Mercedes-Benz has announced today that they will remain the main ATP (Association of Tennis Professional) sponsor until the end of 2008.

Mercedes began sponsoring the event in 1996, and since that time they have received over 60,000 hours of viewing.  During last season alone, Mercedes received 14,000 hours of viewing time, as well as an additional 27 million spectators at the tournaments themselves.  According to Dr. Klaus Maier, Executive Vice President of the Mercedes Car Group, "These are very impressive figures which encourage us to continue our long term tennis engagement."

For more information on Mercedes and the ATP, you can check out the full press release below.


OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE


Mercedes-Benz Remains ATP Main Sponsor – Agreement Prolonged Until 2008


Stuttgart, Nov 02, 2005

Mercedes-Benz and the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) are prolonging their time-tried partnership in international men's tennis until the end of 2008. The third prolongation of the agreement after 1999 and 2002 was announced by the main sponsor of the ATP and the Association of Tennis Professionals during the current Masters Series Tournament in Paris. The agreement between Mercedes-Benz and the ATP goes back as far as 1996.

In its tenth joint tennis season with the ATP, Mercedes-Benz is able to look back on remarkable facts and figures. Since 1996, the brand with the star has been seen at the tournaments it sponsors for about 60.000 hours of viewing – over 14.000 of which were in the past season alone. During the television broadcasts, the unmistakable brand label – the "Star in the Net" – was to be seen for an aver-age of 30 per cent of the TV viewing time. In addition, there were over 27 million spectators at the tournaments themselves. "These are very impressive figures which encourage us to continue our long term tennis engagement”, says Dr. Klaus Maier, Executive Vice President Mercedes Car Group, responsible for Sales and Marketing, and further “the ATP tournaments present really high class tennis worldwide. For the global sports sponsoring activities of Mercedes-Benz this partnership is very important."

The number of spectators every year at each of the 42 tournaments sponsored by Mercedes-Benz rose to a new record high in 2004 of an average of 68.000. "The fact that every continent provides players the spectators are able to identify with makes this partnership between Mercedes-Benz and the ATP even more attractive," said Burghard Graf Vitzthum, Head of Alternative Communications at DaimlerChrysler and responsible for the sports sponsoring activities of the brand Mercedes-Benz.

According to the latest surveys, there is a strong overlapping of the socio-demographic characteristics between Mercedes-Benz drivers and active tennis players. Because of this, the tennis commitment and other Mercedes-Benz sports sponsoring activities generate high recognition and public relations values – almost half of those asked have consistently over the years awarded the brand with the star the top mark of "very credible". "Tennis is a lifetime sport which attracts people of all generations worldwide," said Claudia Merzbach, Head of Sports Communications at DaimlerChrysler. "The ATP provides us with an unusually powerful platform to make use of the popularity of tennis to attract people's attention to our brand during the tournaments."

Mercedes-Benz does not only demonstrate continuity with its visible presence and activities for current and potential customers at the 42 ATP tournaments a year (including the Masters Series tournaments and the Masters Cup), but also by providing a car fleet for the shuttle transport for players, sponsors and officials. Every year over 900 vehicles with the star are used as "Official Car of the ATP". At the same time, the Mercedes-Benz stands at the tournaments make use of classic PR methods to inform over three million spectators about the latest models and trends.

Copyright © 2005, DaimlerChrysler AG