For the first time in two years, Airship Ventures announced that its Zeppelin, Eureka, is available to a new visionary sponsorship partner as of April 2012. After two years successfully flying as the Farmers Airship, the company and its current branding partner Farmers Insurance have come to the conclusion of a successful contract.
“The most successful airship sponsors are those who think big and we certainly accomplished big things with Farmers,” asserted Airship Ventures Director of Sponsorship Joanne Fedeyko. “Our partnership proved that airship sponsorship can yield rewards beyond traditional marketing programs. We’re excited to build on that success with a new partner who understands an investment in airship branding isn’t just about having a cool billboard, rather using the airship as a platform for differentiating its brand and engaging its audience.”
Guided by the joint efforts of Airship Ventures’ sponsorship experts and Farmers marketing team, Eureka delivered these rewards during her tenure as the Farmers Airship. Though Eureka performed traditional roles like showcasing the Farmers brand for miles above professional golf, tennis and NCAA football, it was the airship’s activities outside of these events that attracted the most eyeballs. Eureka’s unique day-to-day job as a passenger and scientific research platform won Farmers hundreds of media hits, including high-profile placements like the front-page position on Yahoo! and a lengthy feature on NBC’s Today Show. Farmers was able to leverage this public persona to great success in company-driven marketing efforts. When the Farmers Airship appeared in the popular online game FarmVille, a real-life opportunity to experience a flight was the catalyst for Farmers setting the world record for most “likes” in a 24-hour period on its Facebook page. The pinnacle of partnership was a historic, six-month, cross-country tour that “barnstormed” over a dozen top Farmers’ markets from coast to coast in 2011. The partners’ aerial and on-the-ground efforts combined to showcase the Farmers brand above more than half of the nation’s states, fly nearly 2,500 passengers, raise funds for the March of Dimes and drive inquiries for products and services to Farmers agents.
"With the Farmers Airship, we’ve raised awareness of the Farmers brand, set records, and had a sky-high platform for charitable events in dozens of communities across the nation," said Farmers Insurance Vice President of Community Branding Chuck Browning. “Having the Farmers logo on the only U.S. Zeppelin made the Farmers brand literally, larger than life.”
Previous brands that have successfully leveraged Eureka run the gamut of technology, media and entertainment, including regional newspaper publisher Bay Area News Group, personal genetics leader 23andMe and Disney-Pixar’s animated film UP. The Zeppelin Eureka and her crew are based in the San Francisco Bay Area, regularly operate throughout California and can serve other locations upon site-survey and request.
Source: Business Wire
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