Since 1935, Robinsons and Wimbledon have been the perfect doubles partners, so it came as a surprise to hear their 86-year brand sponsorship came to an end last week!
Robinsons end 86-year partnership with Wimbledon
If you’re an All England Tennis Club fan, then you’ll know Robinsons are synonymous with the Wimbledon Championships. For the past 86 years the brand has featured at the tournament, first appearing in the players’ dressing rooms in 1935 as a “refreshing and hydrating drink”, they then went on to produce bottles of lemon Barley Water which was officially launched on the steps of the umpires’ seats in 1950 and has appeared (up until now) at every Championship ever since!
There are many benefits of sponsoring globally iconic events, namely mass brand awareness, however, for Robinsons it was more than just exposure. Their association with Wimbledon reflected an alignment of values between the brands – heritage, performance, quality, and the great British summertime!
As with everything, all good things must come to an end, but it still came as a surprise when Robinsons announced the end of their partnership with Wimbledon last week. Neither party have given any reason for ending the partnership, however, a spokesperson for the company said it was looking to “broadening our summertime reach to beyond the Wimbledon fortnight”.
And they’ve certainly done just that by switching tennis balls for cricket balls with an announcement last month of their three-year deal as Official Soft Drink Partner of The Hundred, cricket’s 100-ball competition.
Robinsons deal with the tennis champions has been one of the longest in sport history. It’ll be interesting to see how their new strategic partnership works outs for them in the world of cricket, and whether it’ll stand the test of time because 86 years really does take some beating!