Volvic steps into music with V Festival and Virgin Radio tie-up

by Daniel Farey-Jones, Brand Republic 24-May-05, 11:00

LONDON - Volvic is associating itself with music by sponsoring the fourth stage at this year's V Festival on August 20-21, as well as Virgin Radio's coverage of the event, in its first radio sponsorship.

Media planning is by Starcom, which saw live music as an opportunity to mirror the "sparky" personality of the brand in an audience of young, active, bottled-water consuming festivalgoers.

The deals with Big Fish Events, which manages festival sponsorship, and Virgin Radio were negotiated by Carat Sponsorship.

"Live music is a great new territory for Volvic to step into," Volvic brand manager Corinne Chant said.

The radio deal means that live broadcasts will be branded by Volvic, giving it three on-air promotions to drive its association with the festival. News updates ahead of the festival will run as "Volvic's guide to V".

Louise Reeves, head of sponsorship at Virgin Radio, said: "This is the station's major event property and it is great to have such a relevant brand on board so early in the season. Volvic will benefit from both our credibility and creative coverage."

Volvic owner Danone will produce special V Festival-themed packs giving fans the chance to win one of 25 pairs of weekend VIP tickets for the already sold-out festival, which is headline sponsored by Virgin Mobile.

Robert Guterman, managing director of Big Fish Events, said: "Starcom and Carat have planned the ideal event sponsorship covering off a media partnership, an integrated on-site presence, plus a relevant and attractive on-pack promotion."

Oasis, Scissor Sisters and Franz Ferdinand will be performing at the two-day festival, rotating between two sites in Chelmsford and Staffordshire. Artists so far lined up for the Volvic Stage include Super Furry Animals, Roisin Murphy, Leaves and Stephen Fretwell.

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