Swans look to maximise marketing opportunities in Asia
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| Ki: Helping to promote The Swansea Way |
Michael Laudrup: “It’s massive for us and shows the progression of the club that we are probably going to play in the Far East. It’s a long way to go to play friendlies, but there is huge interest in the whole of Asia for the Premier League. It’s a great chance for us to promote the league out there.”
As reported previously, interest in Ki in South Korea is massive, with some fans labeling him "The Korean David Beckham". While that may seem a stretch for some, the possibilities afforded by having a player of Ki's international standing playing for the Swans should not be ignored. Before the Capital One Cup final there was obvious global interest in the Swans, but Korean news in particular were keen to find out how their leading light was getting on in South Wales. Before the final there was a South Korean film crew filming in locations such as Swansea Castle, Mumbles & Three Cliffs Bay and it's obvious that there is currently an appetite for all things Swansea City in this corner of the Far East, and it's unlikely to fade unless Ki moves on.
Ki has gone about his job quietly this season, and this is highlighted when you look at his passing statistics, which have largely gone unheralded. Last season Leon was held up as the epitome of "The Swansea Way" with the highest pass completion in the league - this year he sits seventh with 91.1% (1246/1368 passes completed), while his lanky South Korean team-mate occupies second spot - bettered only by Mikel Arteta - with a pass completion rate of 92.3% (1327/1437). Granted, his confidence in front of goal seems to have drained slightly but if you want to see examples of just how well he can strike a ball have a look at the video below. Ok, the standard of the league isn't the same but the boy really does have a cannon.
There are some belters in there, aren't there?
The impact gaining a foothold in South Korea could bring shouldn't be underestimated. Swansea are, due to geographic, economic (and other) reasons always likely to remain a small fish in a big pond, however clever marketing and continued exposure on the world stage could start to counteract that. Realistically, with Wales being a small country and the Swans potential fanbase limited in this respect, we can't expect to compete with certain "powerhouses" of the British game, at least not on home soil, so any extra income derived from an international fanbase will be welcomed with open arms. A quick look at some statistics tells me that not only is South Korea part of the G20, it also has the 15th highest GDP in the world and ranks 12th in terms of purchasing power, and with a population of 49 million there will be a lot more football fans there than there are in Wales. Now, I'm no mathematician, but I have a sneaky feeling that if we get our marketing right we could end up selling more replica shirts in Korea than we do in South Wales...
The announcement that we are looking to spend time in Korea over the close-season is the latest in a line of sensible business decisions from the Swans, but we've come to expect that haven't we? No doubt they'll be looking at other ways of maximising marketing opportunities in that corner of the globe, and I'm surely not alone in awaiting further developments with interest.
Whether many local Jacks will decide to make the trip to Korea with the small matter of Europa League qualifiers coming soon after is, however, a different matter...