Opera Software skates onto the rink
Oslo, Norway – December 1, 2011
Today, Opera Software announced its strategic partnership with the Boston Sitniks, an up-and-coming hockey team in the United States, largely powered by Russian ex-pats. The goal of the partnership is to further strengthen Opera’s presence in the U.S. market and to learn from the Sitniks” team spirit.
Opera Software’s CEO, Lars Boilesen, from the great hockey-nation of Denmark, explained: “This is a natural step for us now. Even with over 220 million users all over the world, we know we have great upside within the Russian-sports-fan-demographic of the Southie area of Boston.”
Opera set out to find a partner that perfectly suited its browsers, which are faster, save people money and provide the best Internet experience, no matter what device they use. When Opera didn’t manage to find such a partner, they simply decided to go with the Sitniks.
“Teaming up with the Sitniks will make us a household name in ten to twenty American homes. I look forward to following this team closely this season. You say this is not real hockey? It is. You can tell from the hockey sticks, the hockey puck and the rink. This is definitely real ice. See, it’s slippery,” said Boilesen.
The player-coach of the Boston Sitniks, Jared Gordon, also sees a great future for the relationship.
“Normally, these sponsorships are brokered by agents and lawyers, but when Opera had its own talent scouts in the area, we jumped at the chance. Luckily for us, they missed the game, but our never-accept-defeat attitude at the after-game party clearly is a bonus,” said Gordon.
The parties spent some time negotiating the agreement, and both sides are now proudly aligning forces to push for the championship. To boost morale on both sides, the mandatory corporate team video was produced and is now being made public for the first time. This video would make Bob and Doug proud!
“So many businesses are so serious about their sports, but we think the most important thing is having the right attitude. It should be fun, and we really believe our users benefit more from this collaboration, much more than Energizer battery buyers benefit from them sponsoring the NHL,” said Boilesen.