Dacia hits the trails

Dacia is reorienting its sponsorship activities and will in future focus on the European events of the UTMB series. Ultra Trail Mont Blanc stands for extremely challenging races through nature, which in the specific case around Europe's highest mountain can be up to 170 kilometers long. The winner of the current event with start and finish in Chamonix, France, the American Jim Walmsley was at the finish line after just under 20 hours. In the women's race, German runner Katharina Hartmuth came in second.

The first UTMB race was held 20 years ago, and races for endurance athletes are now scheduled around the world. "We have previously taken a local approach to our sports sponsorship. Now we have taken a new approach and chosen a European partnership with UTMB. The races will be held throughout Europe, so we can present ourselves across Europe," says Dacia marketing and sales director Xavier Martinet, explaining the new strategy. In Europe, the UTMB series comprises 18 races. However, it lacks a German event. "We are asking UTMB to host a race there as well, because Germany is the biggest market in Europe."

The alignment is accompanied by the brand's move into the higher C segment. "This segment is the largest and also the most profitable in Europe, and this is where brand image plays a significant role," Martinet said, defining the move. "Dacia," says the sales chief, "is currently changing. We have new colors, new equipment and a completely new image, without changing our values. So we analyzed our marketing activities and found that they were very inconsistent." For example, the brand supported the Udinese Calcio soccer club in Italy, rugby in the United Kingdom and American soccer in Austria, among others.

"So we decided to stop these activities, to develop a new concept that better fits our outdoor image." In the search for a suitable event, UTMB caught the eye of Dacia officials. The races attract a massive number of spectators and participants. In Chamonix, around 10,000 runners competed in the various races on the last weekend of August, and the spectators bring an atmosphere like a stage of the Tour de France to the edge of the course. Enough of a crowd, then, to showcase the Dacia brand. The contract with the trail organization runs for two years, and "if everything goes well, we will extend the connection." (aum/ww)