Tour de France a tremendous success for both the - Phonak Cycling Team and the Phonak Group
Stäfa (ots)
Advanced sports communication tool facilitates team interaction and strategy
The Phonak Cycling Team has enjoyed great success to date in the 2005 Tour de France, peaking in yesterday's stage win by Oscar Pereiro from Spain. In addition to Pereiro, who currently ranks 15th in the overall individual standings, the team also has Floyd Landis, USA, ranked in the top 10 at number seven. In the overall team standings, Phonak is ranked number six. Additionally, the Phonak team currently holds the number one position in the worldwide UCI ProTour ranking.
An important ingredient in the team's success is a new communication tool, developed by the Phonak Group - the main sponsor of the team - which enables team members and their manager to maintain close communication during the various race stages. The new wireless tool, a small button which is customized for each rider individually and fitted in the ear, ensures that all riders are aware of what is happening in each stage of the race and enables them to adjust their race strategy and tactics accordingly.
"Because the Phonak communication tool is wireless, light and user friendly, it is very easy to handle," said Phonak team member Alexandre Moos from Switzerland. "Each time I've used it, it helped me tremendously in staying in touch with the rest of the team. Most importantly, it enables us to make the instantaneous strategy decisions that are so critical in a race like the Tour de France."
Phonak has developed this new technology for a wide range of different sports and is launching it for the first time during the 2005 Tour de France.
This year's Tour de France continues to mark great success for Phonak's six-year sponsorship of the Phonak Cycling Team, which was designed to significantly increase brand awareness.
"We decided to sponsor a professional cycling team because it spans socio-economic and geographic boundaries, attracts excellent international media coverage and inspires people to push the limits of their physical and mental strengths to achieve outstanding success, both as individuals and as part of a team. In many ways, this mirrors our own business philosophy at Phonak," said Dr. Valentin Chapero Rueda, CEO of the Phonak Group. "The fact that the Phonak team has raced successfully and is using Phonak's technology has been a fantastic bonus."
From 1999 to 2004 alone, Phonak's sponsorship boosted the company's brand awareness across major European markets by an average of 21 percent. This includes a 52 percent increase in Phonak's home market of Switzerland, as well as a 17 percent increase in Spain and 16 percent increases in both France and Germany.
About Phonak Holding AG
The Phonak Group (www.phonak.com; SWX: PHBN), headquartered in Stäfa, Switzerland, specializes in the design, development, production and global distribution of technologically advanced wireless and hearing systems. As one of the top technology companies in the industry worldwide and with a global staff of over 3,000 employees, Phonak is a major player in the hearing health care market. By combining its expertise in hearing technology with a strong distribution network in over 70 countries, Phonak, along with its customers and business partners, contributes significantly to the quality of life of many people worldwide.
Phonak is the only hearing healthcare company to use Digital Bionics, which implements the unique capabilities of biological systems using state of the art technology.
Contact:
Vanessa Erhard
Marketing Communication
Phonak AG
Laubisrütistr. 28
CH-8712 Stäfa
Switzerland
Phone: +41/44/928'01'01
Direct: +41/44/928'02'88
Fax +41/44/928'07'07
E-Mail: vanessa.erhard@phonak.ch
Internet: http://www.phonak.com