text: Celebrity sponsorships and endorsements In October 2013, Lenovo announced that it had hired American actor Ashton Kutcher as a product engineer and spokesman. David Roman, Lenovo's chief marketing officer, said, "His partnership goes beyond traditional bounds by deeply integrating him into our organization as a product engineer. Ashton will help us break new ground by challenging assumptions, bringing a new perspective and contributing his technical expertise to Yoga Tablet and other devices." Kobe Bryant became an official ambassador for Lenovo smartphones in China and Southeast Asia in early 2013. Bryant appeared in a social campaign titled "The Everyday Kobe Challenge" for the launch of Lenovo IdeaPhone K900 in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines in the same year.
  Sporting sponsorship
  Lenovo was an official computer sponsor of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, and the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. When asked about Lenovo's brand Yang Yuanqing said, "The Beijing Olympics were very good for brand awareness in countries like the US and Argentina, but not good enough." The NFL has been a Lenovo customer since 2007. In July 2012, Lenovo and the National Football League (NFL) announced that Lenovo had become the NFL's "Official Laptop, Desktop and Workstation Sponsor." Lenovo said that this was its largest sponsorship deal ever in the United States. NFL stars Jerry Rice, DeAngelo Williams, and Torry Holt were on hand for the announcement and a celebration with 1,500 Lenovo employees. Lenovo's sponsorship will last at least three years.
  Lenovo also become technology partner for Ducati Corse in Grand Prix motorcycle racing since 2018. And for the 2021 MotoGP it will become main sponsor for the Bolognese.
  Lenovo is also an official partner of the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes who play in nearby Raleigh, North Carolina.