Asian Sport Business Round Up 28th July 2012

Malaysia figured prominently in sports marketing news this week along with the opening of the Olympics and a dash of football, golf and cricket.

The Malaysian conglomerate Sime Darby has extended its sponsorship of the LPGA Malaysia for another three years.
Company representative Dato' Wahab Maskan said the Sime Darby LPGA has set an international benchmark. This year’s tournament takes place at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club from October 11-14. The LPGA’s top 62 players will compete for some USD $1.9 million.

Malaysian goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi Che Mat was named 100PLUS brand ambassador. The isotonic
beverage brand concluded its 100PLUS Road to London campaign to encourage Malaysians to support their local sports heroes.
Khairul Fahmi Che Mat was also chosen as spokes person for Puma Malaysia to represent the company’s new line of athletic footwear.

The Asia Broadcasting Union has been negotiating with North Korean media officials to arrange broadcasting of the 2012 Summer Olympics in that country.
Voice of America radio reported that ABU president Kim In-kyu was set to visit North Korea for talks with government media officials.
North Korea competed in 11 sports events at the last Summer Olympic Games held in China in 2008. The country won six medals in weightlifting, gymnastics and judo. About 51 athletes were sent to this year’s Games which started Friday, July 27.

In rugby news, England Sevens star Dan Norton signed a personal endorsement contract with Japanese sportswear maker Mizuno. Under terms of the contract, Norton will wear Mizuno boots and other equipment throughout next year’s HSBC Sevens World Series.
With 8 tries to his name, the 24-year-old Norton is currently fourth in the England Sevens all time tries-scorers list.

An adidas franchise owner, Coty Beauty Far East sponsored a series of football matches to commemorate the launch of the latest men’s fragrance adidas Extreme Power Special Edition.
Qualifying games were played in Indonesia, Malaysia and the finals at the Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza in Singapore.
Coty Beauty officials said they were satisfied with the increase in sales as well as the spread of publicity generated by the events. The PR initiatives were handled by Touch Communications.

The week rounded off with a media deal. ESPN Star Sports announced it will be exclusive broadcaster of the Sri Lanka Premier League in India. The league starts up next month.
The multi-year agreement will allow ESPN to air at least 24 T20 matches per season in 17 other countries including Cambodia, Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan and Thailand.
A Nielsen ratings report last year estimated that 1 billion people in 180 territories tuned in to the Cricket World Cup tournament on television, online, mobile phones and radio.
TAM Media Research findings indicate the game dominated TV ratings in India- the heartland of cricket - two years ago with about 176 million viewers compared with 57 million in 2003.
Cricket was the biggest revenue engine for Indian TV that year, accounting for 85% of the total TV sports ad spending.

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Asian Sport Business Round Up 21st July 2012

Chinese reaction to an American trade dispute was in the spotlight last week along with plenty of sponsorship activity in Singapore and Hong Kong. There was also news in European soccer and Indian cricket.

There has been official reaction from China to the Ralph Lauren Olympics uniform scandal.
The Xinhua News Agency says American complaints about outsourcing the production of clothes for the US Olympics team are “hypocritical and irresponsible” considering how much work is done in China for the American market and the level of dependence US brands have on the Chinese manufacturing industry.
Fashion designer Ralph Lauren came under fire recently when it was reported that the red white and blue berets and blazers the company provided for American athletes all bore the “Made in China” label.
The backlash erupted on social media networks with some people threatening to boycott the Lauren label. The US fashion community joined the fray as well as some politicians including Senate majority leader Harry Reid.
Ralph Lauren representatives promised to correct the situation saying that uniforms for the 2014 Winter Olympics would be 100% US-made. A statement indicated that the company would address the issue of outsourcing.

In more Olympics news, Adidas is banding Chinese fans together to support that country’s Olympic athletes. The company is handing out free red and yellow wristbands, called adiBands, at selected adidas stores across the country.

Hong Kong residents will be able to watch some of the London Olympics events on the region’s free TV stations. A last-minute agreement saw i-Cable selling the rights to 200 hours of Olympics events including the opening and closing ceremonies for an undisclosed amount.

The Singapore National Games has secured a sponsorship deal with the sport brand Yonex worth S$2.65 million. The arrangement will provide apparel and accessories such as waist pouches and water bottles to staff and VIP guests.
The Games, to be held from September 1-9, will be organized by some 3,000 volunteers and officials and will showcase ten sports.
Along with traditional sports, Singapore will be featuring some novelties. The region’s first Red Bull Flutag 2012 and Red Bull Stratos competitions will be held this fall. The events give local residents the chance to design, build and pilot human-powered flying machines which will be judged on their flight distance, creativity and showmanship. The Red Bull Stratos event will feature expert parachutist Felix Baumgartner making a free fall jump from a distance of more than 36 kms. in the air.
Organizers expect 50,000 people to attend the event to be held at Siloso Beach, Sentosa on October 28. Media and publicity initiatives will be handled by Strategic Public Relations Group.

In soccer news, the Korean tyre maker Hankook will be a sponsor of the Uefa Europe League for the next three years. The arrangement includes the 2013, 2014 and 2015 Uefa Futsal Cup finals.

The week rounded off with cricket news. The incense brand, Cycle Pure Agarbathies is sponsoring India’s one-day series with Sri Lanka. Cycle Pure Agarbathies will also back the five scheduled ODIs as well as one T-20 game in Sri Lanka. The company will put its name to an award for the 'quality performer' of the series.

