Octagon Announces Unification of Group Branding

NEW YORK (PROTEXT) - Octagon, the sports marketing and entertainment group, today announces the rebranding of all its operating companies under the single Octagon brand (http://www.octagon.com). This move will ensure the group presents a strong and consistent identity worldwide, across all market sectors, and will allow the operating companies to interact more effectively. Octagon commenced its operation in 1997, following the acquisition of two leading global sports marketing companies, Advantage International and API. It was launched with the intention of creating an international group capable of competing at the highest level, and on a broad front, in all aspects of global sports and entertainment marketing. As part of The Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE: IPG), one of the largest advertising and marketing communications groups in the world, Octagon has brought a unique marketing perspective to the industry. Frank Lowe, founder, chairman and CEO of Octagon, said: "This unification of our operating companies under the Octagon brand is a logical and significant move forward. Having spent the last two years building a group whose focus is on providing a marketing- led approach to sport, we all felt that the time is now right to launch what is essentially a new brand of sports marketing." Since its conception, the group has expanded with the formation of Octagon Motorsports, through a partnership with the Italian-based Flammini Group. This continued with the creation of two other partnerships with CSI, the UK-based sports TV rights sales, production and distribution company, and Koch Tavares, a leading sports marketing agency in Brazil. Octagon now offers a high level of expertise in the following eight core disciplines: athlete representation, consultancy, event management, property representation, TV rights sales and distribution, TV production and archive, rights ownership, and licensing and merchandising. To streamline this expansion program further, Octagon has been divided into four operating companies, plus one regional partner in Latin America, Octagon Koch Tavares. These are: -- Octagon Marketing -- Octagon Athlete Representation -- Octagon CSI (television production and distribution) -- Octagon Motorsports Frank Craighill, president of Octagon, added: "This move makes perfect sense for all our operating companies. It was becoming increasingly important for us to create a structure and identity that was right for a global group of companies that works across the full range of sports marketing disciplines." Today Octagon ranks among the top three sports marketing agencies in the world. The group has over 800 employees in 17 countries on all major continents, and offers a fully comprehensive global sports and entertainment service. It represents over 100 blue-chip multinational companies, and works closely with a number of sports federations and broadcasters around the world. NOTES TO EDITORS: Octagon offers a fully comprehensive global sports marketing service in the following areas: Octagon Athlete Representation: Services include: -- Career management/guidance -- Contract negotiations -- Marketing and endorsements -- Team relations -- Public relations -- Charitable activities -- Financial planning and services Selected athlete clients include: Justin Leonard (golf), Davis Love III (golf), Anna Kournikova (tennis), Martina Hingis (tennis), Steffi Graf (tennis), David Robinson (basketball), Sergei Fedorov (hockey), Gareth Southgate (soccer), Ben Clarke (rugby), Steve Waugh (cricket), Gustavo Kuerten (tennis). Octagon Marketing: Services include: -- Consultancy - helping to maximize the return on our clients' sponsorship investment. -- Property representation - working with event owners to increase the marketing value of all kinds of sports properties. -- Event management - taking care of every detail to ensure sponsors get the results they want from events. -- Rights ownership - creating and developing our own events, which can then be tailored to the marketing needs of our clients. -- Licensing and merchandising - helping our clients capitalize on every brand building opportunity presented by sponsorship. Who Octagon represents: Consultancy (selected international clients) MasterCard, IBM, Procter & Gamble, McDonald's, British Airways, Guinness, Pfizer, Colgate Event Management (selected) Stella Artois Tennis Championships, Rothmans Cup (South African Football), NatWest Trophy (Cricket), Gravity Games, Cadillac NFL Golf Classic, First Union Cycling Series. Property Representation (selected) European Athletic Association, Commonwealth Games Federation, Gravity Games, USA Youth Soccer Association, USA Track and Field Octagon CSI: Services include: -- TV sales - through our unmatched international sales network, negotiating the best possible deal for clients who own TV rights. -- TV production - producing more than 200 live events each year, as well as over 300 hours of innovative original programming. -- Broadcast services - using our unmatched satellite and technical expertise to ensure problem-free transmission for broadcasters all over the world. -- Marketing and consultancy - developing marketing solutions, from "virtual" advertising at sports events to producing highly targeted sponsored programming. -- TV consultancy - providing expert advice on all aspects of bringing sport to the screen to major sporting organizations all over the world. TV Consultancy Present and past clients include: Organizing Committee of the Sydney Olympics, Commonwealth Games Federation, England & Wales Cricket Board, South African Rugby Union, New Zealand Rugby Union, Australian Rugby Union, Rugby Football Union (RFU), Federation Francaise de Tennis, Tennis Australia TV Rights Sales (selected) English Football Association, English Football League, Scottish, Welsh and Irish Rugby Unions, Australian Cricket Board, New Zealand Cricket Council, United Cricket Board of South Africa, Federation Internationale de Hockey Octagon Motorsports: Services include: -- Rights ownership/motorsport innovation -- Event management -- Corporate consultancy/corporate events Partners (selected) Aprilia, Bimota, Ducati, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha, Action Performance, Champion, Corona Beer, Electronic Arts, Ford, Infostrada, Michelin Events (selected) FIM Superbike World Championship, FIM Supersport World Championship, FIM Endurance World Championship, SportsRacing World Cu Octagon Koch Tavares Services include: -- Rights ownership/sporting innovation -- Event management -- Athlete representation -- Consultancy Athlete Representation (selected) Jorginho (beach soccer), Junior Negao (beach soccer), Magal (beach soccer), Juninho (beach soccer), Athirson (soccer) Partners (selected) S/A Industrias Votorantim, MasterCard, Banco do Brasil S/A, Banco Real S/A, Multibras S/A, Eletrodomesticos, Nestle, Telefonica, Campari, Olympikus Event Management Sao Paulo Marathon, Fera Brasil (radical sports competition) Property Representation Brazilian Men's National Volleyball Team Tour, Futsal Brazilian National, League, Beach Soccer Mundialito (Portugal) Rights Ownership FIVB Men's Beach Volleyball World Tour, FIVB Women's Beach Volleyball World Tour, Men's/ Women's and Mixed Volley Four Challenges, Beach Soccer World Championships, Beach Soccer Copa America, Beach Soccer Copa Mercosul, Beach Soccer Brazilian Championship, APBSL -- America's Pro Beach Soccer League ots Original Text Service: Octagon Worldwide Internet: http://www.newsaktuell.de Contact: Valerie Collin, 212-888-8847, or Louise Higgins or Annabel Hughes, +44-171-881-8888, all of Octagon Worldwide Web site: http://www.interpublic.com Web site: http://www.octagon.com Subscribers please note that material bearing the slug "PROTEXT" is not part of CTK's news service and is not to be published under the "CTK" slug. 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