CAPE TOWN: Principal sponsor of Manchester United Football Team, Aon, embarked on an eight month-long Cape to Cairo journey on from Cape Town, where Aon staff members will travel to 19 Africa offices with an official Manchester United Football.

Four branded Mitsubishi off-road vehicles are travelling from Cape to Cairo, two along a 5315km Western route and two vehicles on a 4030km Eastern route as part of the 'Pass It On' initiative designed to engage colleagues, clients and communities in an epic soccer journey.

Vehicle branding and transit media specialists, Graffiti, provided the Africa route vehicles with an impressive branding make-over, ensuring that the vehicles turn heads and create excitement as they move from one Aon office in Africa to the next.

The Cape to Cairo 'Pass It On' route is one of three regional route teams from Aon — Asia Pacific, EMEA, and the Americas. Participants will compete for points as they pass Manchester United footballs along three transcontinental routes covering a total of approximately 1,80,000 kilometres, nearly four-and-a-half times the Earth's circumference. The footballs will stop at Aon offices and other points of interest around the world and meet up in London in June 2012, where they will be auctioned off for charity at Aon's 25th anniversary gala celebration taking place at Lloyd's of London.

Liza Kok, manager of marketing and communications for Aon South Africa, said, "Pass It On is designed to touch the lives of three very important stakeholders in Aon - firstly, our clients get to experience the true capacity of what Aon can do for their personal and business insurance and risk mitigation, and be part of an initiative that is about enabling economic and human possibility everywhere. Our colleagues get to be part of a collaborative journey that serves as a unifying, engaging, and educational tool for colleagues and be actively involved in what is happening and finally, our local communities are the cornerstone of empowering human and economic possibility, and we want 'Pass It On' to involve and support them."

In addition to the branding, the vehicles have also been fitted with additional GPS and Netstar vehicle tracking units to ensure they remain in contact at all times and on the safest possible route. Whilst the branded vehicles will serve as the campaign's mobile advertising medium, they were further supported by a radio competition, in which, local coaches stood the chance to participate in coaching clinics with the Manchester United Soccer Schools. Manchester United fans will also have noticed the branded hoardings encompassing the field at Old Trafford itself, drawing international attention to Aon's global 'Pass It On' initiative.

Graffiti Director, Gavin Schlaphoff, commented, "The Aon 'Pass It On' campaign is such an exciting project both for Graffiti to be involved with and for the thousands of people on the continent who are passionate about soccer and Manchester United in particular. The Aon branded vehicles are certain to stir up a huge amount of enthusiasm wherever they go."

Liza Kok added, "We have had a terrific response to the vehicles in the short time that they have been on the road. People immediately recognise the branding and have welcomed our drivers wherever they are. This is exactly the type of goodwill and positive impact we are hoping to have throughout the African expedition."

Show/Hide Comment form