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with Jamaican football and Tivoli especially, I don't like his politics but at 81 he is still very involved in the sport and his team.....you cannot knock his commitment and dedication at all....Good Job Eddie.
Red Stripe takes NPL to another level
HAVING officially taken over sponsorship of Jamaica's top football league last Thursday, fans did not see the usual marketing branding of Red Stripe all over the venues last Sunday.
But that was due to the diligence and professionalism Jomo Cato and his marketing team will bring to the Premier League — not rushing into a half-hearted promotions, but instead, making sure the cash-strapped clubs are well taken care of.
Jomo Cato (right), head of marketing at Red Stripe, outlines plans for the Premier League last Thursday. Looking on are PLCA chairman Edward Seaga (left) and Renato Gonzalez, Red Stripe’s managing director. (Photo: Bryan Cummings)
Jomo Cato (right), head of marketing at Red Stripe, outlines plans for the Premier League last Thursday. Looking on are PLCA chairman Edward Seaga (left) and Renato Gonzalez, Red Stripe’s managing director. (Photo: Bryan Cummings)
"Not immediately. Our execution standards are pretty high at Red Stripe and there is still some stuff to tighten up. At this point the focus is making sure the funding that goes to the clubs gets taken care of immediately," said Cato.
"This sponsorship is really bigger than how much branding we have around the sidelines. The first priority is taking care of the club financing," Cato told the Observer.
Red Stripe, which is the fourth sponsor of the competition in the past six years, following Wray and Nephew, Cash Plus and Digicel, says it is totally committed to sport development in Jamaica.
"We are committing to making a difference; that's why we are in this. Our involvement has to shift the need positively.
"We are in the game to elevate the consumer experience, grow the value of the both Red Stripe and the Premier League brand, and bring excitement and interaction to the communities, so our commitment is to the delivery of excellence," Cato remarked.
The beverage company is no stranger to sport patronage, having delved into several events that have touched the lives of thousands across Jamaica.
"We have a great track record of promoting sport, player development and lifting the fan experience in Jamaica through cricket, football, horseracing and basketball.
"We've played an impactful role in most sports here. We have had a long relationship with the Reggae Boyz; last season we were in the Flow Champions Cup.
"I think globally every cricket fan knows about how the Red Stripe Mound was a breakthrough that caused a major... change in the delivery of the cricket experience and brought new fans into the game," Cato elaborated.
As for his plans for his organisation's latest big project — the Red Stripe Premier League — Cato will be a placing emphasis in three areas: the clubs, TV viewership and communities.
"When we looked at the league three areas of opportunity came up. We got excited at the possibility of doing three things immediately that impact the funding needed to run the clubs; helping the PLCA to increase revenue at the gates and creating something to draw a larger audience to TV," he pointed out.
"We know it takes a significant investment to run a club. A major challenge is that we're in a market where revenue-generation from TV or gates receipts is really low.
"Our strong belief is that if we create a more exciting fan experience at the games and on TV, we will see attendance rise, advertising revenue grow and value the league will increase exponentially.
"It's going to take some time; however, we are confident that within three years, we are going to shift the game to a higher level," Cato predicted.
Red Stripe will be rolling out the range of their products including the Red Stripe Light beers with apple or ginger flavours and patrons on match days might just be in for a treat.
Said Cato: "Our brands are always attractively priced when we sell to our customers. We do suffer from some overpricing in the market and we are working with our partners in the bars to ensure we deliver a best priced offer to consumers. At the games of course we will see great deals that everyone can access."
With the league already 10 games into the season which started on September 11, fans can expect added excitement for the rest of the season and equally exciting times ahead for the Red Stripe staff.
"We're tremendously excited and can't wait to really turn this up. When I went to Red Stripe about a year-and-a-half ago, this sponsorship was one of the first things I pursued.
"We did not get the deal done then; however, we stayed in the game and now we have scored big time," Cato beamed.
"As a marketer I expect to see some positive shifts in brand performance because there really is not another sport platform that can deliver the connection points that the Red Stripe Premier League will.
"As a company I would describe the mood as elation and great expectations. This is the partnership that we really wanted, and we have it," said Cato.
"Expect entertainment at pre-game, post-game and interactive promotions for fans to take home great prizes and a lots of excitement in the communities where the marquee games are being played," he added.
"This sponsorship is really bigger than how much branding we have around the sidelines. The first priority is taking care of the club financing," Cato told the Observer.
Red Stripe, which is the fourth sponsor of the competition in the past six years, following Wray and Nephew, Cash Plus and Digicel, says it is totally committed to sport development in Jamaica.
"We are committing to making a difference; that's why we are in this. Our involvement has to shift the need positively.
"We are in the game to elevate the consumer experience, grow the value of the both Red Stripe and the Premier League brand, and bring excitement and interaction to the communities, so our commitment is to the delivery of excellence," Cato remarked.
The beverage company is no stranger to sport patronage, having delved into several events that have touched the lives of thousands across Jamaica.
"We have a great track record of promoting sport, player development and lifting the fan experience in Jamaica through cricket, football, horseracing and basketball.
"We've played an impactful role in most sports here. We have had a long relationship with the Reggae Boyz; last season we were in the Flow Champions Cup.
"I think globally every cricket fan knows about how the Red Stripe Mound was a breakthrough that caused a major... change in the delivery of the cricket experience and brought new fans into the game," Cato elaborated.
As for his plans for his organisation's latest big project — the Red Stripe Premier League — Cato will be a placing emphasis in three areas: the clubs, TV viewership and communities.
"When we looked at the league three areas of opportunity came up. We got excited at the possibility of doing three things immediately that impact the funding needed to run the clubs; helping the PLCA to increase revenue at the gates and creating something to draw a larger audience to TV," he pointed out.
"We know it takes a significant investment to run a club. A major challenge is that we're in a market where revenue-generation from TV or gates receipts is really low.
"Our strong belief is that if we create a more exciting fan experience at the games and on TV, we will see attendance rise, advertising revenue grow and value the league will increase exponentially.
"It's going to take some time; however, we are confident that within three years, we are going to shift the game to a higher level," Cato predicted.
Red Stripe will be rolling out the range of their products including the Red Stripe Light beers with apple or ginger flavours and patrons on match days might just be in for a treat.
Said Cato: "Our brands are always attractively priced when we sell to our customers. We do suffer from some overpricing in the market and we are working with our partners in the bars to ensure we deliver a best priced offer to consumers. At the games of course we will see great deals that everyone can access."
With the league already 10 games into the season which started on September 11, fans can expect added excitement for the rest of the season and equally exciting times ahead for the Red Stripe staff.
"We're tremendously excited and can't wait to really turn this up. When I went to Red Stripe about a year-and-a-half ago, this sponsorship was one of the first things I pursued.
"We did not get the deal done then; however, we stayed in the game and now we have scored big time," Cato beamed.
"As a marketer I expect to see some positive shifts in brand performance because there really is not another sport platform that can deliver the connection points that the Red Stripe Premier League will.
"As a company I would describe the mood as elation and great expectations. This is the partnership that we really wanted, and we have it," said Cato.
"Expect entertainment at pre-game, post-game and interactive promotions for fans to take home great prizes and a lots of excitement in the communities where the marquee games are being played," he added.
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