EXTREMELIVES LINK WITH SONY ERICSSON HELPS BOOST WINDSURF PARTICIPATION

August 3 2006 – During August, 30,000 new Sony Ericsson customers are being given the opportunity to redeem a free extreme sports experience through the national coaching network www.extremelives.co.uk – and windsurfing is one of the sports on that list!

It has long been recognised that windsurfing has struggled to maintain its popularity and appeal in an increasingly saturated leisure industry. Extremelives are looking to tackle this problem head on by encouraging new participants into the sport through a number of brand promotions and special offers with leading high street names.

To celebrate the launch of their K800i, Sony Ericsson customers purchasing the phone from an Orange store will receive a voucher entitling them to a free extreme sports experience in one of the 13 sports on offer.

Niall Cluley from Extremelives explains: “The K800i is a fantastic product for us to be associated with. It’s one of the first mobile phones that will actually capture quality image and videos with its cutting-edge technology – perfect for capturing you and your mates windsurfing.

“Promotions such as this with leading consumer brands are enabling Extremelives to convert previously untapped audiences to extreme sports – something that windsurfing, in particular, is crying out for.”

However, attracting people to windsurfing is not Extremelives sole purpose. Perhaps their main strength is actually ensuring that beginners stick with the sport. The UK’s largest network of coaches, along with the individual support offered by the national coaching centre on Hayling Island, means sailors of all abilities progress as quickly as possible.

So how does this promotion of windsurfing benefit you? Not only will we ultimately have more people to sail with and see windsurfing regain its high profile position, more people buying windsurf kit might also just be the factor that helps drive the price of equipment down – surely a good thing for us all, given the anticipated price rises of 2007?

Look out for the Sony Ericsson promotion in Orange stores across the UK throughout August. Plus, coming soon… 5 million MBNA credit card users and 6.7 million Scottish and Southern energy customers will be able to redeem a discount voucher against an Extremelives course…