Transport for London appoint PHAR to evaluate Santander Cycles sponsorship

Following a competitive tender process PHAR Partnerships has been appointed by Transport for London (TfL) to carry out a sponsorship evaluation of the capital’s cycle hire scheme.

The scheme, sponsored by Santander since 2015, is one of the largest and most successful in the world, with over 10 million hires in 2019, and over 400,000 members.

PHAR will undertake a comprehensive analysis of the value generated for Santander from the scheme’s multiple touchpoints, including assessment of the brand attributes and the social value associated with the scheme.

“It is now 5 years since Santander and TfL partnered up to deliver arguably the most successful bike share scheme in the world,” commented Harriet McDonald, Commercial Partnerships & Experiential Marketing Lead at TfL. “Much has changed in that time, and the scheme has gone from strength to strength, and so it is important for TfL to have a thorough and credible analysis of the sponsorship’s true value, as we move towards the completion of the original 7-year sponsorship term. Having worked with PHAR on a number of projects before we are well aware of the quality of their analysis and the intelligence of their marketplace insights and are very much looking forward to working with them again on this important sponsorship.”

Alastair Macdonald, PHAR’s Managing Director added: “Having also been working with Transport for Greater Manchester and Transport for West Midlands on their bike share sponsorships we are very aware of how important these schemes are to ensuring modern cities function efficiently whilst at the same time helping to tackle both climate change and public health and wellbeing. Already recognised as world class, London’s scheme is only going to get more important in the new situation we are in, as evidenced by the massive uplift in rides during the lockdown period. We are absolutely delighted to be working with Transport for London again on this high-profile and valuable sponsorship.”

PHAR Connect Lebara and British Swimming

British Swimming are delighted to announce Lebara as their Official Telecommunications Partner.

Founded in 2001, Lebara is one of Europe’s fastest-growing mobile companies. As pioneers in the industry, they take pride in providing value-led, reliable and relevant connected services to global citizens and create connections that define conversations across nations.

Now more than ever, in the midst of the global pandemic, Lebara stays relevant and committed to helping its customers stay connected with friends and family in the UK & around the world.

Initially joining up on a one-year partnership, British Swimming and Lebara are aligned by a spirit of community and high performance, as well as the aim and drive to make an impact on the international stage.

Speaking on the new partnership, British Swimming CEO Jack Buckner said: "Lebara's passion to connect people across the world feels extremely significant in the world today, and we are delighted to join British Swimming with them through this partnership.

"Across the aquatic sport disciplines, our athletes look to provide memorable moments of achievement at the highest level, moments that can be shared in by their teammates, staff and supporters. That value of sharing moments and staying connected is also clearly central to everything Lebara do."

Rajesh Dongre, Commercial Director, Lebara Mobile UK said: “Right now, it’s more important than ever to stay connected with those we love without worrying about cost or interruption to service. At Lebara, we are committed to providing our customers with SIM only plans that are good value and pocket friendly on a strong, dependable network with the highest quality of service.

"We are excited to partner with British Swimming, sharing their passion for excellence and community spirit.”

The deal was brokered by PHAR on behalf of their client Lebara. Marcus Wight, CEO, PHAR, commented on the deal: “Lebara is on an exciting journey to reposition its brand. A partnership with British Swimming gives them a great platform and content to tell their story”.

As part of the partnership, six British Swimming athletes - including Olympians and Paralympians - also teamed up with Lebara to share how they are staying connected during the current lockdown. Check out the video below...

PHAR features in European Sponsorship Association's 'Member Spotlight'

The Eurpean Sponsorship Association featured PHAR in their monthly ‘Member Spotlight’ feature this month. The article is an interview with PHAR CEO Marcus Wight, where he talks about the business and the areas that PHAR specialise in, as well as talking about some of the projects we’ve been involved with.

Click here to read the interview with Marcus in full.

Mission Possible: PHAR Secures Sixt’s First Installation at a UK Airport

The 11 million passengers travelling through Terminal 1 at Manchester Airport have a breathtaking new installation to grab their attention as they pass through the international departures lounge, in a deal put together by PHAR on behalf of Manchester Airport.

A life-sized aluminium replica Mercedes Benz, surrounded by 3-D puppets, has been suspended from the central rotunda skylight, an installation that took 5 nights to complete.

The activity is completed by a takeover of the Wavy Wall running the length of the departure lounge, covered in Sixt’s orange branding and bearing the tagline “It’s a deal. It’s a steal.”

This unmissable installation has already garnered substantial media coverage for Sixt, as well as a steady flow of social media posts as passengers stop to admire and smile at the Mercedes-Benz hanging over their heads.

Per Vögerl, Managing Director of SIXT UK, commented: “At SIXT we stand for creative and exceptional airport advertising. We try to stick in people’s minds by advertising at extraordinary locations at airports.”

Alastair Macdonald, Managing Director of PHAR, added: “Sixt is well known for its audacious and highly creative installations at airports across Europe. We spent a lot of time with the team at Sixt exploring potential opportunities to do something outstanding at the airport and are proud and delighted they have chosen Manchester as the location for their first installation at a UK airport.”

See how it was installed:

PHAR INSIGHT CONDUCTS MARKET RESEARCH FOR THE SCIENCE MUSEUM

PHAR Insight worked with The Science Museum to carry out brand research to support the Corporate Relationships team in building high-value partnerships with the commercial sector and realise the full potential from its stature as one of the world’s most important and respected institutions.

PHAR designed a comprehensive programme of research and analysis, analysing the value of the Science Museum’s assets and also conducting original research into the values associated with the Science Museum – and attitudes towards the benefits created for individuals and for the UK economy from advancing the STEM subjects for which the Science Museum provides both inspiration and a world-class learning resource. 

The unique insights from this research and analysis are now used by the Corporate relationships team to provide a compelling evidence base that help to demonstrate the value of partnership with the Science Museum for potential partners.  

“The Science Museum has worked with many leading sponsors and partners over the years, leading the way in the museum sector,” commented Penny Canepa-Anson, Associate Director of Development at The Science Museum.  “The in-depth programme of research and analysis designed by PHAR Insight has provided us with strong evidence for our partners on where our points of strength and differentiation lie and enabled us to strengthen our case for partnership. It is widely used by the team and has strengthened our understanding of the value of our brand and our assets internally as well as externally.”