Beijing Prepares for Selection Of Local Sponsors for Olympics
Beijing is gearing up to choose sponsors for the 2008 Olympic Games, setting into motion what is expected to be a huge marketing bonanza.
On Sept. 1, the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad will launch its marketing program, kicking off the process of choosing local corporate sponsors for the games. Unlike the dozen or so global sponsors already selected by the International Olympic Committee, local sponsors enjoy marketing rights within China only.
Contracts for a handful of local sponsors will likely be signed by year end, Olympics officials said, with a total of about 10 "top-tier" sponsors expected in industries like banking, automobiles and energy. Bidding is expected to be fierce among both multinationals seeking to build brands in China and Chinese companies hoping to establish recognition globally.
"In my 20 years in the Olympics, I have never seen the level of interest that I am seeing here," IOC marketing director Michael Payne said on a recent trip to Beijing. He said six auto companies so far have expressed interest in submitting bids. "The companies are already coming and saying, 'How do we get involved?' as opposed to us having to knock on their doors, which is how it usually works," he said.
Beijing authorities are counting on local sponsors to help them reach their goal of breaking even on the sporting event. The organizing committee estimates that the games will cost $1.61 billion, although that covers only the operation of the games and not the massive infrastructure investments in highways and stadiums that are being funded by the city and central governments. The IOC and the Beijing organizing committee will jointly select the local sponsors.
While Chinese sports officials said the sponsors will be decided by the market, Yuan Bin, deputy marketing director for the Beijing organizing committee, revealed in a recent interview some details on how she expects the bidding to proceed. According to her, the committee will choose "between 10 and 15" top-tier sponsors. The winners won't necessarily enjoy exclusive marketing rights in their industry; rather, such terms will be determined by the details of each company's bid. The committee expects that the majority of sponsors will be Chinese companies, particularly when it comes to industries that are dominated by domestic firms, such as telecommunications, banking and aviation.
The selection process will begin with a few of the most expensive sponsorships "so they set a good example," said Ms. Yuan. "It will start with the top-tier sponsorships and go down from there." Ms. Yuan declined to say when these first bids would be awarded, but the IOC's Mr. Payne predicted that the first three or four sponsors probably would be announced by the end of the year.
The Beijing committee has estimated that the sponsorships will bring in $200 million, although Ms. Yuan conceded that is a conservative figure and the actual number "will be higher." For next year's Summer Games in Athens, local top-tier sponsors paid between $18 million and $70 million each, according to the IOC's Mr. Payne.
Marcus John, head of Olympic marketing in Asia for IMG Consulting, a division of sports marketing group IMG, predicted that top-tier sponsors in some categories could end up paying more than $65 million apiece. "It's going to be totally unprecedented," he said.
北京开发奥运市场金矿
北京加快了挑选2008奥运会赞助商的步伐，目前已经著手开发一个预计潜力巨大的市场金矿。
北京第29届奥林匹克运动会组织委员会将在9月1日启动市场开发计划，从而正式开始了挑选中国国内赞助商的工作。与其他国际奥委会(International Olympic Committee)已经选定的大约十二家全球赞助商不同，当地赞助商只在中国境内享有营销权。
奥委会官员称，国内公司的合约将可能在年底签订，预计总共将会大约10家来自银行、汽车和能源等行业的高级赞助商。预计寻求在中国建立品牌的跨国公司以及希望获得全球认知的中国公司将展开激烈的竞标。
国际奥委会市场开发主管Michael Payne在近期的北京之行表示，“我在奥林匹克工作的20中，从未见过这里所看到的那么浓厚的兴趣。”他说，已经有6家汽车公司表达了竞标的意愿。“Payne称，“这些公司早早来到中国并询问该如何参与，而不是象往常那样，要我们去敲他们的门。”
北京当局寄希望于当地赞助商，希望他们能帮助其实现此次奥运会收支平衡的目标。北京奥组委估计，这次奥运会将耗资16.1亿美元，这一数字仅仅是奥运会的运营费用，还不包括对高速公路和体育场馆等基础设施的巨额投资，目前这些项目的建设由北京和中国政府提供资金。国际奥委会和北京奥组委将联合挑选国内赞助商。
尽管中国体育官员称赞助商将由市场来选择，但是北京奥组委负责市场开发部的副部长袁斌在最近的一次采访中，透露了她所预计的招标程序的部分细节。她说，奥组委将选择10-15家高级赞助商。中标者在其所在行业不一定享有独家市场营销权；具体条款将视各竞标者标书中的具体内容而定。奥组委预计，绝大多数赞助商将是中国公司，特别是在一些国内企业占主导地位的行业，比如电信、银行和航空。
袁女士表示，挑选工作将从价格最高的赞助开始，以起到良好的示范作用。袁女士拒绝透露将于何时公布首轮中标者名单。但是国际奥委会的Payne预计，前三个或四个赞助商的名单可能将在年底公布。
北京奥组委估计赞助商将带来2亿美元收入，但袁女士承认这是一个保守的数字，实际数字可能将更高。Payne称，在将于明年举行的雅典夏季奥运会上，国内高级赞助商每家支付金额在1,800万美元-7,000万美元之间。
IMG Consulting负责奥林匹克亚洲市场推广的主管Marcus John预计，某些行业的高级赞助商可能会支付6,500多万美元。IMG Consulting隶属于体育市场开发集团IMG。John说，这场奥运会将完全是史无前例的。
