The Melbourne Racing Club (MRC) and Carlton & United Breweries (CUB),
Australia’s leading brewer, announced the establishment of a new major partnership today.
The foundation of the partnership is CUB securing naming rights for its new, premium beer brand, Crown Golden Ale, which the
Caulfield Cup Carnival and its $3 million Group One flagship race will carry in 2014.
Along with 2014 Crown Golden Ale
Caulfield Cup Carnival designation rights, the partnership includes substantial on-course signage and branding presence, and also allows for on-course promotional activity, brand integration into content and entertainment opportunities.
The arrangement augments the existing relationship between the two parties, including pourage rights at MRC venues and other race sponsorship involvement at
Caulfield and the club’s other racing venues, Sportingbet Park (Sandown) and Mornington.
The 2014 Crown Golden Ale
Caulfield Cup hallmark heralds a return to the race’s inaugural naming rights partnership, also between CUB (then Foster’s) and MRC. In the 30 years since the
Caulfield Cup first carried a partner brand, just two companies have sponsored the race.
MRC Chief Executive Officer, Brodie Arnhold, expressed his excitement at the new venture with CUB, while lauding the existing relationship between club and sponsor.
“We believe the Crown Golden Ale brand provides the perfect fit to our
Caulfield Cup Carnival as major partner, and its tagline of ‘
Australia’s finest’ speaks to the premium nature of both entities,” Arnhold said.
“Moreover, our overarching goal for this Carnival has been to innovate our racing product and on-course offering to patrons, from entertainment to food and beverage, and for that to coincide with the newest innovation from Crown we feel is fitting.
“CUB and MRC have now been partners for generations. To be able to state once again that CUB is our major partner is very satisfying, and speaks volumes about the strength of our relationship.”
“We’re really pleased to announce the naming rights partnership with Melbourne Racing Club – we feel the MRC and Crown Golden Ale are a perfect fit,” CUB’s Marketing Director, Peter McLoughlin, said today.
“Joining forces again with this prestigious event means the newest addition to our stable will be front and centre at what will no doubt be a thrilling carnival,” he said.
CUB said securing a major sponsorship such as
Caulfield Cup was a vital part of the plan for Crown Golden Ale, one of the most important product launches for the brewer in recent years.
The brewer said the partnership would support the work it was doing around positioning beer as a contemporary drink, made for occasions like the races, where men and women enjoy relaxing and celebrating together.
Tickets for the 2014 Crown Golden Ale
Caulfield Cup Carnival are on sale from August 15) via http://caulfieldcupcarnival.com.au.