Sponsor Spotlight - Canadian, Swiss NOCs Sign Deals; New PR Agency for USOC

New PR Agency for USOC

The USOC is hiring M&C Saatchi as its new PR agency of record.

The firm beat out competing bids from Hill+Knowlton Strategies, Ketchum and Cohn & Wolfe for the account.

Patrick Sandusky, USOC communications chief, says the firm will help with comms around USOC fundraising activities as well as USOC sponsors.

"We expected the best presentation to come from a bigger firm. [However], it was unanimous that M&C Saatchi was far and away the best presentation," he said.

M&C Saatchi’s contract with the USOC will run through the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

"Being able to work with the US Olympic Committee on a more consistent basis is great and what we've hoped for," said Sandra Carreon-John, a senior VP at the firm.

"I think it will be an eye-opener, because Americans are so used to seeing the team win all the time that there is the assumption they must get government funding."

The USOC is expected to retain PR agency AS&K for "policy-related matters."

Swiss Olympic Committee Partner

Oschner Sports signed an agreement with the Swiss Olympic Committee.

The deal runs through the period of 2013-2016 and makes Oschner Sports the "leading supplier and partner" of the SOC.

The sporting goods company has more than 80 branches across the country and partnered with Swiss Football and Swiss Ski in the past.

COC, BMW Ink Deal

BMW Group Canada will sponsor the Canadian Olympic Committee for the next four years.

The High Performance Vehicle group will also sponsor two Canadian sports federations in an effort to continue to develop sport throughout Canada.

The sponsorship will cover the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics as well as the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Summer Olympics.

"It's great to be here, and an association with a high quality brand like BMW is a source of great pride," said Roseline Filion, bronze medalist at the 2012 Olympics in London.

Written by Aaron Bauer.