Castrol to Become an Official Sponsor of FIFA World Cup

Castrol has strengthened its position in football by signing a prestigious six-year deal as a FIFA World Cup Sponsor until 2014.
The agreement awards the global lubricants company worldwide rights for the 2010 FIFA World CupT in South Africa, the 2014 FIFA World CupT in Brazil and the two FIFA Confederations Cups which fall within the 2007-2014 period.
The news comes following the company's successful sponsorship of the recent European championships - the UEFA EURO2008 - which saw Castrol develop the Castrol Performance Index, a new tool which helps football fans to objectively analyse individual player and team performances.
"Our investment in football has proved a tremendous success and allowed Castrol to develop new opportunities in a way that has added value to our business partners; excited and rewarded our fans; and motivated our staff," said Senior Vice President for Lubricants, Mike Johnson.

Commenting on the announcement, FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter, said "With Castrol, we are delighted to welcome a committed football supporter into our global sponsorship family. The FIFA World Cup, with more than 26 billion TV viewers, attracts massive involvement from fans and non-fans alike, who are drawn to the drama and excitement that comes with top national-team football. With its new Performance Index, Castrol has enhanced the fans' experience with exclusive data on the players' speed, efficiency and performance in matches. The index was developed with renowned football experts such as Arsène Wenger, Ottmar Hitzfeld and Emilio Butragueño and it underlines Castrol's passion for the game,"
"This partnership not only highlights FIFA's confidence in South Africa and Brazil as the host nations, but also shows that the global business community believes in the incredibly positive impact the events will have," Blatter added.

Through the creation of the Castrol Performance Index, Castrol was able to showcase the importance of the brand's core values of passion, technical progress and performance in a way that was both innovative and engaging.
Also commenting on the deal, Castrol ambassador Arsene Wenger said "I chose to work with Castrol because its football sponsorship went beyond simply ticket promotions and branding. The development and launch of a new performance index was something which really interested me, and I was impressed by the way they used their experience in improving vehicle performance to champion the objective measurement of players and teams."

The FIFA World CupT sponsorship is the biggest in the company's 100-year history and will help Castrol continue to modernise its brand to deliver even more powerful and relevant offers for its consumers, which include a simplified product range and new technology benefits.
The connection with events such as the 2010 FIFA World CupT in South Africa and the 2014 FIFA World CupT in Brazil provide a route to a mass football audience that overlaps strongly with the brand's 45 million consumer base. Football fans can look forward to Castrol and FIFA making further announcements about concepts related to their new partnership later this year.