Around the world in under 50 days

On 20 March 2010, when he set a new round-the-world record for sailing non-stop fully crewed aboard the maxi trimaran Groupama 3 in 48 days 7 hours 44 minutes and 52 seconds, Franck Cammas and his nine crew members also made international yachting history, after crossing the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans at an exceptional speed.
This achievement crowns two previous attempts (in January 2008 when he capsized off New Zealand and a withdrawal due to a technical problem in November 2009 off South Africa), and highlights the determination and commitment of a team and a Group who have shared the same values for thirteen years now.
In all began in 1997 when the Group decided to centre its sponsoring policy on the world of sailing, specifically on yacht racing, through an exclusive partnership agreement with the young yachtsman Franck Cammas. This was a natural fit with Groupama’s decision to both modernize its brand and inspire its employees and elected officials during a period of profound change.”In 12 years the Group has built four boats (Groupama 1, 2, 3 and 40) aboard which Franck Cammas has established an impressive track record, with 29 race wins and six records. In addition to this sporting success, in 2008 we assessed how far we had attained our communication objectives of image and reputation. The outcome was excellent“, says Frédérique Granado, Director of Group External Communications. “Our 360° multiple-media communication capability has generated significant visibility, especially on the Web with 2 million hits on cammas-groupama.com, 5 million page views, 1 million videos uploaded and 36,000 connections to cammas.mobi. We have also succeeded in stimulating the sailing community, with 83,000 people playing Virtual Regatta, as well as 16,000 fans and 60,000 players on Facebook.”

The recent study by the Institut Sportlab has underlined the effectiveness of a partnership driven by strong brand visibility. It has enabled Groupama to become the best-remembered sailing sponsor, and comes second to BNP Paribas in terms of sponsorship power in a banking and insurance sector that is heavily involved in sport. Along with this reputation comes substantial added-value for the Group’s image in terms of innovation, boldness, openness and modernity, while remaining faithful to its mutualistic farming roots.

Reliability, loyalty and mutual trust are the hallmarks of the collaboration between Groupama and Franck Cammas, and these key qualities largely explain the success of this partnership for both the Group and for Team Groupama: “Besides the sporting aspect, it is obvious that by working over the long term we can concentrate fully on our projects, and stay ahead of the pack. Races and records are partly won before the starting gun goes off. It is vital to be driven by the same ambition, and share the same degree of determination,” says Franck Cammas. He will now prepare for the solo Route du Rhum La Banque Postale race which starts on 31 October 31 and then for the fully-crewed Volvo Ocean Race 2011–2012 World Tour with stopovers.

However, these preparations will not prevent the skipper and his crew from meeting Groupamas’s staff and elected representatives, and sharing with them an extraordinary adventure that lasted just 48 days to gain the Jules Verne Trophy, and will remain forever engraved in the Group’s memory.