5 Minutes with… Echo Li

Dentsu Sports International’s (DSI) commitment to expanding to a global scale was reinvigorated this month with the appointment of Echo Li to global chief commercial officer, currently leading the company in the APAC region.

With her extensive experience and understanding of the global sports marketing industry, Echo is aiming to drive ambitious goals and foster collaboration with the broader Dentsu Group to create an integrated sports and entertainment sales and consulting capability.

LBB’s Tom Loudon caught up with Echo to discuss the new role, and how DSI aims to take on the world.

LBB> Echo, can you tell us about the significance of this new position within DSI?

Echo> This is a testament to DSI’s commitment to expanding and growing our business globally, and as part of this growth, having me as the global chief commercial officer marks the first step of this journey. I'm committed to building our world-class commercial offering and consulting service to premium sports properties and brands in identified vital markets. 

LBB> How do your experience and understanding of the global sports marketing industry make you an ideal leader to achieve DSI's ambitious goals?

Echo> I spent my last 10 years at SPORTIVE as managing director of Greater China and SVP for global partnership, and I have been connecting brands with the hearts of fans and consumers from East and West through the power of sports. With over 100 international and regional partnerships and creative activations delivered by my team, I have been fortunate to bring to life the brand partnerships for properties like the FIFA World Cup, UEFA Champions League, F1, League of Legends, FIBA World Cup and Boston Marathon.  

I have been recognised with the Ram Charan Management Practice Award by Harvard Business Review for my practice connecting Asian brands with global premium assets. I believe in “think global and act local”, as this is the pathway to success for a group like Dentsu with international networks and an ambition for sports. 

LBB> How will DSI collaborate with the broader Dentsu Group to create an integrated sports and entertainment sales and consulting capability?

Echo> I’m super excited – I’ve had meetings with all the functions and regional C suites from Dentsu Group during my first week with DSI. Glad to see that sports have been an interesting point for many of our clients. My next step is to create a roadmap with the DSI commercial team acting as a business enabler and partner of Dentsu Group while integrating our offerings to Dentsu’s global brand clients. 

LBB> Can you provide examples of the premium sports and entertainment properties you will lead and represent globally?

Echo> We are driven by client-centric philosophy. We are committed to understanding brands' needs and evaluating and designing the most appropriate rights from sports and entertainment properties for brands empowered by our creative activation capability. We are well connected with properties to support our brand-led approach, whether they are international powerhouses or regional assets. We are experienced in delivering consulting works for both brands and properties.

LBB> What are the priority markets identified in the APAC region for expanding DSI's brand consulting capability?

Echo> Southeast Asia, Korea, Greater China, and India.

LBB> Are there some campaigns you’ve been involved in recently that you are proud of? If so, can you tell us a bit about them?

Echo> I’m proud of the partnership I facilitated for smartphone brands OPPO and UEFA Champions League and supporting OPPO in managing their UCL campaigns globally. The collaboration marked the first Chinese brand to join the global sponsor family of Europe’s premium club competition.

Another campaign that has a special meaning for me was leading the global creative activation for Hisense’s 2022 FIFA World Cup sponsorship. As part of our year-long campaigns, we created “The Disappearing Pitch” for Hisense, featuring underprivileged children with football dreams in South Africa without access to education, proper football pitches, and electronic devices. I’m proud the digital campaign helped raise awareness of the pressing issues in South Africa and also helped Hisense win the ESG sustainability award by Fortune. 

LBB> And finally, what unique opportunities and challenges do you anticipate in the APAC region, and how will DSI address them to achieve success?

Echo> Opportunities: grow together with Asian brands’ internationalisation endeavour and support them to become global brands. I'm excited about what we could offer to brands with DSI’s expertise in sports property sales and brand consulting, equipped with Dentsu Group’s global network and support. 

Challenges: sports marketing has never been “dominant” in Asia compared to Western marketing culture. DSI’s role is to continue educating brands on the benefits of sports marketing and the power of sports that transcends cultures while providing premium content with world-class service.