four Grand Slam events of tennis. The five year agreement with the French Tennis Federation entitles FedEx Express, the world’s largest express transportation company, to a number of core sponsorship rights beginning with this year’s French Open tournament at the home of French tennis, Roland Garros:
— All Roland Garros products sold through the French Open
website will be shipped by FedEx Express as the exclusive
international carrier;
— FedEx Express will have the right to display its distinctive
brand at and around the main show courts at Roland Garros; — FedEx Express will be the official global carrier of the
Federation Francais de Tennis (FFT). “This strategic sponsorship enables us to leverage our extensive investments and long-standing commitments in France,” said Michael L. Ducker, executive vice president, International, FedEx Express. “Not only is Paris the home of French tennis at Roland Garros, it is also home to our European hub at Charles de Gaulle airport, thousands of FedEx Express employees and many important FedEx Express customers. The French Open also provides exposure of FedEx Express to an estimated three billion television viewers enabling us to raise awareness of our brand in a world-class venue.”
“This agreement is inline with our marketing strategy aimed at associating a limited number of top French and international organizations, leaders in their business, with the French Open and national yearly programs developed the Federation to promote the game of tennis,” said Christian Bimes, president of the FTT. “We are honored to have another truly global brand and Fortune 500 mainstay corporation as a sponsor. We are proud to display FedEx Express logo as we prepare for one of the worlds greatest tennis tournaments, the 2002 French Open.”
This year’s French Open begins May 27 and concludes with the championship on June 9.
The French Open relationship follows on the agreement reached earlier this year in which FedEx Express became a sponsor of the BMW Williams Formula 1 racing team. FedEx Express has developed other strategic sports marketing relationships including:
— FedEx St. Jude Golf Classic, a PGA tour event in Memphis,
Tenn. — The title sponsorship of Championship Auto Racing Teams
(CART), the FedEx Championship Series; — FedEx Field, the home of the National Football League
Washington Redskins, and; — A naming rights agreement for the future home of the National
Basketball Association Memphis Grizzlies. FedEx Express connects areas that generate 90% of the world’s gross domestic product in 24-48 hours with door-to-door, customs-cleared service and a money-back guarantee. The company’s unmatched air route authorities and infrastructure make it the world’s largest express transportation company, providing fast, reliable and time-definite transportation of more than 3.2 million items to 211 countries each working day. FedEx Express employs approximately 145,000 employees and has more than 45,800 drop-off locations, 640 aircraft and 44,500 vehicles in its integrated global network.
