GE General Electric sponsorship

[winterone]

I was looking at some of the Chinese skaters in the kiss and Cry area during worlds and other ISU competitions. I could not help but notice the warm-up Jackets the Chinese wear. There is a big bright GE symbol of Sponsorship in the middle.

Why does GE sponsor skating in a communist country where the Athletic sponsorships are funded by the country?

Why does GE sponsor China and not the US? Last time I looked they were an American company. This is particularly bad here in Milwaukee as GE Medical has gone and so have the jobs. Come to think of it The jobs went to China. Maybe GE is no longer an American company.

[Sylvia]

Here's the thread you started on this topic that was moved to the 2012 Worlds forum (ETA: in case you didn't have access to see the replies the first time around): http://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/showthread.php?t=83113

ETA: This sounds like a possible topic for the Politically Incorrect forum.

[keep n spin n]

Interesting about GE and China. It must be more of a regional sponsorship. And why does IceNetwork (wholly owned by USFSA and its dues paying members) put colorful pictures and articles about other countries skater's or dance teams that compete directly with US skaters especially weeks leading up to the Grand Prix selections?

[Debbie S]

Interesting about GE and China. It must be more of a regional sponsorship. And why does IceNetwork (wholly owned by USFSA and its dues paying members) put colorful pictures and articles about other countries skater's or dance teams that compete directly with US skaters especially weeks leading up to the Grand Prix selections?

Because letting the Am public know about the skaters who compete against the Am skaters can help stimulate interest in the competition and get more people to watch? And I imagine there are many visitors to the IN website who live outside the U.S. - more website traffic ultimately means more revenue from advertising.

It's not surprising that a big multinational corp would sponsor an organization outside its headquarters country. This may be an opportunity for GE to make inroads into the Chinese market. Perhaps the Chinese fed's sponsorship deal has more attractive terms that the USFSA's deal. When a company makes decisions on sponsorships, it's usually about the audience they are able to reach and where they want to increase their visibility. It's possible figure skating fans in China are a different demographic than those in the U.S.

[barbk]

Why did one of the Japanese electronics firms give Mirai a bunch of stuff for the Olympics? Because it made sense.

GE says their business in China is expected to grow 15% -- more than any other single area of the world they mentioned in a recent interview.