For a man whose passion and career is sport, Sheng Li readily admits he cuts a pretty unsportsman-like figure. "I'm a typically-overweight, late-30s Chinese," he laughs. "I've played a bit of golf and soccer, but my sport now is really only lifting up my daughters."
He might not get many swings on the fairways anymore, but as head of implementation and activation of Visa's Beijing 2008 Olympic Games sponsorship, he lives and breathes sport. "Visa is one of the few companies in the world that really has sports as a key part of its brand DNA," Li says.
"It seems like a kind of odd combination because credit cards and financial services have nothing to do with sports. But it's about lifestyle, and lifestyle is what Visa's all about."
Li always knew he wanted to be involved in the sports industry, and sports marketing in particular, but the route to his current post in his native Shanghai is almost as circuitous as the Olympic torch relay. He left China in 1990 with a degree in international trading and a bag full of wanderlust. His travels around Europe stopped in Iceland, where he hooked up with sportswear company Hansson, and helped it shift some of its production centres from Taiwan to mainland China.
There followed a brief stint back in China, working with an international printing press production company to acquire local factories to supply parts and engineering expertise. Sport was in his blood, though, thanks to his sports journalist parents (his mother is a well-known sports author in China, and later held senior posts in the national sports ministry). He went to Atlanta for his first taste of the Olympics, and while there, learnt about the University of Oregon's sports marketing course. He signed up, and graduated with an MBA.
There followed a short spell with Nike, then his first post with Visa, eight years ago, working on Visa sponsorship across a range of properties. He has worked on the Olympic Games, the Rugby World Cup, the National Football Leagues, individual athlete management, various national sports federations, as well as James Bond movies and Walt Disney. "A lot of people say 'you've got the best job in the world', but I think I got pretty much the worst job, because sport is about entertainment and enjoyment," Li quips. "Now, when I see sports, I can only think about ROI and how you can leverage sports to build your brand."
Li laments that the importance of ROI is sometimes overwhelmed by passion and sheer belief for some marketers who see sports sponsorship as their salvation. Companies that wouldn't contemplate investing $10 million in a new production centre without a thorough risk and return appraisal will all too readily leap into sports sponsorship without the same level of prudence.
Not so with Visa, however, the company that led him back to a very different China than the one he left — a faster, more lively and creative nation, that slowly is getting used to the idea of consumer credit.
Li oversees all Visa marketing in China, and having launched Visa's first TV ad campaign in 2004 and this year's 'Victory China' through-the-line campaign for the Torino Winter Games, he has also led Visa's efforts to develop strategic partnerships in China with the likes of the China National Tourism Administration, the Beijing Tourism Administration, Lenovo, eLong, China NetCom and Taobao.
With the clock ticking down to 2008, the Olympics are naturally a major focal point. "The one brand attribute we love about the Olympics is that it's global, yet local, which is exactly what Visa is. It's a perfect fit," Li says.
For Li, the 2008 Olympics are also the fulfilment of a dream, to see the Games take place in China. He'd rather be competing of course, and has even found a sport so niche — curling — that if he starts training now, he'd be in with a chance of making the Chinese team, but will be more than happy cheering from the sidelines, spreadsheet in hand. He notes: "It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I wouldn't miss it for anything."