Chinese suit brand DIKING benefits from sponsoring World Cup

FUZHOU - China's men's suit brand DIKING has seen sales increase by more than 30 percent year-on-year in June after sponsoring FIFA World Cup games in Russia.

According to Lv Qi, the CEO of DIKING, the sales growth is just one of the effects of the sponsorship. More importantly, it has brought worldwide recognition and popularity for the brand.

"Our advertisement was scrolling on the e-board along the match field, and people could easily see that while watching the games in stadiums, or through live broadcasts or online video replays, (they were) getting to know our brand," said Lv.

"Many news reporters called me for interviews and lots of overseas business dealers contacted me for further cooperation," he added.

The $20 million sponsorship is the most the company has ever spent, but Lv believes it is a worthwhile and profitable deal for the development of the company in the long run.

As a non-sport based clothing company, DIKING's initial attempts to be seen on a World Cup stage was frustrating because Adidas was the dominant sportswear sponsor of the FIFA World Cup. Lv persevered and said his company learned from Hugo Boss and Armani in sponsoring big sporting events.

He believed it was time for DIKING to take a big step. He and his team negotiated with FIFA officials in May and convinced them that DIKING is not a sportswear brand and wouldn't violate the exclusiveness of Adidas' sponsorship.

20 years ago, DIKING was an OEM factory, producing and exporting the clothes of other brands to the world. In 2003, the company launched its own brand marketing program, introducing new fashion designs from around the world. "We sponsored the World Cup and our goal is very clear; to earn a position in the global market."

The FIFA World Cup was a good start and the suit company will be very cautious about the next big sponsorship it undertakes.