Conspicuous absence
▶ Chinese brands flub easy win by neglecting sponsorship of Asian Cup
The Chinese national soccer team caused a sensation when it unexpectedly beat Kyrgyzstan 2-1 on the second day of the 2019 Asian Football Confederation (ACF) Asian Cup.
The match in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates, drew China’s largest television audience on Monday night, with an overall market share of over 9 percent, according to Kuyun, a user data analysis company.
However, the image of the broadcast was a little strange for Chinese soccer fans as Chinese brands were nowhere to see.
Unlike the World Cup games in Russia last year, in which Chinese brands were spotted everywhere, the Asian Cup has not been sponsored by Chinese companies in its 63-year history.
Invisible on world stage
Continental AG, Toyota and Nikon were among the 15 brands that are the official sponsors or supporters of the 2019 UAE Asian Cup, according to the tournament’s official website.
Around half of the sponsors are from Japan. The rest are from Qatar, Germany, Switzerland and the host UAE.
None of them are Chinese companies. “Sponsorship is not only about a billboard,” said a Beijing-based soccer observer. “It is a presentation of national influence as well.”
Six months ago, at the FIFA World Cup in Russia, billboards with Chinese characters were spotted everywhere in arenas.
Seven Chinese companies sponsored the tournaments, providing a total of $835 million for advertising during the World Cup, the highest amount in the world, the Guangming Daily reported in June 2018.
“Although China’s soccer team did not win a slot at the 2018 World Cup, Chinese fans, products and advertisements could be seen everywhere,” noted Bai Yansong, a famous CCTV host.
Chinese advertisers such as Tsingtao Beer and Shandong Lingong Construction Machinery Co Ltd also had a heavy presence in the AFC Champions League of Asian soccer clubs, although they avoided the AFC Asian Cup.
According to thepaper.cn, eight Japan companies paid more than $100 million to sponsor the AFC in the 2016-20 period, offering critical financial support to the organization.
The report referred to the final between China and Japan of the 2004 Asian Cup hosted in China, in which controversial penalties broke the dream of Chinese soccer’s rare hope of winning in a championship.
Feels like home
Zhang Jilong, a former AFC vice president, said that if Chinese companies would like to become global players, they should sponsor not only Chinese soccer, but also the Asian market.
Wang Qi, the manager of the China Sports Industry Group and a sports marketing expert, told the Global Times the issue is mainly the weak influence of the AFC Asian Cup in China.
“The AFC’s work on developing the China market is not sufficient.”
Another factor is China’s less than exciting history at the Asian Cup, contributing to a lack of interest among Chinese fans.
“The performance of Chinese national team has been up and down at the Asian Cup,” Wang Dazhao, a Beijing-based soccer commentator, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
“So Chinese companies cannot see a longterm benefit in investing in the match.”
Wang noted that the TV viewership of Tuesday’s match shows the Asian Cup is influential to some degree in China.
Wang said this shows investing in sponsorship is not risky, but nonetheless Chinese companies still did not pay attention and missed an opportunity.
Sponsoring a match is more than a billboard. Sponsorship should reflect the national influence of a big country like China, Wang said, urging Chinese companies to develop the new market opportunities represented by the Asian Cup.
“Maybe with billboards around the field with Chinese characters, our team would feel more at home,”
Wang added with a smile.