Cycling, marketing and communication

Le  Marketing and Communication in the field of Sports generally allow a brand to promote and enhance its image with a targeted audience so that they feel the need to buy its products and services.
In the context of professional sports, manufacturers, as well as companies from other sectors not directly linked to sports, associate their name with a team, a sporting event, or even a stadium to occupy media space
and thus increase their visibility.

Furthermore, still with the aim of increasing sales, companies can sign advertising contracts with athletes who benefit from a wide and solid base.
These renowned athletes thus become true ambassadors for the brands.
In this field, cycling is a pioneer. Early on, the organization of
cycling races became a way for brands to disseminate their image and their
products to the general public.

The professionalization and popularization of this sport goes hand in hand with the establishment
of a marketing strategy, marketing strategy which becomes a central element of its DNA.
The Tour de France is undoubtedly the example that best illustrates this phenomenon.
Indeed, this competition was created in 1903 with the aim of substantially increasing
the sales of the newspaper

L’Auto and the associated advertising revenues.

Until 1930, only bicycle brands had the opportunity to participate in the Grande Boucle. However, the transition from brand teams to national teams forced the organizers to find new sources of funding.
It is then that the advertising caravan appears, allowing brands outside the cycling sector or tire companies to benefit from a new showcase and associate their image with an event that stirs passions.

At the beginning of the 1960s, extra-sport sponsors emerged.
They now appear on the jerseys of the riders, but they also give their name to the team in which they have invested. This strategy allows them to benefit from significant airtime even though television advertising remains prohibited.
Moreover, the partnerships created with the big names in cycling (Poulidor, Hinault, or Anquetil) allow brands not only to establish their notoriety with a wide audience but also to associate their name with the values linked to this sport such as self-transcendence, competitiveness, and solidarity.

Today, companies still have every interest in continuing their investments in cycling. Although the image of this sport may have been tarnished in recent years by doping stories, it remains one of the most
media-covered disciplines worldwide. The Tour de France (broadcast in 190 countries and aired
live on 60 channels) is the 3rd most broadcast sporting event worldwide. Furthermore, its audience is getting younger and renewing with the development of green mobility (the share of 15-24 year-olds increased by 23% in 2021), suggesting new markets to conquer for brands.