BURLINGTON, VT. and GÖTEBORG (September 10, 2008) - Burton Snowboards and Volvo Cars today announced a three-year partnership that expands their highly successful relationship in the United States to Europe. The new partnership focuses on Burton's world-renowned European snowboard events, including the Burton European Open Snowboarding Championships, the Burton AM Tour and the Burton Demo Tour.
"When it comes to snowboarding events, our goal is to offer riders the best possible competitive events, prizes and experiences," says Mike Nusenow, Senior Vice President of Global Marketing for Burton. "Volvo's reputation as one of the most respected and recognized brands in Europe will be a tremendous asset to our efforts to promote snowboarding on the European continent."
"We share common values within our brands, and are confident that this expanded partnership will benefit all parties," says Gerry Keaney, Senior Vice President, Marketing & Sales at Volvo Car Corporation. "Burton is a credible brand and well-known for quality and performance within the snowboard community. Winter sports and snowboarding are part of the Swedish culture - and Volvo is a Swedish brand. So from a Volvo Cars perspective this is a way of getting closer to the soul of the Volvo brand. "
Both companies have successfully worked together for four years on events in the United States, including the US Open Snowboarding Championships, the most prestigious snowboarding competition in the world, and the Burton Demo Tour, the largest consumer interactive product demo in the snowboard world. Since 2005, the US Open Snowboarding Championships have awarded Volvo cars to the male and female Volvo Most Valuable Rider, giving top snowboarders like Shaun White (USA), Torah Bright (AUS) and Cheryl Maas (NED) keys to new Volvos.
"Volvo Cars and Burton have spent the past four years perfecting our marketing partnership in the U.S. through events such as the US Open of Snowboarding," says Bryan Johnston, Vice President of Partner Marketing for Burton. "Expanding global partnerships with a highly regarded brand such as Volvo Cars will increase our opportunities to grow the sport on the European continent where winter sports have such a rich history and culture."
Look for more details about Volvo Car's involvement with the upcoming Burton Demo Tour, Burton AM Tour and European Open as the snowboarding season approaches at http://www.opensnowboarding.com/ and www.burton.com.
Media Contacts:
Burton Snowboards - Europe
Birgit Gruber
birgitg@burton.com
+43 (512)230 212
Burton Snowboards - Headquarters
Shana Frahm
(323) 855-9884
Media Contact at Volvo Cars:
Maria Bohlin
+46 31 59 65 25
About Burton
In 1977, Jake Burton Carpenter founded Burton Snowboards out of his Vermont barn. Since then, Burton has fueled the growth of snowboarding worldwide through its groundbreaking product lines, its team of top snowboarders and its grassroots efforts to get the sport accepted at resorts. In 1996, Burton began growing its family of brands to include boardsports and apparel brands. Privately held and owned by Jake, Burton's headquarters are in Burlington, Vermont with offices in California, Austria, Japan and Australia. For more information, visit http://www.burton.com/.
About Volvo Car Corporation
Since 1999, Volvo Car Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ford Motor Company. In 2007, Volvo Cars sold 457,000 cars in more than 100 countries. Volvo Cars produces cars in Sweden, Belgium and China and has 25,000 employees, of which 17,000 are in Sweden. The headquarters of Volvo Cars is situated in Göteborg, Sweden. For more information, visit www.volvocars.com
