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No one is more excited about the World Cup games than Hyundai Motor -- and not just because the Korean national team has fared well thus far. As one of the official partners of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, the largest carmaker in the country has taken full advantage of this by placing its advertisements seemingly everywhere, including in stadiums and TV commercials, and the potential returns are enormous.
Hyundai Motor donated W50 billion to become an official partner with FIFA, in addition to another W50 billion to support the mini World Cup for amateur players around the world and to supply vehicles for the real games.
Hyundai Investment & Securities Co. estimated the advertising effect for Hyundai Motor would reach some W1 trillion, which means the company would be getting a tenfold profit from its W100 billion investment.
Kookmin Bank, also an official FIFA partner, supported the cheering rally on the streets of Gwanghwamun for the Korean national soccer team's matches on June 4 and 10, where more than 150,000 Red Devils fans packed the streets. The bank gave away 20,000 bottles of mineral water during these rallies and is planning to give away luminous bracelets for Korea's next match.
With Korea's chances of making it into the Round of 16 looking brighter, official sponsors of the World Cup are more than excited as this has captured the interest of the entire nation. Interest in the 2002 World Cup is also becoming larger than ever worldwide with the slew of recent upsets, such as Senegal defeating France in the opening match, which will give the sponsors more exposure.
KT, one of the biggest official sponsors, donated W40 billion in funds to FIFA. However, it is estimating to rake in nearly W2 trillion in PR effect as KT 's ad sign appears once every 15 minutes during TV broadcasts. Even though its sister company KTF only donated W10 billion, it also looks to bring in a maximum of W1 trillion in PR effect.
Some companies that are not official partners are also enjoying considerable profits due to the World Cup. Samsung Card used Korean national team head coach Guus Hiddink in its TV commercial, which has garnered a very positive response.
However, not all companies are smiling. LG Electronics, the official sponsor for the French national soccer team, gained much exposure during the friendly between Korea and France in Suwon on May 26, with its ads appearing at almost every turn of the broadcast. At that time, the company estimated the PR effect to reach 10 times its W900 million investment.
But now, with France unexpectedly out of the tournament, the company must change the caption of its advertisement that reads "LG Electronics officially supports France's National Soccer Team."
(Kim Ki-hun, khkim@chosun.com )
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