DPRK Olympic sponsors
UPDATE: The Wall Street Journal did a follow up story on China Hongxing, sponsor of the DPRK Olympic team:
During the Opening Ceremonies, for instance, the North Koreans refused to wear Erke’s logo for fear it would compete with their country’s Communist red-starred flag.
and…
The North Korean sponsorship cost Erke $2 million to $3 million, said Wu Rongzhao, deputy chief executive at China Hongxing Sports, which owns Erke. The Singapore-listed Hongxing reported net profit of $59 million for fiscal 2007.
Yet Erke’s sponsorship of the North Korea team has been “a very painful process,” said Mr. Wu.
Erke had to scrub plans for a marketing event timed to the Games’ opening because of red tape and bureaucracy, said a person familiar with the matter. For instance, Pyongyang’s Olympic officials would communicate only by email, not by phone.
Nor are North Korean athletes a sports marketer’s dream. Most are conditioned to be self-effacing and to credit their victories to the North Korean regime and its leader, Kim Jong Il. Weightlifter Pak Hyon Suk, who won North Korea’s first gold in Beijing on Tuesday — wearing Erke — said her victory was the “the best present for the president, for the people, for the country and for myself,” according to Xinhua, China’s state-run news agency.
Read the full article here:
Chinese Companies Sponsor Countries Others Won’t Touch
Wall Street Journal, Page A14
Mei Fong
8/14/2008
ORIGINAL POST: Last year, North Korean Economy Watch informed readers about China Hongxing, the sports apparel company sponsoring the DPRK’s Olympic team. Since most popular Chinese athletes are sponsored by relatively wealthier western sports apparel firms, Chinese companies had to come up with another strategy to make sure their products were noticed at the 2008 Olympics. Sponsoring lesser-known, niche teams that could win gold in a handful of events seems to be the way to go…
Today, Reuters follows up with China Hongxing:
Hoping to achieve what Michael Jordan did for Nike, a little-known Chinese sportswear brand is banking on the North Korean Olympic team for publicity.
“[The Chinese] tend to watch the North Koreans compete in the events that the Chinese are also strong in, so sponsoring North Korea will get a lot more eyeballs,” [Jenny Yeo, company spokesperson] said.
North Korean athletes in the Beijing Games will be sporting a stylized swan logo from China Hongxing’s “Erke” brand, which means “you conquer” in Mandarin.
China Hongxing will be kitting out the team with leotards, soccer boots and the red windbreakers the athletes will wear to the August 8 opening ceremony. Erke will be selling some of this sportswear in China and expects buyers seeking novelty value.
Read the full article here:
North Korea’s Olympic outfitter hopes for publicity gold
Reuters
Melanie Lee
7/29/2008