Basketball is big in China. In fact, it is the most popular sport in China. China is NBA's largest international market. The Chinese Basketball Association estimates that 300 million Chinese are fans of the sport, surpassing traditionally popular Chinese sports of table tennis. China's own Yao Ming, is currently the tallest player in NBA playing for the Houston Rockets. Another Chinese player, Yi Jianlian also plays in the NBA league for Washington Wizards. According to NBA China, NBA programs have a viewership of up to 1 billion viewers. So naturally, basketball and NBA superstars are obvious choices for celebrity product endorsement. LA Laker's Kobe Bryant have been appointed by Mercedes-Benz China to be its brand ambassador for Smart. Over the next 3-years Kobe Bryant will be giving his endorsement to Smart cars in China. NBA China says that Kobe Bryant's jerseys are the most popular in China, while Yao Ming's jersey is only the 10th most popular.
To kick things off, there will be a nationwide roadshow across 25 Chinese cities, under the "Big, in the city" theme. Some of the roadshows will be attended by Kobe Bryant himself in the month of July.
Below is the TV commercial starring Kobe Bryant.
Unlike in the US where Smart is struggling, Smart in China registered 119% jump in sales between 2009 and 2010, although we need to caution against small base effect. Only about 4,000 Smarts were sold in China last year.
Share this on Facebook by Liking this post or join our Facebook page here.
0 comments:
Post a Comment