CIV

Zagreb, 23.09.2011 

A total of 500 million fans and 100 million active players are the numbers connected with table tennis, to the sports discipline in which China still represents a superpower.

International companies (Metro, Volkswagen), exporters to China, have recognised the power of table tennis, and through various models have found a connection with the traditional sport which, according to viewer ratings of sports programmes of the Chinese national television (CCTV 5), enjoys the attention of 20 % of the viewing audience and in doing so occupies second place on the viewer rating ladder. Basketball sits above table tennis with a rating of 31 %, while sports like soccer (8 %), snooker (10 %) and volleyball (7 %) are far behind the game with the celluloid ball.

Keeping in mind that for Chinese consumers, in their value system, the identity of foreign companies (from where they originate, what they do, what they stand for) is more important than the image, and that story telling is often the only way to attract their attention, international companies have begun to use sponsorships as a way of gaining entry into the promising expansion market.

Using images of athletes and/or sports clubs gives the manufacturer a unique profile which is different to the expensive mass advertising of products, whereupon it is important that the same are used to create a story which will be portrayed through the print media. That which has been read is further promoted verbally which leaves the deepest impression on the traditional Chinese.

However, not all Croatian exporters are giants with large marketing budgets, so the question arises how can our exporters with smaller investments participate and profit from investment into the Chinese sports community, in which the government structure still has the last word and individually lifts the price of sponsorships.

The solutions that imposes itself is investment into table tennis, the political sport number 1 whose significance in political spheres originated back in the fifties of the last century when Mao Tse Tung proclaimed table tennis by means of a decree as sport number 1. Two decades later, in 1971, “ping pong” diplomacy brought together America and China, and its significance has left a trace with all former world champions, who after their sports career are offered positions in public-political life.

Connecting exporters with table tennis offers a platform for building a relationship with people in key positions and for the creation of communication which shows the Chinese community that a Croatian company stands for their interests. Expounding on this basis, CiV consultations, whose employees have been building bridges towards China for over 20 years, have devised an integral sponsorship solution which with a small financial investment offers the opportunity for promotion in China, abiding by the value system of the Chinese consumer.

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