Benjamin Wahl | The Strategic Business of Sports Solutions in China

Topics Discussed and Key Points:

● Marketing a football league in China

● How other EU teams are finding fans in China

● Do foreign clubs have limited time to grow their followings as the Chinese government looks to expand local football culture?

● How different countries grow their sports and how closely China intends to follow those existing strategies

● The future Yao Ming of football in China

● Where the majority of Borussia Dortmund’s marketing spend is going

● Tactics for growing a sports brand in China

● Why China and Germany have such a strong relationship

Episode Summary:

Today on The Negotiation, we speak with Benjamin Wahl, a brand strategy, business, and sports development expert. He is Head of China for the German professional football club Borussia Dortmund. Prior to this, Benjamin led the China strategy for Bayer 04 Leverkusen from 2016 to 2017, establishing a youth football academy in China in the process.

Listen in as Benjamin talks about his five-year experience as a sports solution professional working in the China market. He speaks on how his own Borussia Dortmund was able to gain a foothold in the country and the marketing efforts they have been most focused on in order to spread the club’s culture and fanbase.

Benjamin also touches on how other EU-based clubs are doing in China by comparison and what makes Germany stand out with regard to its relationship with China compared to those of other European countries.

Finally, Benjamin shares tactics that other organizations and clubs can use to grow a sports brand in China and describes Borussia Dortmund’s branding and marketing strategy that he refers to as “The Challenger Approach”.

Key Quotes:

“When I go to [local football games] I’m always surprised at what a real fan culture they already have. When I speak to fans, I think it’s common that they have two clubs here: the local club attached to a region or a city [...] and a second team in Europe.”

“With a team sport like football, and probably even basketball, it takes time—years—to establish the sport and a big base of players.”