Shoto Zhu
Founder and President, OCEANS Marketing

With more than 11 years experience in the sports marketing and sports business, and still only in his late 30s, Shoto Zhu started his sports business career with the J-League (Japan’s national professional football league), initially being responsible for overseas TV rights sales and subsequently the development of the J-League’s long-term strategy and planning.  During his time with the J-League, Shoto led many of the league’s marketing initiatives, including training programs for J-League club managers, the league’s international promotional strategies and the inter-league collaborations between the national football leagues in Japan, Korea and China.             Appointed by FIFA Marketing AG as its General Manager in China for the preparations of FIFA Women’s World Cup 2003, there then followed a spell as an independent sports marketing consultant for the J-League, Dentsu, the Chinese Football Association and the Shanghai Media Group.  As a result of his burgeoning network of projects and relationships, Shoto quickly identified the advantages of formally establishing a “homegrown” Chinese sports business at a time when the eyes of the world (and China) were turning towards preparations for the upcoming Beijing Olympics.

Having founded OCEANS Marketing in 2006 in Beijing, Shoto’s vision was recognised after just three years, with OCEANS being awarded a place among the “Top 100 Fast-Growth Companies in China 2008”.

Shoto is a Bachelor of Marketing & Corporate Strategy from Hitotsubashi University, one of the top Business Colleges in Japan.  In addition, he has participated in FIFA’s widely recognised CIES programme, the Masters in Sports Management.

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OCEANS Marketing
www.oceans-marketing.com

Founded by Chinese sports business entrepreneur Shoto Zhu in Beijing in 2006, OCEANS Marketing has rapidly developed a dynamic reputation for itself as a provider of a variety of turn-key sports marketing solutions.  Through its partnerships with Chinese and international brands, high-profile sports properties and influential media groups in China, OCEANS now boasts an impressive professional portfolio, enjoying relationships with more than 30 international and local brands, and offering sports marketing consultancy services which include sponsorship management (property evaluation and activation) and Chinese event delivery services.  In addition to its stable of brand and media partners, OCEANS works closely with 11 advertising agencies as their exclusive or preferred sports marketing partner in China.

OCEANS was appointed by FIFA as its representative to manage and deliver the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2007 across the five host cities in China, with OCEANS being primarily responsible for co-ordinating with the Chinese FA, Chinese local government authorities and providing marketing services to FIFA’s commercial partners on the ground.  Often leveraging its relationships with key Chinese national sports associations, OCEANS enjoys on-going relationships with many of the world’s most recognised football club brands, including FC Barcelona and Manchester United, as well as supporting the development initiatives of the NBA and MLB in China.

OCEANS is currently expanding its media rights business, a focus which includes providing China-based media companies with valuable sports content and with access to individual athletes.

The dynamic rise to prominence of OCEANS Marketing as one of the leading Chinese-led independent sports marketing agencies was recognised in 2008 by the award of a place among China’s “Top 100 Fast-Growth Companies”.