Volvo confirms Jeremy Lin endorsement deal
American basketball star Jeremy Lin has officially signed a deal with Swedish car manufacturer Volvo, with the company hoping he will boost interest in their products among Chinese car buyers.
Lin, whose parents are of Taiwanese origin, signed the deal agreeing to be the face of Volvo for two years.
"You may not immediately see the connection between me and Volvo. But both of us are striving to be better and smarter at what we do, and to do it our own way,” Lin, 23, said in a statement, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Lin, who is the only National Basketball Association (NBA) player with a Harvard University degree, is one of only a handful of Asian Americans to ever play in the league.
He had sat on the bench of the New York Knicks in relative obscurity, until a series of team injuries forced him into the spotlight, under which he shone – leading the struggling team to five consecutive wins in what media dubbed a “Lin-derella story”.
The Swedish car manufacturer, owned by China's Zhejiang Geely, has noticed the potential market value of Lin to Chinese customers, after the so-called "Linsanity" has swept American fans off their feet and created a resurgence in the Knicks' fanbase.
Freeman Shen, senior vice president of Volvo Car Corp. and chairman of Volvo's China operations is looking forward to the collaboration.
"For our region, Jeremy Lin is the pride of the whole Chinese population, and we are excited to work with him," Shen told the paper.
The endorsement, which is arranged to be for two years, will be focused in the United States, China, and the Chinese speaking market.
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Lin, whose parents are of Taiwanese origin, signed the deal agreeing to be the face of Volvo for two years.
"You may not immediately see the connection between me and Volvo. But both of us are striving to be better and smarter at what we do, and to do it our own way,” Lin, 23, said in a statement, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Lin, who is the only National Basketball Association (NBA) player with a Harvard University degree, is one of only a handful of Asian Americans to ever play in the league.
He had sat on the bench of the New York Knicks in relative obscurity, until a series of team injuries forced him into the spotlight, under which he shone – leading the struggling team to five consecutive wins in what media dubbed a “Lin-derella story”.
The Swedish car manufacturer, owned by China's Zhejiang Geely, has noticed the potential market value of Lin to Chinese customers, after the so-called "Linsanity" has swept American fans off their feet and created a resurgence in the Knicks' fanbase.
Freeman Shen, senior vice president of Volvo Car Corp. and chairman of Volvo's China operations is looking forward to the collaboration.
"For our region, Jeremy Lin is the pride of the whole Chinese population, and we are excited to work with him," Shen told the paper.
The endorsement, which is arranged to be for two years, will be focused in the United States, China, and the Chinese speaking market.
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