08.11
China’s selection of former gymnast and multimillionaire Li Ning as final torchbearer was a tribute to the nations transformation from Communist state to business powerhouse. But Adidas AG, the official sportswear sponsor of the Games, isnt likely to join the party. Thats because Mr. Li runs the $6 billion Li Ning Group, a sportswear maker that competes with Adidas and Nike Inc.
If branding were an Olympic sport, you’d have to give the gold, silver and bronze to China for the Li Ning stunt. I remember hearing about this a few months back. My recollection is how Li Ning had made a deal to clothe CCTV Sports personnel but then was forced to back out because they were not an official sponsor. What was surprising was how little Li Ning seemed to protest getting ousted by a foreign brand. Well, it now looks like there was a reason for his softness namely: gratis prime-time marketing to an audience in the millions. It also illustrates the pro-Chinese bias that Dan over at the China Law Blog describes so well in his post today.
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