As an ethical consumer, has anyone considered maintaining a list of brands who are not sullied for the RL fan to use? Judging by their youtube ads, Dove soap have jumped into bed with the Rah Rahs too.

I work for one of the well-known High Street banks (not RBS), and in their large office in a certain RL heartland, they frequently used to buy tickets in bulk from the local RL team and sell them at a discount rate to staff, which went down very well in our RL-mad office (I sadly now don't work in that office now). So the banks aren't all run by Union boys and the same bank has no connection that I know of to any sport bar some prior sponsorship of one RL team.

However, on the other side of the coin, I am also a RBS customer and have written to them to ask if their funding is equally available to RL amateur clubs, and if not, to clarify their stance on it. If I don't like it, I might well close that account.

Yes, he's almost certainly right. That very small part is admittedly part of what was a much larger albatross round RBS's neck.

PPI and the murkier parts of the mortgage book are a major cause of that loss. Ulster Bank was riddled with some huge, unaffordable mortgages in Ireland (and is noted as such in the annual report). The bank as a whole made a core operating profit, and I reckon it'll be back in the black in 2014/15.

I am still uncomfortable with them using taxpayers' money for sponsorship, mind. Same with Northern Rock and Newcastle (football and RU) the other year.

I seem to recall a one man picket outside the Daily Telegraph offices demanding better RL coverage a few years back.....how'd that pan out?

As I have said, RBS are targetting "middle Englanders"......Hiasynth Bucket and her Daily Mail reading ilk.....they are not a particularly nice or jovial bunch, but they are the Middle Class aspirants who will have a generation of Tarquins and Jemimas coming behind them that will read the same paper, drive the same car and almost assuredly, bank with the same bank.

I think the real problem here isn't the bank in question, not the 11 million a year and not even the game involved......the real problem here is a typical trait displayed by a vocal minority of RL fans up and down the country.....you're green with envy that Union has a sponsor at pretty much every turn and the RFL have nailed down Foxy Bingo and Tetleys Bitter. There's the assertion that "UNION" are better connected and that's not fair.......it really is time RL fans took 2 Concrete Pills and hardened the up.

And RBS head of brand and marketing[url=http://www.espnscrum.com/six-nations-2013/rugby/story/175836.htmlGREGORY THORPE[/url......added: "Our RBS 6 Nations sponsorship delivers significant value to our business...

Now, if anyone has proof that this guy is actually a Tarquin and is blowing 11 million a year on top of the 50,000,000 they'd already spent then you're more naive than even I give you credit for...

How so. Im a thicko so show me where the £11,000,000 per year delivers significant value. I see value as a return for money so a significant one would be serious kudo's. Isnt that what sponsership is for?

Of course I envy the money it gets. We'll get nowhere as a code if we don't understand how Union manages to pull it off.

As for the picket- well, he got it back at the top of the website, better than nowt I suppose. But I'm more interested in how it fits with my own views on these things. If they're not being even-handed with League, I feel within my rights to walk. I did the same when Santander started trying to thrust Formula One down my throat, a sport I truly, truly, truly loathe both on and off the track.

Patently you're having trouble reading the declaration of the bank in question...so I'll do this easy for you:

1. Click on the link below
[urlhttp://www.espnscrum.com/six-nations-2013/rugby/story/175836.html[/url
2. Read the story....
3. Specifcally, the words you are looking for are..."Our RBS 6 Nations sponsorship delivers significant value to our business"



The ROI from sponsorship is multi-tiered. It can involve direct sales/revenue, coupled with increased awareness and a raising of public perception about the company and the brands involved.

As I have already shown, 70,000,000 UK viewers alone will watch this years 15 games.......that is a massive reach, before you take into account the 160 countries where the Comp is shown, the internet traffic, the mentions in every paper that carries their results and match reports. When I sold to them, the 6 Nations email database was 2,300,000 records.......RBS get access to that as well.

Put it this way, do you think that Engage were getting their money back....some 8.4 million over 7 years, when they sponsored SL or do you think they used the comp as a way to raise awareness through multiple media channels as well asby being able to market to the RFL database of fans?

Asking for proof that RBS make the 11 million back simply shows a total lack of understanding of how sponsorship and marketing works...


You got that right

You seem to be missing the fact that the gobsssshhhiiiiiteee who got rbs in this mess is the same who signed them up to this contract and question were asked in the house of commons of why a public owned company was squanding public money on a sports event.

