Page 20 - Sphere No.22 (Aug 2008)

18 SPHERE
ensuring that the heart and
lungs are given a thorough,
and regular, workout. It is highly
unlikely that anyone living in the modern
age is unaware of the extensive medical proof
showing that regular exercise, and a healthy diet,
can significantly reduce the risk of heart problems
and, ultimately, promote longevity.
For modern-day kids, participating in sport is a far more
stimulating pastime, in mental and physical terms, than long
hours spent in front of a monitor playing computer games.
Among the leading world sports figures who are passionate
about encouraging youngsters to play real, not cyberspace,
games, is multiple Olympic medallist Sebastian Coe.
“Today’s children live in a world of conflicting messages
and competing distractions,” says the man who was one of the
world’s best ever middle distance runners, excelling in the 800
and 1,500 metre distances and winning four Olympic medals,
two of them gold. “Their landscape is cluttered. Their path to
sport is often obscured. When I was growing up, my heroes
were two Olympians who lived in my home town. These days,
young peoples’ heroes change from week to week.
“For many, they are not even real people but cartoon or video
game figures. Young people in the developed world have a range
of what a friend of mine calls SBAs – ‘Screen Based Activities’–
to entertain them, to keep them occupied, to soak up their lei-
sure time: computers, DVDs, game consoles, videos, and TVs.
“Using the undeniably strong forces of the Olympic move-
ment, I want to build a much stronger global alliance, using
government and sports organisations, and businesses to in-
spire youth to get into sport, to get into recreation to make
sure they enjoy it enough to stay into it; to strive to make clear
the benefits of such involvement for them and their commu-
nities. To me, sport is the hidden social worker in the com-
munity. It’s also a great educator and motivator.”
Sports participation and sponsorship are both integral parts
of the Hutchison approach. Apart from the obvious advantage
of having employees who are fit, healthy and active, helping
promote sport in the community generates enormous good-
will and, at the same time, acts as a subtle marketing device.
In Hong Kong, for example, people immediately associate
Watsons Water with athletics because of its close relationship
with local track and field through the Watsons Athletic Club,
which was founded in 1989 to promote the wellbeing of local
youth through participation in sports. Here we look at ex-
amples of Hutchison’s three distinct approaches to supporting
sport – marketing, lifestyle and sponsorship.
Marketing
Golf is a sure-fire winner for a relaxed and convivial day out and,
when clients are asked along, it allows the chance to build stronger
customer relations. Last year a number of such events were held
in Tianjin and Shanghai by the Hutchison Whampoa Property
Sports participation
and sponsorship
are both integral
parts of the
Hutchison approach