Boosting brand awareness
main objective
Buckler team aiming
for world cup
Hard programme for
Buckler cycle racing team
Buckler sponsors cycling team:
You introduce a new product and you soon see that it is
being well received in Europe. Then it's a matter of making
that product as well-known as possible within the shortest
possible time. Advertising is one way of boosting brand awa
reness, but sponsoring is another alternative. For the Buckler
product the marketing department opted for the combination
of advertising and sponsoring.
The Buckler team has very clearly set its sights this year on
resounding successes in races which count towards the world
cup, or the FICP classification.
It was the beginning of February when the riders of the
Buckler team first mounted their bikes for the first race of
the season. In the meantime they have completed the first
three months of the season, and with reasonable success.
In the months ahead the following races are planned.
May
June
July
August
September
October
IT
HEINEKEN INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE NR. 24
PAGE 3
nal borders and so it fits in per
fectly with the international posi
tion of Buckler.
Cycle racing is mainly popular
in the countries where consumer
preference for non alcohol beer is
growing fast and where Buckler
will be able to build up a strong
position. The availability of Jan
Raas' team therefore came at the
right time for Buckler.
Raising Buckler's brand aware
ness in the various countries as
quickly as possible. That was the
basic aim of the sponsoring. It
could best be achieved via sport
sponsoring and then specifically
via the sport of cycle racing.
Alongside football and tennis,
cycle racing is the sport that enjoys
the widest interest in Europe.
Cycle racing does not stop at natio-
Team manager Jan Raas has pit
ched his ambitions high for this
season: "Objective number one for
us will be to capture the World Cup
for teams. Riders like Eric Vander-
aerden, Jelle Nijdam, Frans Maas-
sen, Edwig van Hooydonk, Gerrit
Solleveld and Rolf Gölz have pro
ved that they can win the Classics.
In the major stage races things will
be more difficult for us, though
I'm convinced that riders like
Edwig van Hooydonk and Patrick
Tolhoek will show further strong
improvement in the difficult spe
cialisation of climbing. The arrival
of Peter Winnen has also strengthe
ned us in this respect."
Frans Maassen came close to
winning a place on the rostrum of
honour for last year's world cup.
He came joint fourth in the final
rankings for the world cup for indi
viduals.
With last year's results under
their belts, the riders now racing
for Buckler can lay claim to second
place in the world cup for teams.
This season the riders will have to
show what they are worth.
It is mainly the big stage races
which bring in many points. The
winner of the Tour de France, for
instance, can add three hundred
points to his total. The winner of
the world championship also earns
many points (200). But it is not
only the major races like the Tours
of Spain and Italy in which points
can be won; riders who are suc
cessful in the one-day races and the
smaller stage races can also gather
together a great many points.
The Tour of Valencia was one of the
races in which world cup points
could be won. Tom Cordes (here in
the yellow leader's jersey, surroun
ded by teammateswon that Tour
and collected valuable points.
1-6
Dunkirk Four Day Event (France)
1
Henningerturm Frankfurt (Germany)
8-13
Tour de Romandia (Switzerland)
13
Omloop van de Drie Zuster Steden (Belgium)
18-20
Tour de l'Oise (France)
22-27
Vuelta Cyclista Aragon (Spain)
24
Grand Prix of Wallonia (Belgium)
26
Tour of Mid Zeeland (Netherlands)
28-4 June
Dauphiné Liberé (France)
29-3 June
Vuelta Ciclista a Asturias (Spain)
10
Deutsche Weinstrasse (Germany)
13-17
Tour of Luxembourg
13-18
Subida a Arnate (Spain)
24
National championships
26
Grand Prix Forbo Floorcoverings (Netherlands)
30 June-22
Tour de France
29
Wincanton Classic (United Kingdom)
31-5 August
Tour of Great Britain (United Kingdom)
4
Omloop van Mandel, Leie en Schelde (Belgium)
4-9
Vuelta Ciclista a Burgos (Spain)
7-12
Tour of Belgium
11
San Sebastian-San Sebastian (Spain)
13-18
Tour of the Netherlands
19
Meisterschaft von Zürich (Switzerland)
22
Overijse (Belgium)
22
Veenendaal-Veenendaal (Netherl ands)
2
World championships (Japan)
7-14
Vuelta Ciclista a Catalunya (Spain)
8
Giro di Lazio (Italy)
9
Grand Prix Eddy Merckx (Belgium)
14-18
Schwaben Brau Cup (Germany)
15
Trofeo Baracchi (Italy)
16
Grand Prix de Fourmies (France)
16
Grand Prix de la Libération (Netherlands)
19
Paris-Brussels
23
Grand Prix d'lsbergues (France)
23
Grand Prix des Nations (France)
29
GP Impanis Boortmeerbeek-St. Niklaas (Belgium)
30
Rundum Frankfurt (Germany)
30
Grand Prix Cycliste des Amériques
3-7
Nissan International Classic (Ireland)
14
Paris-Tours (France)
16
Milan-Turin (Italy)
18
Giro di Piemonte (Italy)
20
Giro di Lombardia (Italy)
27
Final for the World Cup (Monte Carlo)
