• by Karl Greenberg , August 11, 2011

Yingli Green Energy has signed a multi-year deal that makes it the first "Official Renewable Energy Partner" of U.S. Soccer. The China-based company also has the official sponsorship of the U.S. Men's, Women's and Youth National Teams through the end of 2014.

Yingli's sponsorship activities started with Wednesday night's U.S. Men's National Team match versus Mexico at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. At the game, which aired on ESPN2, ESPN3.com and Univision, the company ran LED boards, video boards, PA announcements, "and our managing director did the coin toss with the president of U.S. Soccer," says Helena Kimball, head of U.S. marketing communications for Yingli Green Energy.

The company ran a text-messaging campaign on the video board offering a chance to win prizes from U.S. Soccer and also a free quote on solar installation, according to Kimball. "The intent here is not only to raise awareness but to educate people on how to go solar," she says, adding that beyond soccer, Yingli will run digital ads and in some areas print campaigns targeted to solar audiences and trades.

While the main regional focus right now is California, which is by far the largest U.S. solar market, Kimball tells Marketing Daily that the footprint of solar power acceptance (and sales opportunity) is roughly the same as that of the National Teams' popularity: four -- California, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts -- of the five largest solar markets are also among the top five in U.S. Soccer attendance. New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania are also host to key U.S. National Team events.

"We chose this platform because we wanted to reach out to the broadest audience possible from a national level," says Kimball. "And we saw a strong correlation between growth of soccer and growth of solar in U.S."

Yingli Green Energy, with U.S. offices in San Francisco and New York, is also doing philanthropic programs that give solar energy to local athletic centers in disadvantaged communities around the U.S.

The big picture is getting brand awareness build ahead of the solar boom, says Kimball. "From our perspective, it is becoming more and more important to create a brand strategy, and to generate pull from channels where distributors are selling to homeowners." On the one hand, she notes, solar technology will become commoditized, but on the other, as modules start appearing at places like Home Depot, brand awareness will be critical. "We are 'future proofing' to ensure, for the long term, that we are recognizable," she says.

Per Kimball, the company has sold 260 megawatts to date in the U.S. since it entered the market two years ago. But, she points out, the industry installed 263 megawatts of solar just in Q1 this year, and the U.S. is on track to be the third-largest solar market globally. The company is aiming to grab 15% of the North American solar market this year.

Homeowners will be a growing part of that pie slice. "Right now there is good split between commercial and residential use, but over the next five years there will be a radical uptick in [residential] utility use," says Kimball, adding that the target demographic of homeowners -- evenly split between men and women, and between 25 and 45 years of age who are active in sports -- aligns with U.S. soccer.

The soccer partnership probably couldn't be better timed for Yingli, coming as it has on the heels of the U.S. Women's National Team's run at the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup, which broke TV records of 13.5 million for the final against Japan.

Yingli stats say viewership of the Men's World Cup in the U.S. increased by 68% between 2006 and 2010 to over 11 million average viewers. During that same time, solar installations in the U.S. grew by 527%, per the company -- which sponsored the FIFA World Cup last year and will do so again in 2014.