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Asian Sport Business Round Up 14th July 2012

The countdown to the Olympics was the item this last week along with F1 racing and a dash of amateur golf.


The news that the London Olympics will be aired on free TV in Hong Kong hasn’t made much of a buzz among regional advertisers. Timothy Fok, of the local Sports Federation and Olympic Committee said details of broadcasts on free to air stations were expected soon but media representatives said the news comes a bit late.
Cecilia Chan, of MediaCom Hong Kong said there may be just enough time for advertisers to adjust their schedules if they want to leverage on the games.
She says TVB and ATV will probably carry them on their digital channels but clients will have to wait and see if the free stations will support the games with in-house programming.
"The selection of games they broadcast will also make a difference,” said Chan. “We already know Hong Kong people are most interested in games that the China team has a better chance to win, such as gymnastics and diving."
But she said it may not make much of a difference anyway because the stations’ final decisions won’t affect many advertisers either way.
"For the official sponsors, they have everything planned out already regardless what happens with TVB and ATV. For the others, I expect there will be adjustments but minor ones."
In more Olympics news, several global firms have teamed up with advertising giant JCDecaux in a media campaign in support of Hong Kong athletes across key MTR stations.
A TV ad starring Olympic table tennis medalists Li Ching and Ki Lai Chak was launched at several MTR stations  along with outdoor ads and a Facebook game.
The campaign has transformed  stations into sports arenas for swimming, gymnastics, cycling, table tennis and archery. Video games and interactive ads will be launched to engage MTR passengers.
Participating advertisers include Samsung, American Tourister, GigaSports, HTC, LG and Procter & Gamble.
McDonald’s is putting on the finishing touches to its flagship restaurant on the Olympics site. With a seating capacity of 1500, the environmentally-friendly restaurant was three years in the planning and designing. The facilities will be dismantled after the Games with much of the furniture and equipment distributed to other McDonald’s in the UK.

A new event, the Singapore National Games is attracting supporters. The sports and apparel brand Yonex has signed a USD $2-million deal to cover the next three versions of the biennial event set to
start up on September 1.
Grand Prix racing is alive and well with news of two contracts signed between organizers of Belgian and Singapore Grand Prix to continue hosting F1 races.

The week rounded off with golf news. Hong Kong marketing agency Fast Track has been chosen to set up the media initiative for the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship set for the Amata Spring Country Club in Thailand this November. The event comprises a field of 120 male players representing 36 member countries.

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Asian Sport Business Round Up 7th July 2012

July started strongly with the focus on fighting sports, football and golf. Also for a little variety: the royal sport of polo.


The month kicked off with announcements from two martial arts promoters on developments in Asia.

Unlimited Fights Championships announced it would be holding a cage fight extravaganza at the Venetian Resort and Hotel in Macau on November 10th.
That event coincides with a bout between former welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao and an unnamed opponent. Pacquiao lost the World Welterweight Boxing Organization welterweight title in Las Vegas to Timothy Bradley last month after a controversial decision that prompted international furor.
The UFC event caps a steady initiative by that organization to establish a market in China in its goal of global expansion. The UFC broadcast reach has garnered a reported 500-million individual viewers in China with a growing roster of promising fighters developing in that country.
Organizers say the time difference between the UFC event and the Pacquiao fight should avoid any conflict between the two.

Asia’s largest mixed martial arts promoter One Fighting Championship has announced that the global car brand Chevrolet will be the organization’s official automobile sponsor.
One FC recently announced the signing of the top Asian lightweight fighter Shinya Aoki (30-6-1) to a multi-fight deal. Aoki is set to make his debut in the main event of the Pride of a Nation card in Manila on August 31.

In soccer news, the Philippine national football association has extended its deal with Korean car brand Kia for another year. Kia will serve as the official transport provider to the national soccer team, the Philippine Azkals.

In other sponsorship news, the Asian Tour has announced that the Swedish sportswear producer Abacus will be an official sponsor of the organization. As the tour’s apparel partner, Abacus will supply tour officials and staff members with a wide selection of golf apparel. The company will also develop a fashion collection designed specially for the Asian Tour.
The Asian Tour is a full member of the International Federation of PGA Tours and is administered from offices in Singapore.

The week rounded off with news from the royal sport. This year’s polo season arrived in style on a hot Sunday in June with the Jaeger-LeCoultre Malaysia playing host to the Malaysian Ladies International Polo Championship 2012. Some of the world’s finest players such as Lia Salvo. Jennifer Too, Anis Jamaluddin and Lynley Fong were on hand for the event.
Jaeger-LeCoultre representative Reena Tan said the company shares a history with polo and has been associated with the sport of kings since 1931.
The ladies event as well as the Malaysian International Polo Tournament were held on the historic grounds of the Royal Selangor Polo Club located in the centre of Kuala Lumpur, with the Malaysian Open featuring some of the top-class goalies from Argentina, Thailand, and Singapore alongside polo players from Malaysia.
As timepiece sponsor for the recent polo tournaments, Jaeger-LeCoultre supplied winners with timepiece gift certificates and also awarded three personalized Reverso timepieces for the "best patron" award, "most valuable player" award, and the Golden Goals Charity.

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