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InstituteonAsianConsumerInsight|NanyangBusinessSchool,NanyangTechnologicalUniversity

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WHITE PAPER 6 October 2016

Sports Sponsorship in Asia Adrian Ang, Jeremy Phua, Roy Chew and Stella Chew

Nelson Mandela said, “Sport has the power to change the world” – in business, sport can be just as powerful. Sponsorship and athlete endorsements help marketers to build or strengthen brand equity and reach vast global audiences. The 2012 London Olympics and the 2014 FIFA World Cup both drew audiences in excess of three billion people and set new records for social media mentions, while celebrities such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Lewis Hamilton and Serena Williams are paid vast sums to endorse products because it guarantees a boost in sales.

In Asia, running races such as marathons and half marathons are some of the biggest sporting events, attracting health conscious weekend warriors and big business alike. Banks sponsor these races to gain access to vast databases of race entrants and attempt to convert them into customers. Standard Chartered Bank has a strategy to grow its market share in Asia through such sponsorships. Across Asia, the bank sponsors marathons in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Jakarta, Mumbai and Taipei.

What are the opportunities for brands to sponsor or host running events Asia?

Asian Millennial racers

Millennials in Asia have grown up in a digitally connected, social world. They crave rich experiences, live active, authentic lifestyles and they are comfortable with online shopping and expressing their opinions online.



A survey administered in 2014 by Sport Singapore on citizens’ participation in sports revealed that 70% of young people are involved in sporting activities. The survey also found that women are now a dominate force in sport, making up 51% of participants. Respondents were asked to give their views on why they participated in certain sporting activities. Many believed that major sporting events gave them the motivation to take up a sport, while others said that they did not mind spending money or traveling long distances for great sporting experiences. This can be seen in the recent popularity of “runcations” – a run and a vacation combined – often in stunning or historic locations. Traditionally, races such as Marathons are simple road races where competitors strive to beat their personal goals, but now, there is a new breed of innovative non-competitive races.

Runcations

There comes a point in a runner’s progress when they reach a plateau. They have worked their way up to marathons and regularly run competitive times, but the sense of accomplishment is diminished – especially when so many others have completed the same events. Running marathons in other countries then becomes an appealing way to go that “one step further”. Runners start to “collect” regional and international events, rather than running longer distances or setting new personal bests.

Travel companies recognised an opportunity to cater to this niche travel market, and so the runcation travel sector was born, offering tailored race event packages that can include flights, transfers, race entry, tours, meals and accommodation.

The pinnacle for these international runners is to complete a marathon on every continent – including Antarctica – but that doesn’t mean entrants have to be super athletes. There are now runcation packages that are designed to meet the needs of every level of runner. These trips, as expensive as they are physically challenging, are a growing and competitive niche market in the Asian travel industry.



Though race events are the focal point of runcations, Asian runners are also lured by unique experiences that form part of the trip. For example, the Saga Sakura Marathon coincides with the cherry blossom season in Japan, a major tourism event that attracted record numbers of visitors to Japan in April 2016. The Sakura themed marathon offers Asian runners a truly memorable experience that cannot be found at home – testing their physical limits in beautiful backdrop filled with cherry blossoms.

Many runcations offer perks to race entrants. The Great Wall Marathon in China - regarded by many as one of the most arduous races in the world — includes excursions to Shanghai and to see The Terracotta Army in Xi’an.

Theme parks, such as Walt Disney World, also offer a surprisingly wide range of runcations. Here the draw for runners is not nature and scenery, but a chance to be a part of a themed race community and dress up as their favourite cartoon or movie character. These aren’t just fun runs for kids; as part of the Disney World Marathon Weekend Run Disney offers the Dopey Challenge featuring a 5K, 10K, half-marathon and full marathon, all completed in one weekend. Some 6,000 runners took on the challenge in 2016.

