23.10.03 -- Infront Sports & Media has reached an exclusive five-year marketing agreement with the China Football Industry Development Corporation (CFIDC) in respect of the Chinese Super League.
Zug, Switzerland, 23 October, 2003: Infront Sports & Media has reached an exclusive five-year marketing agreement with the China Football Industry Development Corporation (CFIDC) in respect of the Chinese Super League.
Infront will become the Exclusive Strategic Partner of the League, with key marketing responsibilities. The new relationship is the base for the expansion of Infront's business in Asia – part of its long-term strategic plan – and will be accompanied by the opening of two new offices, in Beijing and Hong Kong.
The launching of the Chinese Super League in 2004 will be a development of great significance for football in China and its future position on the international stage. With 12 clubs and tough criteria for selection, it will create intense competition and have a beneficial effect on the development of Chinese football as a whole.
Infront has acquired the exclusive right to market Official Sponsorships of the Chinese Super League in three prime product categories – automotive, audio/video and beer. It also has non-exclusive rights to market the balance of the product categories.
Infront will also be installing its Space & Time rotating advertising at all 12 stadiums in the Chinese Super League. Space & Time is an advanced, computer controlled rotating banner system used by Juventus, Bayern Munich and other top football clubs in Europe and is becoming the system of choice of an increasing number of venue owners and sports. It will ensure maximum impact and recall for the perimeter advertising of the Official Sponsors of the Chinese Super League.
The sponsorship package will include a substantial advertising component in 132 matches. There will also be a CSL Cup with 21 matches, offering 153 matches in total for the entire season. This will provide companies with an excellent single medium of communication with a market of 1.3 billion people. China, with an enviable growth rate of 8% per annum, is the world's biggest market for televisions, mobile phones and washing machines and has the world's largest television audience.
The creation of the Chinese Super League will be accompanied by the deliberate cultivation of the complete infrastructure of successful football club culture, including fan organisations for each club, fan newspapers, websites and merchandising programmes, to snowball the process of identification with a club of choice and encourage fan loyalty.
"We have been impressed by Infront's profound understanding of the marketing of football and its front-line experience in a great number of markets. We look forward to working closely with Infront on the success of the CSL" said Mr Shao Wenzhong, General Manager of CFIDC.
Infront Sports & Media AG, one of the world's leading sports marketing agencies and the company responsible for the successful marketing of the broadcast rights to the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea/Japan™, has been working behind the scenes to orchestrate its entry into Asia for more than a year now, as part of a long-term expansion plan.
"Following the 2002 FIFA World Cup™ in Asia, we believe that interest in Chinese football is set to build in the run up to the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup and the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and drive the sport's development and commercialisation to the next level" said Infront CEO, Oscar Frei. "The CSL is being launched at a time of tremendous change and this complements Infront's proven expertise in football marketing. We agree with those who say that China is an embryonic superpower of world football. We are immensely excited by the challenge."
For further information, please contact:
Infront Sports & Media AG
John Kristick
Tel. +41-41-723 15 15
info@infrontsports.com
