NBA in China Gets Milk To Sell Hoops - WSJ.com

NBA in China Gets Milk To Sell Hoops - WSJ.com:

"The National Basketball Association built itself into a multibillion-dollar enterprise partly through alliances with corporations such as Anheuser-Busch, Coca-Cola and Nike. But a new partner may turn out to be more important than it seems -- Mongolian milk.
The NBA will announce today in Beijing an extensive marketing deal with Mengniu Milk, China's top producer of milk by sales volume. The league's presence in China has increased steadily since the Washington Bullets played the national team in exhibition games there in 1979. It is raising its profile further in the run-up to the Olympic Games next year with a local partner that markets aggressively all over the country."

The dairy will promote its products during the broadcast of NBA games on about half of the league's 51 Chinese television partners, including CCTV, which airs games nationally. It also will conduct promotions connected to the league's Web site and at retail establishments, and participate in the NBA Jam Van, a traveling promotional show that reached 20 Chinese provinces last year.