Volvo's sponsorship of the Volvo Ocean Race:

Who: Volvo Cars and AB Volvo
What: Ownership of the Volvo Ocean Race (formerly the Whitbread Around The World Race)
When: The property was purchased by AB Volvo in 1997. Since 1999, when Ford purchased Volvo Cars, the race has been jointly owned by Volvo Cars and AB Volvo
Why: “We want to infuse our brand with emotions, and the Volvo Ocean Race is all about human drama and emotions,” says Karin Bäcklund, director of global sponsorship and brand partnership at Volvo Car Corporation. “It represents many of the attributes we want to emphasise – it’s about adventure, excitement and performance and these are elements we want to focus on, on top of our heritage in the areas of safety, quality and environment.” The event’s global coverage and huge media exposure helps to create stronger brand awareness, in emerging markets for example, thanks to the race's huge media exposure: “In the 05/06 race, we reached 1.8 billion TV viewers and had 2.8 million visitors to our race villages in eight ports. It’s also a way to motivate and stimulate our employees, creating pride internally and providing good examples of leadership and teamwork.”