Research : Brits love Wimbledon but what brands do they most associate with it?

A new study investigating how engaged Brits are with Wimbledon, and what brands they most associate with the tournament, found that 59% of men and 49% of women in the UK have been watching Wimbledon in some capacity. This equates to over 18 million men (18,290,000) and over 15 million women (15,778,000)*¹. In terms of age group, Wimbledon appeals to all generations almost equally with 52% of 16-24 years old, 55% of 25-39 year olds, 50% of 40-54 year olds and 56% of 55-75 year olds watching the tennis to some degree*².

The research was conducted by Northstar Research Partners, a Nichola Kent-Lemonworking with worldwide clients such as eBay and Jaguar Land Rover.

Of those who have followed Wimbledon, 89% have watched at least some of the live 2013 matches on TV or online, 40% have been watching the 2013 official highlights programme ‘Today at Wimbledon’, 23% have followed it in the news or through social media sites such as Twitter and finally, 5% have been to the All England Club in Wimbledon to watch the 2013 tournament. 65% of those watching Wimbledon have been able to watch fairly regularly or every day.  Unprompted, Robinsons is the brand most associated with Wimbledon with 37% recognition. Rolex and Slazenger are joint second at 15%. When prompted, Robinsons remains the most recognised brand and jumps to 77.5%, recognition of Slazenger is second at 66% and Evian is third at 52%.

Of those who recognise these brands as official suppliers, Slazenger tops the polls for:

• brand that people feel most fits with the culture of Wimbledon (98%),
• brand that has higher appeal because of the association (82%)

However, Slazenger loses out to Robinsons and Evian for brands that people think are appropriate suppliers for Wimbledon – Robinsons and Evian both at 99% agreement and Slazenger at 98% – and to Robinsons for brand that has a long-term association with Wimbledon (Robinsons at 97%, with Slazenger at 95%).

Of those who recognise these brands as official suppliers, over 80% are aware of the long term associations that Slazenger (since 1902), Robinsons (since 1934) and Rolex (since 1978) have had with Wimbledon. And it is Robinsons and Slazenger that are most often seen to gain appeal from their associations with Wimbledon, with 82% agreeing that Slazenger gains appeal from the association, and 77% for Robinsons.

Nichola Kent-Lemon, research manager at Northstar who conducted the research, explains: “We know from the length of the queues that Wimbledon’s popular, but these stats show us just how popular it is!

“What’s particularly interesting is how familiar people are with the brands involved with the tournament but especially the perceived long-term relationship: strong product placement, PR and advertising on behalf of Evian are likely to have contributed to its position alongside Slazenger and Robinsons as an appropriate supplier and fit with the culture of Wimbledon’, and to have boosted the perceived longevity of Evian’s association with Wimbledon – 72% agree that Evian has had a long term association with Wimbledon, despite having one of the shorter associations, established in 2008, after brands such as IBM (1990), Hertz (1995).”

*¹ – ONS censorship data 2011

*² – In some capacity includes those who have answered yes to at least one of the following statements:

• I have been watching the 2013 official highlights programme ‘Today at Wimbledon’
• I have watched at least some of the live 2013 matches on TV or online
• I have been to the 2013 tournament at the All England Club in Wimbledon