In a bid to increase its brand recognition in the global arena, Acer has signed up to join The Olympic Partner (TOP) Program in 2009.

The agreement with the Olympic Movement, would run from January 2009 to 2012 and positions Acer as the official worldwide partner in the computing hardware category for the Vancouver Winter games in 2010 and the London Summer games in 2012.

The agreement was reached days after Acer’s archrival, Lenovo, said it has decided to drop out after next year’s Beijing Games.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge said, “We are delighted that we will welcome Acer to the TOP Partner Program in 2009. For the Olympic Movement, this partnership will deliver funding to help stage the Olympic Games in Vancouver and London, technology and services to manage the logistical demands, and people to staff some of the most critical functions. In addition, the relationship will play an important role in the promotion of the Olympic Movement and sport across the globe. I would also like to place on record our thanks to our current TOP partner in the computer equipment category with whom we are working very closely in preparation for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.”

“The universality of the Olympic Games will exercise a strong influence on us, as it will contribute to gathering people together beyond prejudices and in full respect of diversity”, explained JT Wang, CEO of Acer Inc. “This principle is at the basis of our mission and commitment to making technology universal and free from any limitation.”

According to Wang, Acer’s revenue is expected to exceed US$20 billion in 2008 and may increase to between US$30 billion and US$40 billion by 2012. “With the large revenue we have, we can easily afford such sponsorship,” Wang told WSJ.

Acer, however, declined to disclose how much it paid for the rights. But some analysts have estimated that Lenovo paid US$80 million-US$100 million in cash and services for the three-year cycle covering the 2006 Turin Olympics and next year’s Beijing Games, The Canadian Press writes.

TOP Program continues to remain highly desirable, partly as a result of the IOC’s decision to limit the number of top-level sponsors. Acer hopes that TOP program will help the company take a more prominent place on the global stage.

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Entry was posted on Sunday, December 9th, 2007 at 11:26 pm under Technology.

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