A decent PR coup for Artemis today. At Cowes last week Artemis had their two boats in the Artemis Open 60 Challenge race. The Artemis Ocean Racing sponsorship is not a cheap exercise, but it engages potential investors and influencers at a different level to conventional advertising. (Or even the rather unconventional advertising that Libertine does for them). Certainly it can create coverage in places beyond the norm.

So last week we have rock boy Bryan Adams on one boat (keen sailor and raised decent cash for his charity), and Zara Phillips with big boyfriend Mike Tindall on the other, Artemis The Profit Hunter. This led to a five-page well branded spread in Hello! magazine. It's easy to knock sponsorship, and it can be slow burn. However coverage like this (to a readership of around 1.9 million women and 22 men) provides strong support for the Artemis brand. It's not better or worse than advertising, it adds value in a different way, and the two together contribute powerfully to the media multiplier effect.