Despite "football fever" trending across China for the Euro 2012, "the tournament has failed to ignite corporate sponsorship interest here," according to Qiu Quanlin of the CHINA DAILY. Sports marketing firm Shankai Sports Int'l CEO Feng Tao said that there have been "sales of packages involving tickets and other hospitality at the matches." But there hasn't "been one corporate sponsorship" between Chinese companies and UEFA. The lack of sponsorship interest is a "surprise for many, given the promising relationships already developing between some leading Chinese corporate brands and a couple of big-name football clubs in Germany and Spain" in recent years. Feng blamed the low number of sponsorships deals for the Euro 2012 on "short-term planning, and possibly a weak international marketing presence" by most Chinese companies. Feng said, "Most Chinese companies we contacted do not adopt long-term global marketing strategies, which in turn, greatly affect their ability to increase their international presence." Feng further suggested that "too few Chinese companies have a good enough understanding of sports marketing in general," and certainly lacking for an event "as major as Euro 2012." Peak Sport Product Co Ltd Deputy Dir of Public Relations Liu Xiang added that many companies have been "blinkered into thinking that this is just a European event that would have little impact in China," as several of the matches are scheduled outside China's prime viewing times, thus "vastly reducing the commercial impact" (CHINA DAILY, 6/12).
