Virgin Secures Sony For V2003 Festival Sponsorship

Virgin Radio has secured Sony as the exclusive sponsor of its coverage of the forthcoming V2003 festival.

The deal will see Sony promote its MD Net Walkman through a combination of on air promotions and on-line activity. The electronics brand will also be the exclusive on-air partner during Virgin Radio’s live 48 hour broadcast of the V2003 Festival, which runs from 16 to 17 August.

Commenting on the sponsorship, a spokesperson for Sony, said: “We are very excited to be sponsoring Virgin Radio’s broadcast of The V2003 Festival again. Partnering the Walkman with an event like this gives credibility to the product, as well as communicating the benefits of the new MD Walkman with the strapline: High speed music transfer from PC to MiniDisc.”

A spokesperson for Virgin Radio added: “Using our Access All Areas approach we’ve worked very closely with Sony to create a unique way of targeting music-lovers for the Sony MD Net Walkman. Our exclusive broadcast of the V2003 Festival will introduce an affluent, technology savvy target audience to the Sony product.”

Virgin Radio recently appointed former Capital Radio marketing director, David Andrews, to head up its marketing team, as it increases its efforts to attract new listeners in the face of growing competition (see Virgin Radio Appoints Former Capital Marketing Chief).

The latest RAJAR results for the second quarter of 2003 show that Virgin Radio AM has seen its weekly reach decline by 13.3% year on year to just below 2.2 million. However, the group is reportedly attempting to boost its image among music fans by signing a virtual unknown to present a weekday show dedicated to breakthrough bands and cutting-edge music.

Virgin Radio: 020 7434 1215 www.virginradio.co.uk

Recent Radio Stories from NewsLine Capital Radio Appoints New Head Of Commercial Marketing Industry Responds To Rejection Of Electronic Measurement Classic FM Listeners Respond Better To Ads