HOUSTON -
Yao Ming has been a marketing sensation for the Rockets and the NBA. Add Yao to the roster and suddenly Rockets games are watched all over the world.
"They and the NBA have just done a sensational job of building a global brand out of what was essentially an American sport," said advertising executive Bill Fogarty of the agency FKM.
Advertise with the Rockets and your product is seen across the globe. Typical sponsors like Budweiser, and Southwest Airlines are willing to pay more, and non-traditional sponsors want a piece of the action too. Yao is responsible for generating hundreds of millions of dollars each year according Fogarty.
"I think Yao is a once in a generation opportunity that came our way and we took full advantage of it," said Fogarty.
When Yao played his first game against the Milwaukee Bucks, and Chinese rookie Yi Jianlian, the game drew more than 200 million viewers in China. That is twice as many as the Super Bowl.
But if Yao's career is over, Fogarty says the NBA will still be popular around the world.
"I think they'll be able to keep it going just because the players they attract today come from all over the world," said Fogarty. "Just in the last draft they came from Spain and Argentina and China."
So the league would survive, but the Rockets would clearly have a hard time finding another star whose value on the court is only outdone by his value in the bank.
"They and the NBA have just done a sensational job of building a global brand out of what was essentially an American sport," said advertising executive Bill Fogarty of the agency FKM.
Advertise with the Rockets and your product is seen across the globe. Typical sponsors like Budweiser, and Southwest Airlines are willing to pay more, and non-traditional sponsors want a piece of the action too. Yao is responsible for generating hundreds of millions of dollars each year according Fogarty.
"I think Yao is a once in a generation opportunity that came our way and we took full advantage of it," said Fogarty.
When Yao played his first game against the Milwaukee Bucks, and Chinese rookie Yi Jianlian, the game drew more than 200 million viewers in China. That is twice as many as the Super Bowl.
But if Yao's career is over, Fogarty says the NBA will still be popular around the world.
"I think they'll be able to keep it going just because the players they attract today come from all over the world," said Fogarty. "Just in the last draft they came from Spain and Argentina and China."
So the league would survive, but the Rockets would clearly have a hard time finding another star whose value on the court is only outdone by his value in the bank.
