ZEAL IS A BRAND
that is more than just a
SPONSOR
”
They involve the athlete team in so much of the discussion
and are so passionate about the products that we actually
get to have a voice. It is totally different and a lot of fun.”
– Pete Devries, Canadian Surfer, Zeal
In fact, each of these sports
eyewear companies would agree,
their athlete ambassadors are the best
R&D going. To become leaders in the
cycling world, Bollé crafted a product
based on the technology and design
specific to their athlete’s needs.
“It starts with a holistic approach
in which every component is carefully
engineered to maximize performance
across a wide range of real-world
situations,” Gerber said. “Lenses
are—of course—the starting point
and our B-Clear (Trivex) lenses set
the standard for optical clarity, light
weight and impact resistance. Further,
lenses of all cycling models benefit
from Bollé’s industry leading anti-fog
coating. Frames are ergonomically
and aerodynamically designed to
ensure a comfortable no-slip fit.”
Whether training or winning
32
OPTICAL PRISM | APRIL 2014
the team time trial during the 2013
Tour de France, holding the Yellow
Jersey for several days, the OricaGreen-Edge team wears Bollé’s
new 6th Sense model, the most
technologically advanced cycling
sunglass the company has ever
produced.
Switching gears to another view on
sponsorship, Zeal believes authenticity
in a product is as important as a genuine
relationship with the ambassador
athletes the company sponsors.
“Any brand can pay money and
find people to endorse their products,
no matter what they are. But it is
about the quality of the conversation
that your ambassadors have with their
fans and friends and media,” said Joe
Prebich, Director of Marketing for
Zeal Otpics, “Ensuring that your brand
message is one of authenticity and that
there is not an ad-style marketing push
behind interviews and statements but
a real love of the partnerships that the
athlete has created, that is where we
stand.”
While not many Canadians think
of surfing when they think of our
national sports, to Zeal, this kind of
out-of-the-box sponsorship made
complete sense when they put their
brand name behind Pete Devries,
a cold water surfer out of Torfino,
British Columbia.
“Pete truly epitomizes what
makes a Zeal athlete different than
the rest of the athletes out there,”
explains Prebich. “Pete is a story like
no other: a singular strong hold on
the Canadian surfing scene. Making a
name for himself by going further and
adventuring farther than other surfers
are willing to go.”