Singapore's Olympic champion Joseph Schooling took another major step in his transition to life as a professional athlete by appointing Japanese agency Dentsu Sports Asia (DSA) as his latest commercial partner on Wednesday.
The Singapore-based regional arm of advertising agency network Dentsu will advise and manage the swimmer's commercial and strategic opportunities, providing on-ground support during major events and advice on training facilities prior to his competitions. It will also look at developing his social responsibility initiatives in Asia.
"In Joseph's journey to Tokyo 2020, we believe this strategic move with a leading marketing agency will increase his exposure with Olympic sponsors worldwide," said his mother May, founder of The Schooling Company that owns his branding and image rights.
Added DSA chief executive officer and president Kunihito Morimura: "He is truly an inspirational athlete and we are excited to help bring out his full potential as he grows to be an athlete that can proudly represent Singapore."
DSA's parent company holds the exclusive broadcast rights for the Summer and Winter Olympics in 22 Asian countries until 2024.
The tie-up is the third major deal for Schooling since he concluded his US collegiate swimming career last month. He was named German luxury fashion brand Hugo Boss' first Singaporean ambassador on March 25.
The following week, DBS unveiled a seven-figure, three-year tie-up with the 22-year-old to work together on a series of community activities and social media engagements targeted at millennials.
DSA also becomes the third marketing partner for The Schooling Company, alongside veteran public relations practitioner Rose Tan, who serves as a consultant, and Crowd PR, which manages Schooling's media engagements and social media platforms.
"We feel our multi-faceted team is well prepared for the forthcoming phase and hope to forge ahead in Joseph's professional career," said May Schooling.
Schooling's next major competition is August's Asian Games in Indonesia.
