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Jang Sang-jin, CEO of Wow Management Group, is busy these days. He has been frequently appearing in the billiards scene recently because he is serving as the Vice President of the Professional Billiards Association (PBA). In an interview with Asia Economy on the 9th, CEO Jang smiled and said, "The father of pro golfer Park In-bi jokes, 'Are you only going to stay in the billiards world?'" He added, "If you look at the actual business, the proportions of golf and billiards are similar."

CEO Jang is a sports marketing expert. He has been in this field for over 15 years. His previous career is interesting. His first job was at Daebang Planning, an advertising agency. It is a company well known for winning the Korea Broadcasting Advertising Award with the Kyungdong Boiler commercial in 1992, famous for the line, "I should install a boiler at my father’s house." Thanks to this advertisement, the company grew and rose to 12th place in the industry. CEO Jang worked at Daebang Planning for 17 years. He said, "I gained experience in many areas such as strategy, planning, and recruitment," and added, "Even now, when I meet clients, I first identify their needs."

Jang Sang-jin, CEO of Wow Management Group, who made a big hit in golf and billiards, expressed his ambition to "make a mark in domestic sports marketing through various sports platforms."
[Photo by Wow Management Group]

CEO Jang, who started playing golf in 1997, has a high skill level. His handicap is '8.' No matter how bad his condition is, he has never scored over 85. His best score is even par, achieved at Jeju Pinx GC, Teddy Valley Golf & Resort, and Giheung CC. CEO Jang, who had a special affection for golf, moved to IB Sports in February 2008. The main players were golf queens Park In-bi, Yoo So-yeon, and Lee Bo-mi. CEO Jang recalled, "I wanted to try working in sports. In 2008, I managed golf, and in 2009, I oversaw golf teams and amateur athletes during summer and winter," adding, "At that time, my understanding of each sport deepened. I considered Korean-style business items while looking at overseas cases."

At that time, IB Sports was generating enormous revenue by holding domestic and international sports broadcasting rights. IB Sports wanted to use broadcasting rights income for management, and the beneficiary was 'figure skating queen' Kim Yuna. It was a groundbreaking method where the management company directly sponsored the athlete. Kim Yuna attracted explosive attention and popularity, and by winning the gold medal at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, she established herself as the top sports star in Korea. CEO Jang recalled, "At that time, I didn’t fully understand Kim Yuna’s market value. It was uncommon for a management company to directly manage an athlete," and added, "There was a risk of having to pay a signing bonus to bring her in, but it turned out to be a huge success."

While working at IB Sports, CEO Jang paid great attention to less popular sports. He sponsored athletes such as short track skater Shim Suk-hee, speed skater Lee Seung-hoon, and curling Team Kim, led by Kim Yuna. CEO Jang believed that amateur sports could also succeed with good marketing. Many athletes flocked to IB Sports. He said he could never forget 'Smile Jumper' Woo Sang-hyeok, whom he met in 2015. Woo was a promising high jumper who accompanied Park In-bi, Son Yeon-jae, and Yang Hak-seon at the 2016 Rio Olympics. CEO Jang said, "He was a confident athlete even then," and added, "I didn’t expect a medal to come from athletics." He further said, "Woo Sang-hyeok is a prime example of an athlete who can achieve tremendous success with investment," and "He is a player to look forward to in the future."

CEO Jang parted ways with IB Sports in 2016 and moved to Bravo & New, where he worked for four years to combine sports and entertainment. In 2020, he founded Wow Management Group and became the 'boss.' CEO Jang smiled brightly and said, "Since my first job, my dream was to become a CEO," and added, "I am truly happy to be able to do what I love."

Based on his accumulated experience, CEO Jang established a solid profit structure. He invested in athlete management, event promotion, broadcasting rights business, advertising marketing services, and licensing business. He poured special affection into golf. He manages a total of 17 players, including Park In-bi, Yoo So-yeon, Lee Jeong-eun 6, Kim A-rim, Lee Hyung-joon, and Kim Tae-woo. He also hosts about 5 to 6 golf tournaments annually. CEO Jang emphasized, "We could hold 8 to 12 golf tournaments a year, but I don’t think that’s desirable," and added, "To provide satisfactory service to clients who spend a lot of money, it is right to reduce the number of tournaments and put all our effort into them." He continued, "If you get greedy with golf tournaments, you might lose something big." Wow Management Group is in charge of this year’s Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour Mediheal · Hankook Ilbo Championship, Ever Collagen Queens Crown, and others.

Jang Sang-jin, CEO of Wow Management Group and Vice President of the Professional Billiards Association (PBA), received the Prime Minister's Award, the highest honor at the Korea Sports Industry Awards last year.
[Photo by PBA]

Recently, CEO Jang has been focusing on a new business: billiards. He wanted to create a professional sport where Korea is the best. He judged that billiards, with its solid base, venues, and media presence, was the most suitable sport. He studied for over two years to develop new content. In June 2019, CEO Jang launched the Professional Billiards Association (PBA), the first of its kind worldwide. There were many negative views about the PBA, with pessimistic forecasts that it would not succeed. However, the PBA has established itself as a stable professional sport. Matches continue throughout the year, including individual tours and team leagues. As viewership ratings improved, broadcasters competed to air the games.

CEO Jang approached companies he had connections with through golf marketing. He secured support from Blue One Resort, Hana Card, TS Trillion, Huons, High1 Resort, NH Nonghyup Card, Welcome Savings Bank, Crown Haitai, SK Rent-a-Car, and others. Last year, the PBA received the Prime Minister’s Award, the highest honor at the Korea Sports Industry Awards hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and organized by the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation. CEO Jang manages about 50 players, including world-class billiards stars such as Fr?d?ric Caudron (Belgium), Cho Jae-ho, Kang Dong-kyung, Srong Piabi (Cambodia), Kim Ga-young, and Lee Mi-rae. He also operates the billiards specialty channel, Billiard TV.

CEO Jang is not satisfied with this alone. He is actively pursuing new platform businesses. He is accelerating franchise business and billiards platform and equipment businesses, which faced limitations due to COVID-19. He is also preparing various licensing businesses beyond billiards. CEO Jang confidently stated, "I will strive to create second and third sports like billiards," and added, "I want to build a platform in golf as well. I will make a mark in domestic sports marketing."