Disney theme parks may seem like an improbable setting for competitive races, but over 200,000 people registered to run in themed races at Walt Disney World and Disneyland in 2014, including the new Avengers Super Heroes Half Marathon and Star Wars Half Marathon, which were both sold out within two hours.

Party Races

Races aren’t just about finishing as fast as you can anymore – the next generation of runners demand a variety of unique experiential events. Party races unite dance music culture with sport, featuring music, lights and thousands of neon-clad bodies, running, dancing and partying through the night.

During the Illumi Run, which has seen great success in Singapore, Malaysia and China, competitors are splashed with neon illumi glow water along the route. This water-based neon paint glows under the ultra-violet lights, turning the race into a riot of psychedelic

colours. The event culminates in a music festival-style party featuring Asia’s top DJs, and Instead of the usual race pack runners receive a party bag including a t-shirt, an LED wrist band and a pair of goggles.



Races for women, children or families

There has been a boom in female runners in recent years. In 2014 there were 10.4 million female race finishers globally, and just 8 million male finishers, and race organisers are tailoring race events to meet the specific needs of female runners. The Great Eastern Women’s Run is Asia’s largest women-only race featuring 5k, 10k and 21.1k race distances, aiming to cater to female runners of all levels. In 2015, the event launched a new category – the Princess Dash – allowing girls as young as three years old to run alongside their mothers in a 100m dash.

The Hello Kitty Run, which has seen regional success in Singapore, Taiwan and Malaysia is now making its first appearance in Thailand this year, catering to a similar audience. The Hello Kitty Run was held in Singapore for the second time in 2015, which also featured the first ever Hello Kitty Night Run, giving participants the chance to marvel at Singapore’s stunning city skyline as the sun sets over the post-race party.

Singapore also hosts other runs for Children: the Cold Storage Kids Run, the POSB Bank Passion Kids Run, the Standard Chartered Kids Dash and the newest family race, the Stroller Race – where parents push their youngest kids around a 5k course for the chance to win a top of the range stroller.

Obstacle races

For people who want to live life to the fullest and take on new challenges, obstacles races such as the Tough Mudder and the Spartan Race are the ultimate events.

These races are military-style assault courses with challenging obstacles that sometimes require teamwork and cooperation to overcome, such as walls, electroshock wires, iced pools of water and greased slopes. The idea here is to enter as a team and work together to get the whole team around the 10 mile, 20 obstacle course. Sports-lifestyle marketing

Running was once an individual sport concerned with personal goals, health and fitness, but now, runners are attracted to races that meet their aspirational needs and allow them to experience more than just a running race. Sport and lifestyle have intersected incorporating music, fashion, popular culture, technology and social media to repackage running for the new generation.



These events are attended as a group, with friends, family and colleagues and often focus on finishing as a team, rather than personal achievements. For these runners, races are a platform for social connection – in the real world and online. These races provide Millennials with one-off experiences that can be photographed and shared on social networks.

Brands have a big role to play in the future of running in Asia, as these events allow them to move beyond simple sponsorship and position branded items within the race day experience. After race parties, race packs, in-race outfits, in-race music, mobile apps and brand owned locations offer brands interesting and innovative opportunities to engage with a young audience – Millennials, Generation Y and young families – and give runners more authentic brand experiences.

About the authors

The authors are alumni of the ACI-NTU Masters of Marketing and Consumer Insight – an Executive Education program targeting individuals with over 5 years’ industry experience and looking to expand their marketing and consumer insight knowledge, particularly with respect to the Asian markets. Adrian is the Director of Hygieneland (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. specialized in public health sector. Jeremy is Market Research Manager in Singtel. He undertakes market research projects to provide consumer insights and marketing trends in the telco and infocomm industry. Roy is Deputy Director in the People's Association. He oversees the Water Venture centres that promote water sports & lifestyle programmes to the community. Stella is a Lecturer with Institute of Technical Education, College Central, School of Business, Event Management.

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