Sport of
Branding
The
b y K e l l y Wa t e r h o u s e
C
anadians love their
sports and smart
companies know that.
Sponsorship is the
name of the game,
but for sports eyewear companies
who attach a brand to an athlete
or team, the payoff is more than
just clever marketing; it’s authentic
product development based on a
genuine connection with the athletes
and their sport.
For sports eyewear companies
like Bollé and Zeal, it begins with
understanding their niche sports
markets. Nobody can teach sports
eyewear developers and marketers
what their product needs to be better
than the athletes who wear them.
Bollé
has
invested
their
resources and technology into the
sport of cycling as official sponsors
of Australia’s Orica-GreenEDGE
30
OPTICAL PRISM | APRIL 2014
professional road race cycling team.
With two rosters, (men and women),
competing in the UCI World Tour,
the team consists of athletes from
nine countries, including Canada.
“A young, aggressive and very
capable team, Orica-GreenEDGEs is
a perfect match for Bollé’s determined
effort to be a leader in eyewear for
cycling,” said Rene Gerber, Eyewear
Marketing
Manager,
Bushnell
Outdoor Products, Canada.
“We believe that supporting
competitors is the best way to
demonstrate our commitment to the
sports for which we make products,”
said Gerber, adding, “The athletes
and teams we sponsor are the best
possible brand ambassadors. Our
roster of athletes provides us with
key feedback on how our products
perform in a remarkably wide range
of conditions.”