Castrol continues FLW sponsorship

MINNEAPOLIS – Believing the sport-fishing industry has a great deal to offer corporations in terms of product publicity, Castrol has picked up its option for the second year of a full sponsorship contract with FLW Outdoors. Castrol will remain a full sponsor of FLW Outdoors’ varied fishing circuits for the 2003 professional angling season as it did in 2002.

Castrol – a marketing and technology leader in the lubrication industry – will sponsor all of FLW Outdoors’ high-profile tournament trails: Wal-Mart FLW Tour, EverStart Series, Wal-Mart BFL, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail and Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Circuit.

Kim Kulick, sponsorship director for Castrol Consumer North America, said: “The FLW and Castrol partnership has been successful and has delivered against our sponsorship objectives. We are looking forward to another successful year.”

Like a growing list of innovative corporations that have joined the FLW sponsorship family, Castrol sees the potential of professional fishing as a big business. With 55 million anglers casting lures into bodies of water around the country for the sake of sport or leisure, the fishing public presents a sizable and largely untapped market base. Lucrative and well-organized professional fishing tournaments – like the 170 put on each year by FLW Outdoors – create a powerful marketing tool for sponsors searching for a method to reach the angling masses. FLW Outdoors’ premier fishing tournaments – along with its public outreach campaigns that high light conservation, youth/family involvement and strengthening the sport in the 21st century – are at the forefront of an industry movement to bring sport fishing into the public spotlight.

Castrol, as one of FLW’s full sponsors, will be featured through a variety of media formats maintained by FLW Outdoors. Tour sponsors appear on the “FLW Outdoors” television program broadcast to 45 million subscribers across the country by the Outdoor Life Network, which anticipates serving 55 million viewers by year’s end. Castrol brand names will also be publicized through FLW Outdoors magazine advertisements, prominence on the tour Web sites at FLWOutdoors.com, the “FLW Outdoors Presented by Wal-Mart” show on Fox Sports Radio, signage at tournaments, angler-awards programs, and inclusion in tour promotional and public relations materials.

Castrol has enhanced its sponsorship program with FLW Outdoors by establishing a top-notch team of professional fishermen, who skim tournament waters across the country in NASCAR®-style boats bearing the Castrol name and logo. The 2002 professional angling team consists of Bobby Curtis, Siloam Springs, Ark.; David Dudley, Manteo, N.C.; Johnny McCombs, Mount Olive, Ala.; and Darrel Robertson, Jay, Okla. Both Dudley and Robertson are past winners of the prestigious Ranger M1 Tournament, having been awarded $700,000 and $600,000 in cash and prizes, respectively.

Christine Creed, vice president of marketing and sales for FLW Outdoors, said Castrol’s presence has been a welcome addition to FLW’s exemplary team of tournament-trail sponsors.

“We at FLW Outdoors are proud that our property has successfully delivered against Castrol’s sponsorship objectives,” Creed said. “The opportunity to collaborate with a company with the commitment and vision of Castrol has been a very exciting and rewarding experience. We look forward to working with Castrol on the upcoming 2003 tournament season and, together, setting a new standard for their sponsorship of FLW Outdoors.”

FLW Outdoors is the world’s leading marketer of competitive fishing tournaments. It administers the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, the world’s most lucrative bass tournament series; the EverStart Series, the pathway to the Wal-Mart FLW Tour; and the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, the weekend tournament series designed for working anglers. FLW Outdoors also runs the Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Ranger M1 and the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Circuit.

The success story behind Castrol – one of the world’s most renowned manufacturers of engine oil and industrial lubricants – has its origins in 19th century England. Castrol, founded in the United Kingdom in 1899, has operated an accomplished North American division since 1954. The current American headquarters are located in Wayne, N.J. Castrol is owned by BP PLC.

Full sponsors of FLW Outdoors angling circuits in 2002 are Wal-Mart, ALPO Pet Foods, BFGoodrich Tires, Castrol, Chevy Trucks, Conseco, Eagle Electronics, Energizer, EverStart Batteries, Evinrude, Faded Glory, Frito-Lay, Fujifilm, GARMIN, Kellogg’s, Land O’Lakes, Minn Kota, Newell Rubbermaid, Pepsi, Poulan, Ranger Boats, Shop-Vac, Snickers, Stanley Works, Stren, U.S. Bank, Weed Eater and Yamaha Outboards.

For more information about Castrol, visit the Web site at CastrolUSA.com or call (800) 462-0835. For more information about FLW Outdoors, browse this Web site or call (270) 252-1000.