Cashing in on World Cup fever

Chinese models wear the colors of Brazil's and Argentina's national soccer teams to promote the coming World Cup. Provided to China Daily
So what do you do when your team is out of the World Cup and a gilt-edging marketing opportunity is begging to be taken advantage of? Roll over and feign injury? I don't think so.

While China's soccer team will not be winging its way to South Africa this hasn't prevented enterprising businessman and websites from tying their colors to the World Cup mast.

First off the plane will be the "Soccer Super Babes" group G3, who are being touted as the first Chinese dancers to perform at the opening ceremony of the World Cup - though there does seem to be a certain amount of ongoing discussion about when they will actually perform.

This hasn't, however, prevented a Chengdu media group and a real estate developer from teaming up and banging the drum for their World Cup first. The three ladies - Zeng Chuanling, Jing Wenjie and Sun Lijie - won a beauty contest organized by the two companies and in addition to performing on the world's biggest sporting stage will be part of the media group's reporting team. They are just the tip of a beauty iceberg that China is presenting for the soccer tournament. A supporting cast of websites has got in on the action and hundreds of models are donning the colors of participating teams to provide some visual eye candy for the football fest. Since less is usually more when it comes to exposure for models, the racy website mob.com has released 32 pictures of babes representing the squads, dressed in just bikini bottoms and body paint.

In addition, Cool 6 Network has announced that it will spice up its coverage by having model Zhai Ling host a program about World Cup fashion. Earlier this year Zhai became an Internet sensation when her ex-boyfriend uploaded pictures of them having sex, in a scandal dubbed "Beast Beast Gate".

China Central Television (CCTV), not surprisingly, snapped up the rights to broadcast all the tournament's 64 matches after estimates that 900 million watched the previous version in Germany. The broadcaster is said to have paid 2 billion yuan ($293 million).

Not to be outdone, online broadcasters will also be getting in on the action. Tudou has tied up a licensing deal with CCTV to stream matches to an expected audience of 400 million. A quick addition would appear to suggest just 24.6 million of China's 1.324 billion population will not be tuning in. Obviously the marketing is in overdrive.

Which is where the mega companies on the touchline enter waving cash. Sichuan province's Langjiu drinks group has spent 33.5 million yuan ($4.9 million) on titling rights to the World Cup Top Scorer list; while China Mobile, Nike, Deerway and Tsingtao Beer have bought big bucks air time.

As if wall-to-wall coverage and spice girls were not enough the trade in replica kits has roared into life, with soccer fans hitting Taobao.com and other websites for shirts costing just 50 yuan ($7.30), compared with 1,499 yuan ($220) for the "real thing".

There is even a Chinese World Cup song, by Jacky Cheung and Jane Zhang, so everyone will be singing along to Wavin' Flag come the opener on Friday.

Source: China Daily(By Jules Quartly)