CASTROL TO BECOME OFFICIAL SPONSOR OF FIFA WORLD CUP

Castrol has strengthened its position in soccer by signing a prestigious six-year deal as a FIFA World Cup Sponsor until 2014.

The agreement awards the global lubricants company with worldwide rights for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ in South Africa, the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ 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 – where Castrol announced the development of the Castrol Performance Index, a new tool which helps football fans to objectively analyze individual player and team performances.

“Our investment in soccer 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 Mike Johnson, Senior Vice President for Castrol Lubricants.

“With Castrol, we are delighted to welcome a committed soccer 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 soccer,” FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter said. “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 soccer 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 demonstrates 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 Arsène Wenger said:

“I chose to work with Castrol because its soccer 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 Cup™ sponsorship is the biggest in the company’s 100-year history and will help Castrol continue to modernize its brand to deliver even more powerful and relevant offers for consumers, which include a simplified product range and new technology benefits.

The connection with events such as the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ in South Africa and the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ in Brazil provide a route to a mass soccer audience that overlaps strongly with the brand’s 45 million consumer base. Soccer fans can look forward to Castrol and FIFA making further announcements about concepts related to their new partnership later this year.