Chinese grasp Yao's marketing in big way By JONATHAN FEIGEN Copyright 2002 Houston Chronicle When Yao Ming was busy slapping around the Spurs last week, Rockets president George Postolos was singing happily. This was not the first time Postolos had sung Yao's name or praises, but this was different. Postolos sang before a crowd of roughly 150 in a Beijing hotel ballroom as part of a conference about the business of basketball. There was no need to translate the lyrics. Postolos had no trouble remembering his lines. He sang the words to the Yao fan song played at Compaq Center: "Yao Ming, Yao Ming, Yao Ming, Yao Ming, Yao Ming, Yao Ming." (Subsequent verses go pretty much the same way.) Postolos' act was so well-received -- it pays to know your audience -- he sang again the next day on a Chinese sports talk show viewed by 70 million in China. "Yao Ming, Yao Ming, Yao Ming, Yao Ming, Yao Ming, Yao Ming." "We knew it was big. We just didn't know how big it was," said Postolos, working in the Rockets' marketing theme "big" as often as possible. "I can't overstate how big this guy is going to be there. It's so exciting. It's great for the NBA, great for the Rockets, great for Yao Ming, great for Houston and great for China. "This is so much a part of larger trends. He is becoming a symbol of the opening up of China, the development of China, China's improving relationships around the world. Look what he's accomplishing." Some might say it's big. With that in mind, Postolos served as a panelist during the two-day conference, The First China Basketball Forum, speaking with FIBA secretary general-elect Patrick Baumann, sports agent (and adviser to Yao's representatives) Bill Duffy and facilities expert Carl Hirsh. Postolos' appearance was part of the agreements the Rockets reached with the China Basketball Association before the NBA draft. Sports officials from around the country flocked to the conference to hear everything they could about turning sports into a business. While Rockets vice president Tad Brown was talking to companies in China about sponsorship deals in Houston, Postolos walked through the basics of sports marketing, sales and sponsorships. "They were very interested in commercialization -- at the conference and on the talk show -- in changing from a central-planned to a market economy," Postolos said. "How do you attract sponsor interest and turn government programs (such as state-sponsored sports) to profit-making ventures? They were very interested in all the business aspects of sports, how to make it work and attractive, how we market players as heroes. We talked about Yao being a hero in Houston and in China. "They are starved for any details. They hung on every word, especially about Yao Ming and his experiences." The concept of marketing a sport as a product and selling it by selling the virtues of its individuals has been routine here for decades, and it was taken to another level during the NBA's Michael Jordan era. But it is so new in China it all came as a revelation. The crowd roared when Postolos showed the Rockets' television commercial with the Yao growth chart at the mall. During a break in the conference's second day, Postolos slipped away to watch the second half of the Rockets' win over the Spurs. By the time of the talk show, when Yao's highlights played, the studio audience seemed to have seen every moment. "Everybody was aware of the way he scored and pulled down rebounds the way he did against (David) Robinson and (Tim) Duncan," Postolos said. "He's being followed that closely by people in China. It was incredible. We just took it from there. "He cuts across cultural differences, the differences in language. It showed the excitement of Yao Ming playing basketball for the Rockets. They love the idea that people are excited about him. It was a way to connect to general enthusiasm here for their national treasure." So Postolos sang. It won't be the last time. "I sang it," he said, "and they loved it."
Chance... You're bad, you're nationwide. (so to speak) Who would thunk his little ditty would become a hit overseas. Who's got the publishing rights?
Now if Chance can just cut about 1 billion CD's of the Yao Ming song and begin selling them in China, he will become a very very very very rich man
I just read the other thread where Chance talks about actually putting out a CD with his songs on it. Market that sucka to China dude, you'll be rich in no time!
He's already at very very rich. How else can he spend all his time making goofy songs about Rockets and Texans? No need to get to the very very very very status. Besides, the words: intellectual propert, profit, and China won't go together without a Not in there.
All he really needs to do is make a CD single of the Yao Ming Song and sell it for $1 with some fancy packaging. Maybe include bonus cuts of the other Rockets players songs as well. It's probably too late though. The Yao Ming Song is probably already being bootlegged in Hong Kong. HAHA!
I'm on it...I'm on it...! It's gonna be awesome!!! It'll have the new Steve and Cat song on it and 3 other never before heard songs...It'll be out right after the 1st of the year. Remember...I am NOT OUT TO PROFIT off of cc.netters. Just email me, say you are from cc.net, and i'll email you the song.
Dude, I want to buy the CD though!! I mean, I've enjoyed the songs so much, I would feel badly if I DIDN'T purchase the CD! Man, if you could set up distribution at the Rockets games and at retail stores like Soundwaves, you could sell a ton of these!! Especially if they're priced at like $5 a piece.
Ok, I don't want to do any work, but now that I see this is rolling along great, can I be a Possee Member? And no, I wont take the rap for any hand gun incidents either - Ive seen Goodfellas 12 times - you cant fool me.
Beee-otch you gonna find your ass mixed up in a 187. Po Po chase me down and get my ass 25 with an izL. Oh you were talking about a different gun incident.
