SK signs sponsorship deal with FC Barcelona
Park Yong-min, second from right, head of the lubricant business division at SK Lubricants, poses with FC Barcelona's Head of Business Development APAC Jordi Camps, second from left, during the two sides' sponsorship agreement ceremony in Beijing, Sunday. / Courtesy of SK Lubricants
By Nam Hyun-woo
SK Lubricants, the world's leading manufacturer of lubricants, has signed a three-year sponsorship deal with prestigious Spanish football club FC Barcelona in a bid to bolster its global image and sales, the firm said, Sunday.
Under the partnership that began July 1, the company is allowed to use the logo of FC Barcelona and images of its players in all areas related to SK ZIC, the firm's lubricant brand, in five countries -- Korea, China, Russia, Vietnam and Thailand.
For example, images associated with the football club can be displayed in SK ZIC products and used for TV commercials and digital content.
With the deal, SK Lubricants has become the first Korean corporate sponsor of FC Barcelona since the football club's foundation in 1899.
The firm said that the sponsorship is expected to contribute greatly to enhancing SK ZIC's brand awareness and sales in those countries, where lubricant markets are growing rapidly.
“China and South East Asia are markets where demand for lubricants is significantly growing and need more than 85 million barrels a year,” an official said.
“Through the sponsorship, we plan to increase our premium products' recognition and global sales by associating football fans' awareness of the world's best football club and its favorability.”
An FC Barcelona official said: “It is our great pleasure that the club signed a sponsorship deal with SK ZIC, the leading Korean lubricant brand, and we also hope the deal has paved the way for more remarkable Korean companies to become sponsors of FC Barcelona.”
SK Lubricants launched SK ZIC in 1995, introducing the concept of a lubricant brand in Korea. Since then, the brand has been consolidating its prowess, topping the Korea Brand Power Index (K-BPI) for 20 consecutive years since 1999.
Along with its strong domestic presence, SK ZIC's quality and brand power were recognized overseas, being selected as a “National Brand” in the category of engine oil in Russia in April this year.
National Brand is the most prestigious brand recognition in Russia given by Russian the Chamber of Commerce and National Brand Selection Committee to products that achieved consumer recognition for their best quality.
Following the signing ceremony of the sponsorship deal in Beijing, SK Lubricants held a launching ceremony of new SK ZIC engine oil plant in China.
The new product was developed to comply with SN Plus, a new engine oil standard established by America Petroleum Institute. It is a 100 percent synthetic oil, based on SK Lubricants' original base oil Yubase. SK Lubricants said the new product offers improved fuel economy compared to products developed under the old SN standards.