IVCast monitors sponsorship throughout Asia and the latest results show an unprecedented rise in sponsorship activity in the region during 2007, driven in part by the Beijing Olympics.
“This shows that last year’s growth wasn’t a flash in the pan. Asia is the continent that is driving the global average, quoted at 14 per cent,” said Ben Heyhoe Flint, OgilvyAction Sports & Entertainment’s General Manager.
“There’s no doubt that the Beijing Olympics is helping this as we’ve seen a lot of brands investing in 2007 to secure a long-term toehold for the Games this year, for example. $38.7 million has been spent on Chinese national teams - allowing them to activate with long lead times and also block competitors. But it’s not just the Olympics that’s swelling the numbers; we’ve recorded a large rise in the sheer number of deals being done in other Asian countries, 2,233 in 2007 versus 1,624 in 2006, showing that the popularity and relevance of sponsorship is infectious.”
The forecast for 2008 is currently showing a small decline of 9.5 per cent reflecting the unknown continuation of deals recorded in 2007. Flint said: “2008 will still be a solid year for sponsorship, but I think we could see a slowdown after the Olympic year.”
