NEWS

Ülker, the biggest supporter of Turkish sports with an annual investment of 38 million dollars, is accelerating its communications regarding the company’s sponsorship of the National Team and related activities in advance of Euro 2008. 10 million bottles of milk and 168 million packages of cookies with the logo “Football is on our minds, Turkey is in our hearts” on their packaging, have been distributed to consumers. Each week, 2,500 delivery and transport vehicles sporting the National Team colors have been visiting 214,000 sales points to delivery the products. The vehicles have travelled 61 million km in the last 6 months – that’s the same as the distance to Mars.  

Beloved brand name

At a press conference organized to announce Ülker's National Team-Euro 2008 sponsorship and communications strategy, Ülker Corporate Communications Director Zuhal Şeker stated, “In an Ülker Lovemarks study, we were in first place with 13%. In the same category, our young brand name Cola Turka, placed 11th with 4%.” She explained that after 33 years of experience in the field of sport, Ülker’s sponsorship of the National Team in June of 2007 puts Ülker in a very special position.  Euro 2008 communications includes an advertisement film which begins by showing how the fundamentals of football are learned on the street and then transitioning to the professional football field. Chewy Red and White is introducing the slogan ‘All the way with Red and White, We Support our National Team!” The sales target is 1 million units.

Gifts

Another of Ülker's projects for football fans will take place at sales points.  A campaign to promote the group’s main brand of milk products, Içim, will run for the length of Euro 2008. At authorized stores, anyone who makes a one-time purchase of 15 TL or more will win a prize. For three weekends in a row at Içim stands in 120 sales points across Turkey, participants will receive scratch and win cards that will give them a chance to win a National Team uniform, a National Team pinafore, a football, a satchel or a magnet.

Each match is worth 42 million Euros to Turkey

In his role as ambassador for Mastercard, Italian Pierluigi Collina took part in a press conference with the Mastercard Southeast Europe General Director Özlem Erçeler Imece. Imece revealed that a study conducted by Mastercard indicated that Euro 2008 will contribute 1.4 million Euros to the economies of Europe. According to the research, the value of each match played in the championship being held in Turkey is 42 million Euros and that the most profitable matches will generate 49 – 56 million Euros each.   
 
Commenting on the fact that there are no Turkish referees in the European Championship or the Champions League, Collina stated ‘The referees we have chosen for Euro 2008 are from 12 separate countries. Their selection was based on their performances during the past two seasons.  Ideally we would like to have referees from every country.  I hope that Turkish referees and other referees as well will participate with us in this large organization and have bright futures.”