韩国冰上精灵金妍儿

Korean skating sensation Kim Yu-Na is nicknamed the queen and the fairy of the ice. Her appeal as a near legend in South Korea has corporate brands, both big and small, clamoring to be touched by her marketing magic. According to IB Sports Management, the company that represents Kim, the young skater has already landed ten million dollars in sponsorships and endorsement deals. Her sponsors range from international brands like Nike, Samsung Electronics, and Hyundai Motor to companies known mainly by Koreans. Forbes magazine says Kim is one of the two highest-earning athletes for the Olympics this year. So what is Kim's appeal? Obviously, she is a gifted skater. But marketers told me that she looks like she could be your sister, your daughter, or the girl next door.

In this ad by Nike, you have Kim skating on the ice erasing messages written in Korean. These messages suggest self-doubt with questions like "Can I perform without making mistakes?" The sport shows how Kim rises to the challenge and overcomes personal doubt and work pressure.

Playing off Kim's average teen image, Samsung created this ad for its new "Yu-Na Haptic" cellphone. The company has already sold more than one million of these phones. Now another reason for Kim's wild popularity at home--she is one of a handful of Asians succeeding in a field long dominated by countries from the West. Koreans are well known for their nationalism and take pride when one of their own is ranked the best in the world. In that way, a gold for Kim would be priceless.

Eunice Yoon, cnn, Hong Kong.

Glossary

sensation: extreme excitement or interest, or someone or something that causes this

clamor: to demand sth loudly

land: to succeed in getting a job, contract etc that was difficult to get

play off: AmE to deliberately use a fact, action, idea etc in order to make what you are doing better or to get an advantage

haptic: 触觉的