Halter sponsors world champions
Having entered the World Championship as first-time participants, the Swiss champions from Baden Regio claimed the world title with a 5-3 victory over Canada in the final. The team was sponsored by Halter Bonbons.
In the World Championship week in Sapporo, Japan, the Swiss champions from Baden Regio Halter, Nicole Schwägli, Marisa Winkelhausen, Nadine Lehmann and skip Alina Pätz, faced the renowned and highly favored Canadians from Winnipeg led by skip Jennifer Jones three times. They defeated the current Olympic and world champions from 2008 each time. Never before has a Swiss women's team managed to beat Canada three times in a World Championship tournament. The team was sponsored by Halter Bonbons.
Melanie Kuhn, Marketing Manager at Halter Bonbons, answered a few questions about this:
WW: How long has Halter been a sponsor of Curling Club Baden Regio?
Melanie Kuhn: Halter has been the main sponsor of Baden Regio since 2013.
Was it already clear before the sponsorship that the team would have a good chance at the World Cup?
We always believed in the team's abilities. But nobody expected you to become world champions straight away. All the greater is the joy of this great achievement.
How did the partnership with the Baden Regio Curling Club come about? Who had the lucky hand?
Felix Obrist, Delegate of the Board of Directors of Halter, knew the then coach of Team Baden Regio. During a meeting, the team's sponsorship became a topic of discussion.
Who made the final decision on sponsorship?
The final decision was made jointly by Felix Obrist, CEO of Hunziker and Delegate of the Board of Directors of Halter Bonbons, Hugo Beck, Managing Director of Halter Bonbons and Melanie Kuhn, Marketing Manager of Halter Bonbons.
Were there any particular reasons why Halter Bonbons decided to sponsor the Baden Regio Curling Club?
CEO Felix Obrist hoped that the sponsorship would increase the company's national presence. However, the curling ladies' world championship title has now added an unexpected and positive international presence, which opens up opportunities for the export business. In Canada, for example, curling is hugely popular and attracts a great deal of attention.
Is sports sponsorship a Halter strategy?
First and foremost, we decided that we wanted to sponsor athletes in the future in order to increase our presence at national and international sporting events. After this basic decision, we quickly agreed that we would like to sponsor the Baden Regio Curling Team. This is because we have a local connection with Baden and we would also like to get involved in a somewhat unusual sport.
Will Halter increasingly sponsor sports clubs or is this a one-off?
Halter is already involved with various athletes. Among others, Halter will be sponsoring Martin Jäger, biathlete, Christian Bieri, freeskier, and Roman Röösli, rower. We naturally hope that we can continue to celebrate such successes.
Will the collaboration with the team change after the World Championship title?
The sponsorship of the CC Baden Regio Halter team has so far exceeded our expectations. The Gold Ladies' next goal is now the Olympics. Halter will continue to sponsor and support Baden Regio.
Will the Gold Ladies be featured in Halter advertising in the future?
The success has overwhelmed us. We are definitely considering it. At best, the team will become part of an advertising campaign.
Interview: uma
Photos: Richard Gray / WCF
