Olympic Council of Malaysia partners with Dentsu Sports Asia

(marketingmagazine.com.my) – Dentsu Sports Asia (DSA), a subsidiary of Dentsu Inc. (Dentsu), announced a 4-year partnership with the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) that will enable the global sports marketing agency to exclusively market and acquire sponsors for Malaysia’s National Olympic Committee until the 2020 Olympics.

The OCM partnership further strengthens DSA’s presence in the region, building up to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games where Dentsu is appointed to advise and assist the committee in the formulation of the Games marketing plan and commercial strategies, as well as provide support on sponsorship sales, servicing and the licensing programme.

DSA was also recently appointed as co-exclusive sponsorship agency for the 2017 Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) in Kuala Lumpur, where DSA resides within Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN) Malaysia’s group of agencies.

“We are very pleased to be working with the OCM and are committed to forging mutually beneficial partnerships for the OCM not only leading towards the next Olympics in 2020 but also the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games in 2018.

“The Olympic Games is the true pinnacle of sport. Locally and globally, there is no bigger platform with which to elevate the profile of sport.

“As long-time supporters of sports, DSA is privileged and excited to continue contributing to this growth especially in Malaysia,” said Kunihito Morimura, President and CEO of Dentsu Sports Asia.

“It is a milestone collaboration for the OCM with an international and reputable marketing agency like DSA as we explore new avenues to enhance our marketing strategy,” said Y.A.M. Tunku Tan Sri Imran ibni Almarhum Tuanku Ja’afar, President of OCM.

“We are confident that this partnership will take OCM to greater heights as a dynamic body at the forefront of Malaysian sports and in the right direction towards securing better sponsorships with the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games in mind,” he said at the signing ceremony.

Also present at the signing were Dato’ Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria, Deputy President of OCM, Nicky Lim, CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network Malaysia and Stuart Ramalingam, Vice President of DSA and Head of DSA’s Malaysian Office, who will be steering the sponsorship marketing duties.

Stuart remarked, “We have the utmost respect for OCM’s contribution to our nation’s sports achievement and development.

“Hence, it is a great honour to be able to collaborate with them now to further assist them in escalating the profile of our athletes and the various sports in the country in the lead-up to the next Olympic Games in four years.

“We look forward to bridging OCM with commercial partners and ultimately unlocking the value that sponsorships bring to the local sports industry.”

Nicky added, “DSA’s strategic collaboration with DAN in Malaysia places us in a unique position where sports marketing converges with all other communication services across the group. This will enable DSA to leverage the strength of our network’s pool of clients and brands in facilitating their sponsorship marketing duties.”

Besides Dentsu’s work for Tokyo 2020, Dentsu is also responsible for the distribution of broadcast rights for the Olympic Games in 22 territories across Asia and Central Asia from 2014 to 2024.

The OCM is the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Malaysia recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in accordance with the Olympic Charter and by all the International Federations (IFs).

Dentsu Sports Asia, a subsidiary of Dentsu Inc, was established in 2010 with the aim of expanding the group’s international sports business and offers a one-stop solution to clients.