Adam MillerSports Marketing

March 28, 2010

Xerox and the Asian Games would be a strategic alliance, which is why Xerox should

agree to a sponsorship agreement. Sponsorship in China is growing rapidly and the document-

processing business continues to become more important as it becomes more technologically

advanced. Xerox has already made its brand name popular in China and around the world, so it is

a trusted company and would very likely succeed in a sponsorship deal. Since Xerox already

knows it has a receptive market in China, it can take on a bigger sponsorship package, which is

why the gold package makes the most sense for Xerox. It should also take advantage of the

special advertisement opportunities such as the official program and athletes’ bibs.

A gold sponsorship not only gives Xerox the most signage throughout the Asian Games,

but also gives it exclusivity in any product category. The gold sponsorship would give Xerox the

opportunity to showcase the value of its product by mass-producing its name on brochures and

publications throughout the event. Xerox had a lot of success when it marketed in the Olympics

with its marketing strategies and the opportunities that China would give the company during the

Asian games are pretty similar. Xerox’s previous experience in the Olympics over the last 30

years shows that it can increase demand for its product when it highlights the quality of its

products in advertisements. The most important part of the sponsorship deal is the versatility that

Xerox will have on television. Consumers across Asia will be watching the games and will have

a chance to see Xerox’s ads. Even after the Asian Winter Games are over, the company will have

the right to use footage from the games in its own advertising in the future, meaning Xerox will

have an edge in the Asian markets that most companies will never have. The Olympic

advertisements show that even for something of that magnitude, Xerox can do an effective job of

processing documents. The Asian Winter Games have a similar market, so putting the same type

of ad in the games should be an effective way of marketing for Xerox.

Xerox is helped by the fact that China has a high barrier to entry. In the past, China

established trade agreements and tariffs in order to restrict competition. Although China has

relaxed its trade standards so that companies outside of the country can break into the market, it

is not as free as doing business in the U.S. Xerox’s 30-year history of sponsoring the Olympics

shows that it can adapt to different international markets and knows how to act as a visitor of the

Chinese government. Another factor that will make Xerox’s hope of reaching the Asian market

is the fact that it has a head of marketing who is Asian. This means that he understands the Asian

culture and knows what the consumers want. His expertise will be an advantage over other

companies who don’t have people well-trained in the Asian markets. The head of marketing will

also be able to instruct his employees on how to properly conduct business so that they don’t

break any societal norms.

Perception in China is also important. China’s selection as the host of the Asian Winter

Games is important, and people are going to associate the sponsor with the event. By taking on a

bigger sponsorship deal, Xerox can more effectively tie its name to the event. While Xerox is

hanging its hopes on the Asian games being successful, it will likely pay off because of the

games’ magnitude. The games are being broadcasted in the rest of Asia as well, so Xerox will

potentially be able to promote its products to a billion people throughout the continent. The

games are also going to be on for eight straight days with several networks broadcasting, so the

correlation between the Winter Games and Xerox are going to be very obvious. Previous

sponsorship deals from Xerox show that the more the company is exposed, the better it does with

sales. Xerox appeared on network television and appeared in several full page ads. It also placed

ads in the newspapers and even carried their message to the radio. The emerging document-

services market in China will help Xerox get a large return on investment if it purchases the right

package. The sponsorship deal will help Xerox in its mission to be a bigger player in China’s

technological industry.

All signs indicate that Xerox and the Asian Winter Games would be a great partnership

because it would get Xerox’s brand out to a growing Asian market while the games will benefit

from using the company’s services. Xerox is also well-equipped to handle the Asian market

because it has its own branch and has achieved success in similar sporting events in the past.

While the Gold Sponsorship is significantly more expensive than the others, the potential ROI is

great enough that it’s in Xerox’s best interest to buy the highest sponsorship available. Xerox’s

success in the Olympics will be similar in the Asian Winter Games because its strategy is well-

aligned with the sponsorship deals available.