Sun Life Financial Nets Naming Rights to Boston Celtics Exclusive Courtside Club

Celtics primary TD Garden hospitality venue to be designated Sun Life Courtside Club

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Boston Celtics and U.S. business group of Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE:SLF, TSX:SLF) today announced that the leading financial services company has acquired naming rights to the Boston Celtics exclusive Courtside Club as part of a multi-year partnership renewal beginning in the 2012-2013 season. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Under the terms of the agreement, the Courtside Club, the Celtics primary hospitality venue in the TD Garden used for entertaining team ownership, courtside ticket holders, corporate partners and VIP guests during each Celtics home game, will be designated as the Sun Life Courtside Club. Sun Life has been a sponsor of the Boston Celtics since the 2010-11 season.

As a naming rights partner, Sun Life’s brand will be prominently featured throughout the Sun Life Courtside Club, including entry and directional signage leading guests to the club and the club’s interior, as well as on staff uniforms and courtside tickets and passes required for club admission. Sun Life will also receive seat back signage on the first row courtside sideline seats for all Celtics home games, the opportunity to host customer events in the Courtside Club and courtside season tickets and club passes.

“We’re excited to renew our partnership with the Celtics,” said Sun Life Financial U.S. President Westley V. Thompson. “It combines the strength and stability of the Sun Life brand with one of the world’s most prestigious professional sports franchises, while providing us with a great opportunity to connect with a highly coveted audience and offer exclusive hospitality experiences to current and prospective customers and our employees.”

Sun Life will also receive additional promotional and marketing assets, including extensive presence in-arena through courtside signage, branded in-game promotions and features, 21 Sun Life Honorary Ball Kid Experiences and the rights to use Boston Celtics team marks and logos in external and internal marketing and advertising campaigns.

“We’re thrilled to build upon our successful partnership with Sun Life through unique activation both in the arena and online,” Celtics Team President Rich Gotham said. “The Sun Life Courtside Club provides a unique opportunity for generating awareness with our high value season ticket holders while providing a great business to business marketing platform.”

As a sponsor of Celtics.com, Sun Life will receive significant exposure on the site which is one of the most highly trafficked in professional sports, including presenting sponsorship of Celtics Minute, a daily video vignette. Celtics.com averages more than 8.5 million page views and 1.5 million unique visitors per month, for a total of 70 million page views each season.

The partnership also calls for Celtics executives, Legends and personalities to participate in Sun Life programs, initiatives and meetings with Celtics mascot LUCKY also to make several appearances at local community organizations in conjunction with Sun Life’s philanthropic initiatives. Visit www.celtics.com for more information about the Celtics partnership with Sun Life Financial.

About Sun Life Financial

Sun Life Financial is a leading international financial services organization providing a diverse range of protection and wealth accumulation products and services to individuals and corporate customers. Chartered in 1865, Sun Life Financial and its partners today have operations in key markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China and Bermuda. In the United States and elsewhere, insurance products are offered by members of the Sun Life Financial group that are insurance companies. Sun Life Financial Inc., the holding company for the Sun Life Financial group of companies, is a public company. It is not an insurance company and does not offer insurance products for sale in the United States or elsewhere, and does not guarantee the obligations of its insurance company subsidiaries. In the United States, Sun Life Financial provides a range of products and services to employers and their employees, including group and voluntary life, disability, dental and stop-loss insurance products. These products are issued by Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada in all states except New York. In New York, these products are issued by Sun Life Insurance and Annuity Company of New York. Product offerings may not be available in all states and may vary depending on state laws and regulations. For more information please visit www.sunlife.com/us. Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under the ticker symbol SLF.

About The Boston Celtics

A charter member of the Basketball Association of America (which evolved into the National Basketball Association) since 1946, the Boston Celtics have won a record 17 NBA Championships, including eight (8) in a row from 1959-1966, and have won NBA titles in three different eras. In addition, 32 former Celtics players, management or staff have been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In December 2002 the team returned to local ownership for the first time since 1963. For more information on the Celtics, log on to www.celtics.com.

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Boston CelticsHeather Walker, 617-854-8072, 617-594-4453
[email protected]
or
elevateKeith Gainsboro, 857-234-1481
[email protected]
or
Sun Life FinancialAlexi Maravel, 781-446-1624
[email protected]

Source: Sun Life Financial Inc.