Beijing, January 18, 2005 --- Beijing Li Ning Sporting Goods Co., Ltd (“Beijing Li Ning”), a subsidiary of the leading sports brand enterprises in the PRC, Li Ning Company Limited (“Li Ning” or the “Group”; stock code: 2331), and the N BA Properties Inc. (“NBA Properties”), the marketing and licensing arm of the global leader in basketball and sports marketing, National Basketball Association (“NBA”), announced their agreement to enter into a strategic marketing partnership, creating a historic alliance.
Under the agreement, Beijing Li Ning has the right to use the logos and names owned by NBA Properties and d esignations as “Official Sponsor of the NBA” for promoti ng the LI-NING brand and its athletic footwear. Beijing L i Ning shall sign selected NBA Players and sponsor NBA related events and program me s for promotional purposes. N BA Properties will provide Beijing Li Ning with certain commercial timeslot in regular season game telecasts by China Central Television .
Mr. Li Ning, founder and Chairman of Li Ning Company Ltd and Mr. Andrew Messick, Senior Vice President of NBA International, presided over an official contract signing ceremony in Beijing .
Commenting on the strategic partnership, Mr. Li Ning said, “There is great synergy between NBA and LI-NING in China. We will benefit from NBA’s popularity and world-class brand image in China and NBA will have the opportunity to tap into our expertise and widespread on-ground presence nationwide.”
“LI-NING is a leading sports brand in China’s rapidly growing sports industry and we are delighted to join forces with them to promote the sport of basketball leading up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics,” said Mr. Andrew Messick.
Mr. Mark Fischer, NBA China Managing Director, added, “This groundbreaking partnership fits well with our long-term strategy to partner with leading Chinese brands such as LI-NING to increase our relevance and reach throughout the China market, particularly in the second and third-tier cities where Li Ning’s market share is very strong.”
The Beijing Li Ning-NBA China partnership will cut across several platforms:
NBA Media:
LI-NING basketball and brand campaigns will appear on nationally televised NBA games broadcast across China, as well as on the NBA.com/China site.
NBA Player Endorsements:
Beijing Li Ning will commit to signing NBA player endorsements to multimedia advertising and promotional campaigns, including annual appearances in China.
Basketball Participation and Community Goodwill:
Beijing Li Ning will work with NBA on selected events to grow the game of basketball across China.
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