On the Scene in Daegu -- Full Sponsorship Slate; Strong Attendance; Cover Jinx?

(ATR) Marketing director Luis Carulla tells Around the Rings the IAAF is enjoying a full house in terms of sponsorships, signing eight out of a possible eight packages for the ongoing world championships in Daegu.

Seven of the eight were lined up two years ago in Berlin with Epson since dropping off and Sinopec since joining on.

For this meet only, the IAAF also added Korean steel conglomerate Posco as a "one-off," says Carulla."Sponsorship sales have gone very well."

Adidas and TDK are signed through 2019, Toyota until 2015 and Seiko and Sinopec until 2013. Renewal discussions are underway with VTB and Samsung, which was founded in Daegu.

IAAF broadcasting partner Tokyo Broadcasting Services has special rights, which grant TBS one board on the perimeter of the track and a place on the sponsor wall behind the athletes in the press conference room.

The eight main sponsors each have six boards in the stadium, while track supplier Mondo and host broadcaster KBS have one apiece. Korean entities including Korean Air, Inter Burgo, Charm Soju and STX also have one sponsor board around the track.

New Frontiers

Sinopec, the China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation, joined forces with the IAAF at the end of December 2010.

Carulla says sponsorships hinge not only on presenting "fantastic products," but also on the team selling those products.

"I think we have a very good team selling," he says. "We divided ourselves very specifically."

Marketing consultant Papa Massata Diack, son of IAAF president Lamine Diack, is specializing in emerging markets as well as those not from the traditional pool of Western Europe, the U.S. and Japan. He brought in Sinopec, and Carulla says he has created an amazing network of contacts in markets with strong economies.

Dentsu, the IAAF agency, pursues more of the "classical type of sponsorships," such as TDK, Seiko and adidas. "They also handle very well the Asian market in general," says Carulla.

He has concentrated on the title sponsor of the IAAF Diamond League, which is Samsung, and on bringing in a future sponsor from the food industry that will focus on youth and grass roots.

"We hope to sign something by the end of the year," he says.

IAAF general secretary Pierre Weiss told ATR Samsung's decision to invest further in athletics by becoming the title sponsor of the Diamond League circuit was "another significant sign of commercial confidence in our sport."

Tough Competition

While athletics is a good product, "it's not football or the Olympics," Carulla says.

There are no U.S. sponsors. Coca-Cola, once an IAAF sponsor, stopped after 2007. Carulla says the soft drink giant decided to concentrate instead on football and the Olympics.

VISA, another former sponsor from the U.S., did the same.

"Yes, we don't have any more U.S. sponsors, but we compensate with other sponsors," Carulla says. "We believe that the future is about China, Brazil, Russia, the Middle East, and those economies which are booming or very strong, and where there's a lot of wealth and a lot of opportunities."

Sponsor Village

Sponsors have constructed pavilions outside the stadium in a special area called Market Street. Some, such as adidas and Samsung, are very interactive, with people running and jumping against a machine.

Carulla says the sponsors entertain guests and clients at the pavilions and also display their products to the general public.

"Samsung is a showcase of technology," he says. "You're going to have 450,000 people going to the stadium across nine days -- without counting other people who are maybe wandering around. It's a good opportunity to show your products."

The market area also includes food stands, including skewered chicken, cuttlefish and red bean sherbet.

As a showing of its hospitality, one booth provides free water -- but only to foreigners, the sign says.

City Activation

The IAAF insists that the host city put on cultural activities in thecity center throughout the championships.

Unlike Berlin's Kultur Stadion, which was adjacent to the Brandenburg Gate, there are four centers in Daegu at parks and major squares. "It's a mix between Korean art and music and modern music," Carulla says.

One is sponsored by Samsung and the others are sponsored by the Daegu city hall.

"We tell every organizing committee and city that as part of the concept, there has to be some sort of city activation," Carulla says. "And then they decide how they want to do it, what is best for the city."

Daegu has a long tradition of mini-festivals at various sites because there is not a natural city center. The task will be easier in Moscow, which has Red Square.

Carulla says the IAAF went on a major site visit to Moscow two months ago to discuss the 2013 World Championships. Federation officials will have another meeting in Daegu, then it's full speed ahead with Moscow.

Dressing Up

When the IAAF starts working with a city, certain promotional demands are made.

"For a World Championship, the promotional plan has to include so many banners, so many posters, so many flyers, so many spots on TV," Carulla says. "In the case of the posters, 12 months before, banners later.

"It's the whole matrix."

Daegu has 3,500 banners in the city, still fewer than the 5,000 Qatar had at the World Indoor Championships.

Many buildings have wraps and there are flags of the 200-plus countries all around the city.

Selling Tickets

Starting in Berlin, the IAAF began strategically targeting the days when ticket sales were not going well enough, deciding to look at the best duel of the day and translate that into advertising.

The "duels" campaign has banners showing two athletes who will square off against each other. Unfortunately, Usain Bolt vs. Asafa Powell failed to materialize when Powell withdrew from the 100 meters because of injury, then Bolt false-started.

Because the marathon is popular, one of the athletes picked for the duel is a Korean, even though he's not expected to win.

Progress Report

The Daegu organizing committee announced an attendance of 71,000 people on opening night, including the opening ceremony and fireworks display. Attendance dropped to 54,000 on Sunday night when the upper decks of Daegu Stadium were blocked off. The Monday night attendance was almost 60,000.

"The Korean public is very interested in this event," said Sangin Son of the organizing committee.

KBS, the Korean broadcaster, is showing programming in the morning to increase awareness of the championships.

"KBS is broadcasting around the clock," Son said, noting a 9 percent rating is "a very happy turn of events for us."

Cover Jinx?

If she's the superstitious sort, pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia couldn't have been happy to see the Daegu daily program on Tuesday, the fourth day of competition. She's on the cover, an honor that didn't work out very well for the three athletes who preceded her: Day 1 - Pole vaulter Steve Hooker of Australia failed to clear a height; Day 2 - Usain Bolt of Jamaica false-started out of the 100 meters; Day 3: Hurdler Dayron Robles was disqualified after crossing the finish line first in the 110-meter hurdles.

Alas, Isinbayeva didn't escape the cover jinx. After clearing 4.65 meters, the reigning Olympic champion missed at 4.75, then decided to try her luck at 4.80. She missed twice, ending up tied for sixth.

Written and reported in Daegu by Karen Rosen.

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