Security vendor, Kaspersky Labs, wants to expand its presence in NSW and plans to sponsor a Sydney-based NRL football team as part of a brand building exercise.
The company already has a sponsorship deal with Melbourne Football Club, an AFL team, in Victoria. It opened its head office in Melbourne two and a half years ago after deciding it would demand lower operating expenses than a Sydney office.
“It was our very first office and we wanted to see how it went before we expanded to NSW and even QLD,” Kaspersky Labs, APAC director, Harry Cheung, said.
He was attending the preview of Kaspersky Internet Security 2012 and Kaspersky anti-virus 2012.
With the Melbourne business going well thanks to increased brand recognition through the AFL sponsorship, the vendor is ready to tackle Sydney through the same route.
“Since we took up sponsorship with Melbourne Football Club, we got our name out there quickly,” Cheung said. “I really believe a sponsorship in Sydney will create more noise not just in NSW but in QLD as well since rugby league is popular there.”
Cheung was tight-lipped on which team it will sponsor or how much the deal is worth but was able to reveal Kaspersky will become a major sponsor and the vendor’s name will be emblazoned on the front of the team’s jersey.
An official announcement on the deal will be made in July.
Kaspersky Labs consumer products are predominantly sold through retailers and it has around 50 enterprise resellers in Sydney.
If its NSW expansion plan goes well, the vendor plans to open a Sydney office within the next 18 months.
“We have our direction and we can pump more money into the business,” he said. “I think we will be the only security vendor with two major league teams in Australia.”
