Asian Sport Business Round Up - April 28 -

[Callum]

The spotlight last week was on marketing campaigns, new sponsorships and the usual run of media deals.


American multinational Proctor and Gamble kicked off its “Thank You Mom” campaign in Hong Kong. The Cincinnati-based manufacturer’s regional branch named two local athletes as ambassadors and will pay for their mothers to attend the London 2012 Olympics.
Hong Kong gymnast Wai Hung Shek and swimmer Hang yu Sze will be P & G’s brand ambassadors during the Games. The pair will participate in promotions launched across online video, print, in-store, mobile and direct mail. A Face book competition will be set up in May asking visitors to tell the world about their mothers.
“As a company, we will serve as the proud sponsor of Mom,” said P & G marketing man Terence Lam, “because behind every amazing athlete – elite or beginner – is an even more amazing Mom.”
Other brands involved in the promotion include Pantene, Rejoice, Olay, Pampers and Oral B.

In motorsports, Air Asia extended its sponsorship agreement with the MotoGP World Championships and the series organizer Doma Sports.
Under the terms of the two-year contract , the airline will serve as title sponsor of the Japanese Grand Prix in 2012 and 2013 as well as this year’s Australian Grand Prix and an option for next year’s event. 

Air Asia holds the title rights to the British leg of the series which will be held June 15 to 17.

Chief executive Tony Fernandes said he believes in motorcycle racing because it allows his company to expand brand awareness through a thrilling sport with millions of fans around the world. “…It also helps us reach a young audience who are going to use our broad range of services,” he said.

Carlsberg is now the official beer of the Singapore Indoor Stadium. The brewer will have exclusive rights to serve the range of beers and ciders it imports into Singapore such as Carlsberg Green and Kronenbourg 1664 as well as various branding opportunities at the venue. 
Other sponsors of the SIS include MasterCard and Jack Daniel’s. The Singapore Indoor Stadium is part of the Singapore Sports Hub.

The Adidas ‘All In’ campaign is in full gear. The company’s ‘Ready to Run’ promotion has signed up pop icon Katy Perry, basketball legend Derrick Rose and footballers Lionel Messi and David Beckham to advertise its new line of Adidas ClimaCool running gear.
The ‘Ready to Run’ campaign will be held in Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam.

And the week rounded off with a couple of media deals. 

Eurosport secured broadcasting rights to the US Open Grand Slam in various Asian regions for the next four years. The countries include Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, North and South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam. The deal also includes non-exclusive rights in Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines.
The Chinese video website Tudou has gotten together with CCTV to stream a series of Olympics programmes online. The series, London Action, will provide viewers with an overall view of the Games with news, interviews, documentaries along with content sharing between users.

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