The World Rowing governing body has moved to boost its commercial activity by hiring Havas Play, the marketing agency of French advertising giant Havas, to find sponsorship opportunities for its top properties globally.
The partnership will see Havas Play lead World Rowing’s global sponsorship sales mandate covering the combined assets of World Rowing, European Rowing, leading member federations, selected organising committees, and owners of top rowing regattas.
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World Rowing said the centralization of assets would create an “attractive one-stop solution for brands,” connecting them to rowing’s international, national, and local competitions.
The partnership will allow for collaboration with other sports marketing agencies where required for effectiveness.
Yann Baffalio, head of Havas Sport, part of Havas Play, has said: “Rowing is a sport with tradition, innovation, and growing global resonance. In addition, World Rowing, as the international governing body, stands for a remarkable set of values, comes with exceptional governance, and is known worldwide for being at the forefront of sustainability initiatives.
“It provides a unique platform for brands to engage with valuable demographics and tomorrow’s decision makers.”
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By GlobalDataHavas Play was launched globally in March 2023, consolidating Havas’ expertise in sports, music, gaming, and other areas of fan activation, two years after its introduction in the French market in 2021.
The agency now boasts more than 300 experts in over 21 countries that work together on branding and marketing in the sports and entertainment space.
In January, Havas acquired Barcelona-based sports marketing agency CA Sports to boost its footprint in Spain, with the company then being integrated with Havas Play.
World Rowing, meanwhile, is looking to increase the sport's visibility and commercial portfolio ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, where it will debut its Beach Sprint Finals format.
Earlier this week, it was announced World Rowing had secured a new rights partnership in the US with Overnght, the Olympic sports-focused streaming platform, with subscribers now able to access the governing body’s top competitions.
The US rights deal comes a month after World Rowing extended its long-running distribution partnership with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the alliance of the continent’s public service broadcasters.
That deal saw 13 EBU members retain rights to showcase World Rowing’s top competitions through 2032.
