RE: TVR announces sponsorship of Ebbw Vale rugby
Thursday 21st July 2016
Automotive sponsorship of sports teams can be tricky. See Fiat's current deal with Juventus; having these two legends of Turin together makes sense, only it's an FCA arrangement. So the Juventus shirts have Jeep on them. Last year Manchester United players were asked to ditch their own cars and drive Chevrolets into training to keep the sponsors happy. Which they must have been overjoyed about.
Can we get 'PistonHeads 98' on the back?So yes, it can be tricky. TVR's sponsorship of Ebbw Vale RFC - or the Steelmen, as they're more colloquially known - should present fewer problems. It will be the main sponsor for the 2016/17 Principality Premiership season, with Ebbw Vale entering this year's campaign as defending champions. As you can see here, the logo will be carried on the front of the shorts and shirts.
TVR announces sponsorship of Ebbw Vale rugby
Well if TVR was going to sponsor any sport it was going to be rugby, wasn't it?
Can we get 'PistonHeads 98' on the back?
Jonathan Jones, Director and Chairman of the Steelmen, said the club is "delighted that TVR has become a partner", adding that the new factory "will help re-energise the area economically... we look forward to working closely with the company". He's even suggested it's the most prestigious deal in this history of the league. So take that Bridgend Ravens, Carmarthen Quins and Bedwas Rugby Football Club...
TVR's John Chasey said of the deal: "TVR is looking forward to establishing the factory in Ebbw Vale and becoming an integral part of both the local economy and community." The fact that the new car is built on a steel frame and the company now sponsors the Steelmen hasn't been lost on them either - apparently it's an "appropriate connection."
So that's the latest from TVR. Nothing additional on the car, you will notice. Fingers crossed we can bring you an update on that in the not too distant future!
[Source: Mirror]
Discussion
What's the point of vanity projects like this? Surely the money is better spent on R&D, testing, getting a running prototype up and running, etc. TVR probably have a large enough fan base of prospective customers anyway rather than trying to reach out to some people who like rugby but have never heard of the brand.
For the whingers among you, it's a simple case of ingratiating themselves and generating positive sentiment among the local community.
This deal will have cost pennies in the grand scheme of things, so I wouldn't froth too much at the "waste" of deposit money. Ebbw Vale play in front of 5-6k people at most, and it's simply a nice gesture to give something to the community from whom they expect so much.
This deal will have cost pennies in the grand scheme of things, so I wouldn't froth too much at the "waste" of deposit money. Ebbw Vale play in front of 5-6k people at most, and it's simply a nice gesture to give something to the community from whom they expect so much.
Shnozz said:
Is it just me that finds this plain odd? Sponsoring before you produce any product?
That's the element of the current TVR era that you find 'odd'? It's just one of them, for me. I'm not surprised in the slightest, and hope that the cynical side of me gets an arse-kicking sometime soon when they actually launch a car 
Mr-B said:
What's the point of vanity projects like this? Surely the money is better spent on R&D, testing, getting a running prototype up and running, etc. TVR probably have a large enough fan base of prospective customers anyway rather than trying to reach out to some people who like rugby but have never heard of the brand.
Indeed."Oh, so what's this then TVR all about then boyo?"
"Well, I believe it's car brand Rhys"
"Oh, jolly good, so what cars do they make then boyo"
"They don't yet Rhys"
"Oh, so can I buy one of these cars then boyo?"
"No, you can't Rhys. You can blindly place a deposit for a car you haven't seen but have seen three letters on a rugby shirt"
"I think I am alright boyo"
"Do you know the difference between a two tone 525 and an AC Cobra Rhys?"
"Aye boyo"
BogBeast said:
Shnozz said:
Is it just me that finds this plain odd? Sponsoring before you produce any product?
No. Not just you......This may well enable them to wine and dine and court potential new investors to bring in more money, or for other important relationships for the business; for all we know it may have been part of the agreement for setting up shop in Ebbw Vale.
C70R said:
For the whingers among you, it's a simple case of ingratiating themselves and generating positive sentiment among the local community.
This deal will have cost pennies in the grand scheme of things, so I wouldn't froth too much at the "waste" of deposit money. Ebbw Vale play in front of 5-6k people at most, and it's simply a nice gesture to give something to the community from whom they expect so much.
Not whinging. It's this chap's money, and the same as when old Smellyenski was at the helm, he can do what he wishes with it.This deal will have cost pennies in the grand scheme of things, so I wouldn't froth too much at the "waste" of deposit money. Ebbw Vale play in front of 5-6k people at most, and it's simply a nice gesture to give something to the community from whom they expect so much.
Just seems very much cart before the horse to me. As a long time supporter of TVR I'd love to see them phoenix from the flames.
I hear what you say as to it being a token sum but, by the same token, I have never heard of any manufacturer setting up shop in (lets be honest here) an area of high unemployment for it to be termed "a community from whom they expect so much". If anyone is likely to be frothing I would have thought it would be the 7.5% unemployed in the area.
h about the new TVR for at least a month. Their publicity machine must have felt it was going a bit quiet and found a few quid down the back of a sofa...Shnozz said:
C70R said:
For the whingers among you, it's a simple case of ingratiating themselves and generating positive sentiment among the local community.
This deal will have cost pennies in the grand scheme of things, so I wouldn't froth too much at the "waste" of deposit money. Ebbw Vale play in front of 5-6k people at most, and it's simply a nice gesture to give something to the community from whom they expect so much.
Not whinging. It's this chap's money, and the same as when old Smellyenski was at the helm, he can do what he wishes with it.This deal will have cost pennies in the grand scheme of things, so I wouldn't froth too much at the "waste" of deposit money. Ebbw Vale play in front of 5-6k people at most, and it's simply a nice gesture to give something to the community from whom they expect so much.
Just seems very much cart before the horse to me. As a long time supporter of TVR I'd love to see them phoenix from the flames.
I hear what you say as to it being a token sum but, by the same token, I have never heard of any manufacturer setting up shop in (lets be honest here) an area of high unemployment for it to be termed "a community from whom they expect so much". If anyone is likely to be frothing I would have thought it would be the 7.5% unemployed in the area.
The valleys have seen many a 'saviour' come and go in the years since the demise of mining (and the Ebbw Vale steelworks). Locals are cynical about big business that appear, build (or recommission) a factory and then bugger off with no warning once the government subsidies dry up (or they find somewhere cheaper).
The WDA (and others) were savvy enough to generate short-term interest from some big names such as Sony, Aiwa and LG in years gone by, all of whom came and went with little of note contributed to the people of the community, apart from a short period of employment before being tossed back on the dole pile with a bunch of useless skills. There's a lot of negative sentiment towards the businesses who seemed to care little about the people they employed and the (tight-knit) communities they served, understandably so.
Trust breeds faith and motivated workers, and TVR (or anyone trying to develop business in deprived areas) recognise that ingratiating themselves with the local community (even at this minimal expenditure) will go some way to achieving this before they have anything tangible to share.
At a time when EU funding removal may have short-term consequences for infrastructure in the Welsh valleys, surely any good news is worth making a fuss of, right?
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff