Leading Chinese PC maker Lenovo Group Ltd yesterday signed up as the "Official PC Partner" of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

 

The deal, which establishes a long-term marketing partnership, was announced in Beijing. It is the latest bid by the world's third-largest PC manufacturer to raise brand awareness through sports events.

 

Mark Fisher, managing director of the NBA's Beijing office, said: "Lenovo is our first complete partner in China and the United States, two of our most important markets."

 

As the NBA's "Official PC Partner," Lenovo will be able to use the NBA brand and player images in its marketing campaigns and TV commercials. Meanwhile, the NBA will use Lenovo products, while its official website and TV channel will promote the Lenovo brand.

 

As part of the partnership, the NBA will also introduce the Lenovo Stat during the 2006-07 NBA season. The Stat showcases the best combination of players on the court for every NBA game. It will be available on the NBA's official website and TV channel at the end of each game.

 

According to the deal, Lenovo will use its Thinkpad, ThinkCentre and Lenovo3000 notebook and desktop PCs in all 30 NBA arenas to record data and statistical information for all of the season's 1,300 NBA games. Meanwhile, NBA referees will also use Lenovo PCs to review videos of their calls.

 

Moreover, Lenovo will partner with the league's global community initiative NBA Cares, donating personal computers to underprivileged communities.

 

"According to our previous experience, sponsorship of sports events has always had a positive impact on our financial performance, as well as our share price," said Zhu Guang, Lenovo's executive director for Brand Communications Greater China.

 

In 2004, Lenovo, which acquired IBM's personal PC arm last year, sealed an exclusive sponsorship deal for the Olympic Games, making it the first Chinese company to enter The Olympic Partner (TOP) program. The Beijing-based company agreed to provide equipment such as desktops, laptops, servers and printers to the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics and 2008 Beijing Olympics.

 

The company said its brand recognition rate climbed from 58 percent to 62 percent in five months around the Turin Winter Games.

 

"The new partnership will help us cement our leading position in China and enhance our brands internationally," Zhu added.

 

The company will also embark on a marketing campaign to promote its Yangtian series desktop computers.

 

The series, targeted at small- and medium-sized companies, is expected to account for 40 percent of Lenovo's total sales this year. The company said earlier it expects to sell 1.5 million of the computers this year.

 

Lenovo currently has a 45 percent share of China's personal computer and laptop market and 7 percent of the global market.

 

(China Daily October 25, 2006)