SEB's venture in the Volvo Ocean Race resulted in an increased appetite. The bank is now developing its commitment to the sailing sport through co-operation with Fredrik Lööf, one of the world's best sailors. Fredrik Lööf belongs to the elite of Swedish athletes, is a multiple World Champion and Olympic medallist and was nominated to Svenska Dagbladet's medal of honour after the Olympics in Sydney.
The cooperation between SEB and Fredrik Lööf stretches over a two-year period in the initial phase and includes, amongst other things, the World Championship in star boat in Los Angeles in August this year and the Olympics in Athens in 2004.
"Fredrik is one of Sweden's greatest athletes, at the same time he is a very exciting person and will be an excellent ambassador for us," says Jan Torstenson, Head of Group Marketing at SEB.
In practise, this means that Fredrik Lööf will be present at various kinds of customer activities, seminars and such.
"Fredrik is considered to be a role model in how he prepares and carries out his ventures," says Jan Torstenson. "He will be able to bring us a lot of experiences."
SEB established itself within sailing through the sponsorship of the "SEB" during the Volvo Ocean Race. The co-operation with Fredrik Lööf is a natural next step.
"We have had many good experiences during the Volvo Ocean Race. Sailing is an excellent sport to combine with exciting customer activities," says Jan Torstenson. "The connection between the bank and sailing has proven to work well in relationship building as well as in brand building purposes."
For Fredrik Lööf, who belongs to the Royal Swedish Yacht Club, KSSS, the co-operation means he can concentrate on the preparations for coming competitions.
"Primarily the focus is on the World Championships in star boat in Los Angeles in August and the European Championships in October, says Fredrik Lööf. But the big goal is the Olympics in Athens in two years time."
Apart from the possibility to invest a lot in the athletic part, the co-operation with SEB means that Fredrik Lööf also gets the possibility to gain new experiences.
"I will work quite a lot for the bank, both internally and externally, and it will hopefully contribute positively to my personal development," he says.
SEB's investment will be 300.000 SEK per year, mainly aimed at equipment and material for the Starboat.