Shanghai-based digital marketing agency Mailman Sports CEO Andrew Collins spoke to SBD Global via email about a number of the top trends to watch in the Chinese market throughout the rest of '17 and beyond. Mailman published the sixth edition of its Red Card study on the influence of 53 European clubs on China's social media platforms in February. Collins discussed whether he expects a Chinese company to make an offer for the NBA Houston Rockets, the impact he expects Yao Ming to have on the Chinese Basketball Association and how he expects the Chinese government to invest in football going forward, among other topics.
SBD Global: Can you foresee a Chinese company making an offer to acquire the NBA Houston Rockets? Or are there other ways you can see Chinese businesses getting involved in the sale of the club?
Collins: We've already seen a 5% share in the Minnesota Timberwolves acquired by the owner of Desports, Jiang Lizhang, but we don't expect to see any outright bid for an NBA franchise. The Houston Rockets have a strong reputation in China following Yao Ming and now Zhou Qi so there may be a part-investment from a Chinese backer. Outside of this, sponsorship is a growing opportunity for the NBA teams and we will see more of this in the future.
SBD Global: What kind of impact do you believe Yao Ming will have on basketball's popularity now that he is president of the Chinese Basketball Association?
Collins: He will have a massive impact on the overall development of the league, from the teams' performance all the way to their online marketing. Yao will want to break down the current strategy bit by bit and then build it up using a lot of what made the NBA successful both in the U.S. and in China. The NBA are naturally invested into the development of the CBA, so we can expect to see further crossover between these two leagues in the future.
SBD Global: Do you think the crackdown on spending by Chinese Super League clubs will be followed by the government scaling back its efforts to increase the popularity of the sport and eventually host the World Cup?
Collins: No. The crackdown on spending was enforced by the state following a series of negative domestic and global press coverage on the topic. Money will continue to be invested into football, but through other mediums. It's unlikely that we'll see the CSL outspend the Premier League again under these rules and we're not going to see a large level of outbound investment into European clubs. The sport will continue to grow in popularity through a more organic approach including investment in grassroots and stadia.
SBD Global: Are there any top European football teams that have not yet made China a priority that you expect to see do so in the coming months?
Collins: China is a top priority for all of the top European teams now, but there has been a difference in the level of investment and focus. Borussia Dortmund has come to Asia for the last three years and AC Milan are back for the second time in three years. We're going to see now more of the tier-two teams prioritizing China and making a push in this market.
SBD Global: What kind of impact do you expect Lionel Messi’s theme park to have?
Collins: It's hard to draw a connection between this theme park and youth development. It's going to push Messi's brand even further in China and will make him even more of a celebrity, but I don't see it helping the national team get any closer to their dream of winning the World Cup.
