Ride2Rio and Bicycle Sponsorship

Naomi Devine is riding to Rio de Janerio. (ride2rio.ca) She is planning to arrive in Rio in time for the start of the Rio+20 Conference.

From the start of planning in December 2011, to her planned departure date on February 9, 2012, there has not been much time to get organized and line up sponsors. According to the report on CBC radio this morning she did manage to line up local Vancouver bicycle manufacturer Brodie as a sponsor.

So, why is she pictured on the CBC website astride a Giant bicycle? If I was Paul Brodie I would want to get a photo of Naomi on my bike on the CBC website ASAP.

Seeing your sponsored athletes photographed with a competitor's brand drives marketers crazy. I remember my brother telling me about a press conference for the Tour Down Under in Adelaide, South Australia. Lance Armstrong was the star attraction. The first thing he did when he sat down at the table was to remove the label from the bottled water in front of him. His obligation to his sponsors included making sure that he was not photographed using any other brands of products.

Picture source: http://www.cbc.ca/earlyedition/high-velocity/2012/02/08/ride-to-rio/

One more thing. The ride is 11,000 kilometres, not 11,00 kilometres as stated on the CBC website.