MAM
ABN Amro banks on Pitch PR for Volvo Ocean Race
MUMBAI: International banking group ABN Amro has appointed Pitch PR to oversee a global PR campaign around its team sponsorship in the 2005 – 2006 Volvo Ocean Race. The round-the-world yacht race starts in November.
ABN Amro’s involvement in the 2005 – 2006 Volvo Ocean Race marks the first occasion the company has undertaken a major international sports marketing campaign. The aim of the sponsorship programme, which involves the bank entering a two boat team with the ultimate aim of winning the race, is to raise the profile of the ABN Amro brand and unify the bank’s various business units around the world.
Pitch has been appointed for one year to create and oversee an international PR strategy for the campaign. Pitch will be responsible for maximising publicity opportunities, managing all media requests during the race including crisis communications, and running a press office and press conferences at stop over ports. Pitch will work in conjunction with ABN Amro’s existing PR agencies in their three home markets, such as Golin Harris in the US, and will also be responsible for implementing a proactive consumer PR campaign in the UK and France.
The Volvo Ocean Race is one the world’s toughest sporting events. The race starts in Vigo, Spain on 12 November 2005 and finishes in Gothenburg in July 2006. The race covers 32,000 miles, with nine stopovers in the following ports: Cape Town, Melbourne, Wellington, Rio, Baltimore, New York, Portsmouth and Rotterdam.
The Volvo Ocean Race has a rich history and generates global media interest. During the last Volvo Ocean Race, there were an estimated 800 million cumulative viewers on television, and over a billion cumulative radio listeners.
ABN Amro has entered two boats in the race and its crew includes sailors from the UK, US, New Zealand, Australia, France and Holland. ABN Amro 1 will be crewed by some of the world’s top sailors, whilst ABN Amro 2 is being crewed by a team of high potential sailors. The crew of ABN Amro 2 are all under the age of 30 and have won their place on the boat via an international competition.
Pitch PR is a consumer and corporate agency which specialises in working with clients involved in sport. Pitch PR founder and MD Henry Chappell commented,
“This is a fantastic new business win for us and a massive project to be involved with. The sponsorship is of major global importance to ABN Amro and their objective is that the campaign delivers over €60 million in media value worldwide. We have undertaken a number of similar international sponsorship activation campaigns since our launch so we are confident we can play a significant role in helping ABN Amro to achieve their aims.”
MAM
Ad:tech honours 2026: Full list of winners announced
Expanded awards spotlight winners across 22 categories as industry doubles down on intelligent automation
NEW DELHI: Marketing’s tech elite took the spotlight as the ad:tech honours 2026 returned with a sharper focus on AI, data and immersive media, signalling how deeply technology now underpins brand strategy. Held at Yashobhoomi on March 17, the second edition drew industry leaders to celebrate innovation that is reshaping engagement and performance.
Presented with the International Advertising Association India chapter and new partner Huella, the awards expanded from 8 to 22 categories, tracking the rapid convergence of creativity, automation and analytics.
The winners’ list reads like a snapshot of marketing’s future. In affiliate and partner marketing, Lyxel & Flamingo – Boat and Paytm Ads – Giva took silver. Mobavenue Media Private Limited struck gold in AI-driven dynamic creative optimisation, alongside a silver for Laqshya Media Limited.
Creative AI collaboration saw Rediffusion Brand Solutions Private Limited win gold, with Saltinc Consulting Private Limited securing silver. Laqshya Media Limited continued its strong run, taking gold in AI conversation agents and adding multiple wins across categories, including silver in GenAI-led creative and both gold and silver in interactive DOOH campaigns for Tanishq and Tata Coffee.
Predictive AI honours went to Strong Metrics and Tyroo, both silver, while Orient Bell Limited picked up silver in immersive retail tech. In GenAI-led creative, Laqshya Media Limited, Salt – Kotak and Sumimoto each secured silver, reflecting the crowded race in generative creativity.
Publicis bagged silver in influencer management and gold in performance marketing, where it shared the stage with Arm Worldwide and The Trade Desk, both silver. Glad U Came Private Limited stood out with gold in influencer measurement and analytics.
Marketing automation saw CereOne Media Pvt. Ltd. and Globale Media win silver, while ADMOTT Private Limited claimed silver in OTT innovation.
Programmatic media categories highlighted the shift to advanced targeting and connected screens. Mobavenue Media Private Limited clinched gold in connected TV advertising, with Animmoov Digital Media Pvt Ltd – Asus and Lyxel and Flamingo taking silver. Cheggout Services Private Limited won silver in retail media advertising, while Paytm Ads – Versuni secured gold.
On social platforms, Vayner Media India took gold in community and UGC engagement, with Under 25 – Oppo winning silver. Segumento rounded off the list with silver in the innovation category.
Jaswant Singh, country managing director at ad:tech India, underscored the momentum, saying generative AI and data-driven decision-making are now central to marketing impact. Neena Dasgupta, IAA mancom member and chief executive and founder at The Salt Inc Consulting, added that the awards celebrate not just technology, but “the people, the creativity, and the relentless effort behind it.”
Backed by Comexposium Group, ad:tech New Delhi has long tracked digital disruption. Now, with the honours, it is rewarding those who are not just adapting to change but engineering it.
In an industry racing towards automation, the message from 2026 is unmistakable. The future of marketing will be written not just in ideas, but in algorithms.