And the said was forced to resign

Seems he loves the union game so much he brike his bank to sponsor it

The 6 Nations contract was renewed yet again in January 2013 after all of that

[urlhttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/article-2264613/RBS-extends-Six-Nations-sponsorship-deal.html[/url

Other than that being the most stupid thing anyone has ever posted on here, I am stunned that you actually believe it wasn't bllions of pounds in bad debt and useless paper handled by the investment arm of the bank that brought them down, but instead, according to you, it was about 5 million a year in cash to the 6 nations that brought down the bank.

I really don't want to call you stupid.....so please confirm you were joking and you understand the mechanics of the global fiscal meltdown and the part played by RBS.

Quote ="gutterfax"....3. Specifcally, the words you are looking for are..."Our RBS 6 Nations sponsorship delivers significant value to our business"'" TBF gutts, the Head of Business and Marketing @RBS is hardly going to say anything else is he...Especially In these days of austerity measures. Quote The ROI from sponsorship is multi-tiered. It can involve direct sales/revenue, coupled with increased awareness and a raising of public perception about the company and the brands involved. Asking for proof that RBS make the 11 million back simply shows a total lack of understanding of how sponsorship and marketing works...'" So you're stating theres {still} no real failure standards at RBS...You may have a point. Remember this from the OP: Quote Given that RBS is 83% owned by the public ie. you and me'" Spending 11 million of TaxPayers money on something that has no tangible benefit whilst declaring a fourth consecutive Billion pound+loss is okey-dokie with yer goodself? The renewal of the union sponsorship was announced just a month before this broke: Quote ="Jill Treanor, Guardian Newspaper: RBS boss admits 'chastening' year as losses breach £5bn" RBS boss admits 'chastening' year as losses breach £5bn • Stephen Hester says the privatisation is getting closer • £607m paid out in bonuses, £215m to investment bankers • £450m extra charge from PPI scandal '" Source: www.guardian.co.uk/business/2013 ... hen-hester Quote ="Insolvency news.com"Royal Bank of Scotland today reported a pre-tax loss of £2 billion – its fourth consecutive loss since it was bailed out by the taxpayer in 2008.'" [urlhttp://www.insolvencynews.com/article/13501/industry/rbs-declares-2bn-loss-as-restructuring-team-grows[/url The last Financial Institution to bail out a strugging rugby union entity(do you prefer province?) went bust not long after... Hows the battleship GF?

Quote ="gutterfax"....3. Specifcally, the words you are looking for are..."Our RBS 6 Nations sponsorship delivers significant value to our business"'" TBF gutts, the Head of Business and Marketing @RBS is hardly going to say anything else is he...Especially In these days of austerity measures. Quote The ROI from sponsorship is multi-tiered. It can involve direct sales/revenue, coupled with increased awareness and a raising of public perception about the company and the brands involved. Asking for proof that RBS make the 11 million back simply shows a total lack of understanding of how sponsorship and marketing works...'" So you're stating theres {still} no real failure standards at RBS...You may have a point. Remember this from the OP: Quote Given that RBS is 83% owned by the public ie. you and me'" Spending 11 million of TaxPayers money on something that has no tangible benefit whilst declaring a fourth consecutive Billion pound+loss is okey-dokie with yer goodself? The renewal of the union sponsorship was announced just a month before this broke: Quote ="Jill Treanor, Guardian Newspaper: RBS boss admits 'chastening' year as losses breach £5bn" RBS boss admits 'chastening' year as losses breach £5bn • Stephen Hester says the privatisation is getting closer • £607m paid out in bonuses, £215m to investment bankers • £450m extra charge from PPI scandal '" Source: www.guardian.co.uk/business/2013 ... hen-hester Quote ="Insolvency news.com"Royal Bank of Scotland today reported a pre-tax loss of £2 billion – its fourth consecutive loss since it was bailed out by the taxpayer in 2008.'" [urlhttp://www.insolvencynews.com/article/13501/industry/rbs-declares-2bn-loss-as-restructuring-team-grows[/url The last Financial Institution to bail out a strugging rugby union entity(do you prefer province?) went bust not long after... Hows the battleship GF?

Just fine JD......floats just fine.



You're a clever chap......surely you know there is little if any conncetion between the investment arm of RBS and the retail and SME business banking that is the driver for the 11 million?

Fully accept that after being bailed out by the public and managing to wash away "other concealed" debts in the years afterwards is not right....and neither is the idea that eventually RBS will be private again, once the GB public have made it a sustainable entity.........BUT.......the 11 Million gives returns on their investment....."their" not being all the naughty boys in your links, but the place where middle england banks.

