Insurance Marketing
Partner Up

• Lori Chordas
• October 2020
• 

On Par

AIG has extended its title sponsorship of the oldest of the LPGA Tour's five major championships, formerly known as the AIG Women's British Open.

Under the agreement, AIG extended its sponsorship for two more years, which will run until 2025, and the championship has been renamed the AIG Women's Open, as part of a rebrand by AIG and event organizer, The R&A.

This year's AIG Women's Open was played in August at the Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland. It was the first women's major championship in 2020 after the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the LPGA Tour. While the pandemic forced the event to be played without spectators, it was still viewed by 11 million fans through a global broadcast.

AIG is committed to supporting women in business and society, and “proudly stands as allies with the world-class field of diverse women golfers” who had the opportunity to compete before a global audience, Peter Zaffino, AIG president and global chief operating officer, said.

He acknowledged the necessary health and safety protocols The R&A and the United Kingdom and Scottish governments took to allow the 2020 AIG Women's Open to be played “under safe and responsible conditions.”

The championship has been played annually since 1976. But it didn't become part of the LPGA Tour schedule until the mid-1990s, and was given status as a major in 2001.

Name of the Game

Auto and home insurer BELAIRDIRECT has positioned itself as a premier sponsor of the Canadian Football League's Edmonton Eskimos community-owned football team for the past five years. Earlier this year, the insurer told the team that it would be hesitant to continue its involvement unless consideration was given to changing the team name. Belairdirect, a subsidiary of Intact Financial Corp., was aware that the team had undertaken a multitiered process of engagement with Inuit leaders, politicians and others to gain knowledge of their feelings regarding the use of the word “Eskimo.” In July, the Edmonton football organization's board of directors announced that the team would discontinue the use of the word “Eskimo” and launch a “comprehensive engagement process” to re-brand with a new name. In the meantime, the club will use the names EE Football Team and Edmonton Football Team until the re-brand is launched.

Belairdirect confirmed that once play resumes in the CFL, it is looking forward to continuing with the partnership.