FIBA Basketball World Cup in China is a very attractive proposition for brands
XI'AN - With the FIBA Basketball World Cup tipping off nine months from now, one aspect of the competition as it relates to sponsorship is abundantly clear: the 32-team event which will have participating countries from across the globe is a tremendous opportunity to promote brand awareness.
It was a point made during a panel discussion at the FIBA World Basketball Summit by Kiyo Tamiaki, the CEO of FIBA Partner Molten, Mark Gao, the President of CAA Sports China & Founder and CEO of Momentum Sports, and Chen Mengjia, the Vice-President of FIBA Partner Ganten.
"This is a very good time to talk about basketball brand because next year, we have the World Cup in China, then in 2020 the Olympics in Tokyo," said Tamiaki.
He also pointed out that the following edition of the World Cup, in 2023, would be in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia and what it means for the sport in the region.
Kiyo Tamiaki, CEO of FIBA Partner Molten, is excited about the opportunities in basketball for Asia
"These are golden years for Asian basketball. But in order to create a strong brand, you need to have a unique identity - different to other sports, like football, handball or volleyball," he said.
"You also have to be different to other (forms of) entertainment such as music, movies, or e-sports like video games. The key to why FIBA is strong, why basketball is strong, is legacy. It was born 128 years ago. That kind of legacy is what makes basketball so great."
Mark Gao, a former Vice President of NBA China, says it's a no-brainer when thinking about the pluses associated with sponsorship of basketball, and of doing so at the World Cup.
"This is the number one game," he said. "It definitely ranks No. 1, especially in China because of the NBA, CBA and FIBA. This is the most popular and played sport in China.
Mark Gao is President of CAA Sports China & Founder and CEO of Momentum Sports
"In 2019, we have a marquee event which is the FIBA Basketball World Cup and 32 teams from five continents will fight for national pride, for the championship. It will attract a lot of attention not only from the media but also from the serious activation on the ground. It will create a lot of relevance between the brand and the basketball fans and the consumers."
Chen Mengjia also weighed in.
"FIBA's games are world class and worldwide," he said. "Cooperation with FIBA is a globalization development of Ganten's brand strategy."
Chen Mengjia is Vice-President of FIBA Partner Ganten
Tamiaki emphasized how important the sport of basketball and Molten's relationship with FIBA, has been for the company.
"Legacy makes your brand stronger," he said. "Our basketball is at the core of the game. It has official game size, official weight and is made of leather. It's not synthetic. It's leather. It's (the) core of basketball. That is why people call it 'the rock'. It's the foundation of the game."
"THE KEY TO WHY FIBA IS STRONG, WHY BASKETBALL IS STRONG, IS LEGACY. THE SPORT WAS BORN 128 YEARS AGO AND THAT KIND OF LEGACY IS WHAT MAKES BASKETBALL SO GREAT."
Gao shared his belief that there are clear advantages for brands to be associated with the FIBA Basketball World Cup.
"When you look at sports sponsorship, you need to look at the top class properties in the world and fortunately, the FIBA Basketball World Cup comes to China next year,” he said. "There, the 32 best teams get together and compete for the championship. This is a great opportunity for brands to do series of activation around that. Not only to promote awareness of the brand but also to build sort of relevance with your client."
Chen Mengjia believes Ganten will enhance its business through its sponsorship at the World Cup.
"In China, with a 1.4 billion population, there are many basketball fans," he said. "The most influential national teams all over the world will gather in China. As a local brand, we will communicate effectively in eight host cities, which will help to improve the brand in span and depth.
"For such a big-scale sports competition, we consider its influence and scale to be world-class. We also consider the audiences and our consumers to be in the same group. Another factor taken into consideration is its players, their fame and influence. And the broadcasting rating is also important."
"THE 32 BEST TEAMS GET TOGETHER AND COMPETE FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP. THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR BRANDS TO DO SERIES OF ACTIVATION AROUND THAT. NOT ONLY TO PROMOTE AWARENESS OF THE BRAND BUT ALSO TO BUILD SORT OF RELEVANCE WITH YOUR CLIENT."
Mark Gao says sports is a great vehicle for companies to get their name out.
"More and more Chinese brands want to become international, global. So sports is a great platform to help them to achieve those objectives. This is a universal language," he pointed out. "For next year's FIBA World Cup, I see there are many sponsors from China. I wish, like Ganten, like Nike, they would have huge success around that."
Tamiaki says the World Cup itself is enough of a pull for a company like Molten but the strength of the bond it has with FIBA makes the event even more appealing.
"Molten has been growing with FIBA. We are such a small company born in China. At the Los Angeles Olympics (in 1984), it was a huge opportunity to grow and we went to FIBA, had negotiations and got the first contract with FIBA," he said. "FIBA use the words 'FIBA Family'. FIBA is part of the Molten brand. The long-term relationship, it gives partnership value. That’s what we believe."
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