It seemed more appropriate to put these thoughts here rather than Yachtsponsorship.com – It’s a more personal, less considered thought process than Y$ readers expect.

I have been thinking about the way in which the Defender of the America’s Cup – BMW ORACLE, led by Russell Coutts, has been looking at ways to reposition the trophy. The stated aim of the process is to make the Cup more appealing to a younger, television audience.

Every interview that Russell Coutts does, he talks about “marketing experts” and “television experts”, but they are never named. We don’t know who these people are or what their credentials are for embarking on a massive rebranding exercise are. The following scene came to mind:

There’s no reason why the identities of the ‘experts’ should be a secret. I just hope that they are the best there is. Not the best in sailing, but the best. If BMW ORACLE can afford the priciest litigators in the country, then they should be able to employ a similar calibre of television creatives and marketing people.

Personally I don’t think that just putting something exciting on television is enough. There are hours of exciting sports coverage that no-one watches. The people who need to be paid are the people who are going to sell the America’s Cup as a movement – make it a meme – create buzz and glamour. Being at the America’s Cup needs to be a ticket as hot as walking the grid of the Monaco Grand Prix. Some different camera angles aren’t going to do that.

So to borrow a theme from one of the most successful television products of recent times - Who are you?