LeBron James first championship may raise Nike’s stakes by about $ 4 billion in China
According to the marketing employees, the world’s largest sporting goods maker ‘Nike’ will add four billion dollars to its revenue from China, if LeBron James wins his first ever National Basketball Association (NBA) championship,
this post season.
In a career spanning over seven years, the 26-year-old Miami Heat forward has had the honour of winning an Olympic gold medal in Beijing and two Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards, but the championship ring is the only object that
is yet to be furnished on his resume. Although James is widely popular and is already a successful commercial ambassador, but in order to overcome marketing might of Michael Jordan, who wrapped up six titles in his flourishing career with the Chicago Bulls,
and Kobe Bryant, who spearheaded the Los Angeles to the title five times, it is imperative for James to achieve this feat.
The Nike’s former marketing director of China Terry Rhoads, who formed Shanghai- based Zou Marketing said, “LeBron is white-hot with the Chinese basketball-loving youth, but his popularity and influence outside of that circle is
limited. One reason is the lack of titles.”
Since January last year, Nike has earned $ 1.96 billion in sales from the world’s most populated nation. According to Rhoads, the major part of the revenue came from basketball. If the influential James can lead Miami for the championship
trophy this year, it will allow him to take over the company’s face in China and leave the 32-year-old Kobe behind.
“If Kobe isn’t the king with Chinese consumers, LeBron could take over and continue to power Nike’s stronghold on China basketball,” Rhoads said in an e-mail.
As a result of the increasing popularity of the NBA players in the country especially James, Terry is of the view that it is quite easy to determine Nike’s revenue reaching 6 billion dollars by 2020.
LeBron also has great aspiration about getting his hands on the Larry O’ Brian trophy but he is adamant that his drive has nothing to do with the upgrade in his commercial value. “It would do everything for me, as far as an individual
standpoint. I don’t care what it does marketing-wise. My marketing statement was in place for me as a professional.”
On the field though, much is left to be done for the King. He has to pass through Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls first and then has to gun down the best in the west to achieve the ultimate prize. On Monday night, he took a
step in the right direction when he powered Miami Heat down the stretch to hand an 85-75 defeat to the Bulls in the game-2 of the Eastern Conference Finals. LeBron posted a game-high 29 points and tied the best of seven series 1-1.
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