When Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez used his hand to deny Ghana victory in their World Cup quarter-final, Yingli Green Energy knew its sponsorship of the world’s most-watched sporting event was worth it.
The Chinese solar-panel manufacturer’s logo, displayed on a screen behind the goal, was beamed repeatedly into millions of homes around the world as Suarez was red-carded.
‘With a moment like that, people are paying attention,’ Yingli spokesman Judy Lee said. ‘It’s like wow! Our logo has been seen by millions! People are going to know about us!’
Yingli, based in Baoding, is the first Chinese business to sponsor the World Cup, an event that attracts a daily average of more than 500 million TV viewers.
Brazil’s Seara, a unit of Marfrig Alimentos, the world’s fourth-biggest meat-packer, and Indian software company Mahindra Satyam, also became the first companies from their countries to ally their brands with the tournament.
‘You’re seeing something of a democratisation of global branding,’ said Alan Gould, chief executive officer of market analysis at Nielsen Holdings. ‘To invest in the World Cup in a major way is a major indicator that they are seeking aggressively to become a global player.’
Yingli has a 7 per cent share of the global solar-energy market, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. It plans to spend about US$2.3 billion (S$3.2 billion) over the next three years, trebling its capacity to 3 gigawatts a year. Marfrig, based in Sao Paulo, relies on exports to generate 35 per cent of its revenue.
The spending by companies from the so-called Bric - emerging giants such as Brazil, Russia, India and China - countries at this year’s tournament comes after growth in their stock markets outpaced those in developed nations since the last World Cup four years ago.
China’s Shanghai Composite Index jumped 39 per cent, Brazil’s Bovespa Index surged 71 per cent and India’s Sensitive Index advanced 65 per cent. Over the same period, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 13 per cent and London’s FTSE 100 declined 16 per cent.
Fifa, football’s governing body, banked US$1.2 billion from tournament sponsors this year. While Lee would not say how much Yingli spent to buy advertising, the amount was ‘worth it’. The company is anticipating more exposure before the tournament ends on Sunday.
‘For the final, we hope when there’s a crucial moment like when a goal’s scored, when something big happens, that our logo pops up in the background,’ she said. ‘Especially if it’s the winning goal.’
