As a Marquee Name Falls, Advertisers Are Likely to Change Their Plans

By David Barboza

When Liu Xiang, China’s star hurdler, pulled out of the Beijing Olympics on Monday morning, his foot injury sapped the hopes and aspirations of a nation – and dealt a serious blow to a few global marketers, who in recent years have spent millions of dollars helping turn him into a national icon.

It was a strange twist in the career of Liu, who is by far the most celebrated athlete in China, a symbol of the nation’s growing confidence and a marketer’s dream. Not even Yao Ming, the 2.3- meter, or 7-foot 5-inch, center for the Houston Rockets, can compare in marketing appeal.

Last year, for instance, Liu earned more than $23 million in advertising and marketing endorsement deals, pushing such varied products as Coca-Cola, Nike sneakers, Visa cards, Cadillacs, Yili milk and even Chinese real estate and tobacco.

And during this Olympic year, his profile has been even bigger, leading some marketing experts to complain that he has been overexposed in Olympic marketing campaigns.

His image can be seen on billboards in virtually every major Chinese city, and even in global marketing campaigns for Nike. A life-size replica of him hurdling, dressed in Nike gear, now appears in Nike retail outlets in the Chinese capital.

A giant image of him hangs in the Coca-Cola center on the Beijing Olympic green. Even television commercials for Visa cards feature Liu, the handsome favorite son who pulled off an upset victory in Athens in 2004 to win the gold medal in the 110 meter hurdles. He has been considered the marquee Chinese athlete of the Beijing Olympics.

But what will sponsors do now that he is not racing? And what about all those ads they may have been preparing to celebrate his winning gold at the iconic National Stadium?

Marketing experts say many of them will probably be abandoned. “A lot of celebration ads will be dropped into the garbage can,” said Terry Rhoads, who runs Zou Marketing, a Beijing sports marketing consultancy.

But major sponsors say they are standing by Liu, insisting they plan to continue to promote him as a kind of “brand ambassador” in China.

“Our advertising will continue as planned,” Derek Kent, a Nike spokesman, said Monday afternoon. “Liu Xiang is an inspiration to the country. So he’ll continue to be featured on all our platforms.”

Kenth Kaerhoeg, a spokesman for Coca-Cola, said after the bad news Monday: “We started supporting him in 2003 and we’ll continue to support him. This won’t change anything.”

Visa issued a similar statement late Monday, saying, “We have great sympathy for him and wish him a speedy recovery. Nothing will ever take away his performance in Athens. He will always remain a great Chinese icon and a friend of Visa.”

But marketing experts say Liu will likely be left out of advertisements celebrating the country’s remarkable achievements in Beijing this summer.

That may have been part of a contingency advertising plan anyway.

Global brands like Nike, Coca-Cola and McDonald’s realize that prized athletes can falter during the Olympic games, marketing experts say, and so big marketers typically hedge by signing endorsement deals with dozens of world-class athletes, knowing that at least some of them will win gold.

Inside China, some marketers, hoping to capitalize on a successful Games, may be forced to turn to other Chinese athletes, like the diving queen Guo Jingjing, or Yang Wei, who won an all- around gold medal in gymnastics.

The problem for marketers, though, is that few gold medal winners in China have the kind of charisma that Liu Xiang possesses. Table tennis and badminton players, divers and members of the Chinese women’s volleyball team, which won a gold medal in Athens, are all featured in television commercials here. But none of those personalities quite capture the imagination of the country like Liu’s.

After winning gold in 2004, he mounted the medal stand in dramatic fashion, draped by a Chinese flag, his arms and legs spread wide. He stood tall as the country’s first world-class sprinter, and later ran the first leg of the Olympic torch relay in Beijing, taking the handoff from President Hu Jintao.

“Nike, Coca-Cola, these big brands must be smart enough to hold him for at least several months because Liu Xiang’s commercial value is still there,” said Zheng Suhui, who works at the brand institute at the Communication University of China in Beijing. “He is presenting the image of the great hero, who sacrifices himself for the nation.”

In China, perhaps the most immediate effect of his withdrawal will be seen this week. Television ratings were expected to jump this week for his expected showdown with Dayron Robles, the Cuban hurdler who recently broke Liu Xiang’s world record in the hurdles.

Now, advertisers are scrambling for a way to market an Olympic tragedy – the absence of one of the biggest stars.

Nike is apparently considering a television spot to show its sympathy for Liu, particularly after his coach broke down in tears during a press conference Monday. And some sponsors are talking about marketing Liu’s heroic return once he overcomes his foot injury.

Originally published by The New York Times Media Group.

(c) 2008 International Herald Tribune. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.