I repeat, if the 11 million or 44 over 4 yrs was a wase of money than it would have been crushed immediately........you couldn't get any more high profile unless you sponsored the premiership.

As for the Marketing guy saying what he said........if it hadn't worked over the first few years, there's not a snowballs chance in hell he'd have asked for the budget to double the previous spend and extend the contract for 4 years....you're not that naive are you JD?

Don't forget in this debate that gutterfax pays his taxes in NZ not the UK. He's not worried that the RBS continue's to lose money. He's happy in the thought that its still under pinning union in the UK.

I pay taxes in BOTH countries and I have not a care either way if RBS spend money on Union, lawn bowls or netball.

By the way, the 6 nations ([urlhttp://www.rbs6nations.com/en/1595.php[/url) is not owned by or run by the RFU......who received a total of £15,300,000 in revenue from sponsorship in 2012, so RBS are not underpinning Rugby the UK. Actually, it is the hospitality interests of the RFU which is contributing most


[urlhttp://www.rfu.com/abouttherfu/~/media/files/2012/abouttherfu/rfu_ar12_complete_311012_jr.ashx[/url

Wax Lyrical about how the big bad nasty RBS have no right to sponsor the big bad 6 nations......it really does nothing to dispell the belief that RL fans are the most well balanced fans in the world.......they have a chip on each shoulder

I pay taxes in BOTH countries and I have not a care either way if RBS spend money on Union, lawn bowls or netball.

By the way, the 6 nations ([urlhttp://www.rbs6nations.com/en/1595.php[/url) is not owned by or run by the RFU......who received a total of £15,300,000 in revenue from sponsorship in 2012, so RBS are not underpinning Rugby the UK. Actually, it is the hospitality interests of the RFU which is contributing most


[urlhttp://www.rfu.com/abouttherfu/~/media/files/2012/abouttherfu/rfu_ar12_complete_311012_jr.ashx[/url

Wax Lyrical about how the big bad nasty RBS have no right to sponsor the big bad 6 nations......it really does nothing to dispell the belief that RL fans are the most well balanced fans in the world.......they have a chip on each shoulder

Frankly, if companies are throwing a few quid ( and in terms of banking, that's all it is, a few quid) at sport, its fine by me. We should be encouraged that there's money around and go out and find some. There are a ton of reasons people aren't as keen to sponsor us, all of which can be worked on. Some things will take years, many small but important things can be fixed quickly ( just look at the photo of the RFL leadership on their website - ill fitting suits, etc. - would you trust your brand with that lot? - for crying out loud, rent a bleedin' suit for the day and a decent photographer!). The main thing is that what Union does or doesn't get is their problem - we should be learning, not whinging. And "learning" doesn't mean copying. We know the six nations works for them, but that doesn't mean we need to try to mimic the competition with a half baked concept of contrived 'home nations'. What we need to learn from is how they took a competition that works for them and presented it as an attractive package to sponsors, and then try to do the best we can with the competitions that work for us.

Got to be an opportunity for the "Mos Bros Superleague" conta-deal for 2014

I think we've more chance with Jacamo.

I shouldn't have thought that anyone at RBS would have the slightest interest in the finances of people in places such as Normanton, Castleford etc, these areas will be suitably catered for by the likes of Wonga surely?

Oddly enough, one of the big banks has a massive site at Normanton. It's not RBS though.

Am I the only one here who thinks GF is actually talking sense? I would have snapped a long time ago GF. Kudos to you for keeping some form of restraint.

Good

You'll prolly be needing it to move that strawman you've been trying to build below...


The only ppl getting a return from rbs are those who collect the fines misconduct, staff via Bonuses and union through increased sponsorship.

.
Yes, crushed...presumably by the same suits who thought that bloke Maddoff had a rather spiffing idea and would later go onto sign off on the sub prime larks. The folk at RBS have made a habit of giving money to dodgy people and speaking of the unionites,

But surely the 50 million pound question is whether this particular Company, which continues to post Billion pound+ losses, should be using taxpayer monies in this way. We can argue elsewhere over the value and profile of the sick Nations (a record number of penalties kicked in one game so I’m told; Riveting stuff, ay).


Why not? You posted earlier that there was no way to quantify the success/ failure of multi layered sponsorship and now you’re claiming that Tarquin Gregory has somehow managed to do just that.


Aye prolly

, at least for the duration of the present conversation anyway