'Alibaba's digital transformation of the Olympics is the best marketing': CMO

Alibaba Group, as a Worldwide Partner for the Olympic Games, unveiled its Alibaba Cloud Gallery at Narita Airport. Marking the third anniversary of Alibaba’s partnership with IOC, the group also unveiled a new logo, which is meant to signify this year’s theme of connecting the Olympics with younger generations using Alibaba’s technology.

The new creative campaign with budding Japanese artists is meant to create a memorable first impression for travelers when they first step into one of the world’s busiest airports. The art creations will be shown on digital screens along nine walkways in Terminals One and Two of Arrival at Narita (see below).

“The Alibaba Cloud Gallery … is the first of our efforts to elevate the experience of spectators traveling from across the globe to watch the Games,” says Chris Tung, Alibaba Group chief marketing officer. By processing the visual elements through Alibaba Cloud's technology, traditional graphic art creations can be turned into dynamic, living digital creations. Alibaba Cloud can turn flat paintings into videos, and through cloud computing transformation, rely on platforms and technologies to turn static works into live works.

The new logo, meanwhile, underlines the company’s commitment to supporting the Olympic Games with its cloud technology and expertise in digital commerce, as an effort to make the Games more appealing and relevant to younger audiences.

The campaign will be launched in March 2020 and will carry out until the end of March 2021. The entire collection of digital art will feature different styles of Japanese culture and history, aspiring athletes and Alibaba’s cloud technology support to make this year’s Olympic Games more engaging.

“Tourists from all over the world can feel the charm of Japanese culture, the inspiration of artists, and the atmosphere of Tokyo 2020 from the moment they step into the Narita Airport,” says Masaaki Komiya, vice director general of the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. ”We are look forward to embracing more Alibaba Group’s innovative initiatives blended with Japanese elements and hope to present to the world the most exciting Olympics experience.”

For Alibaba the Olymoics is a long-term investment in both marketing and technology. The official Tmall Olympics online store can not only sell goods, but also push content and short videos for consumers on the platform. Using the cloud, the firm can also enable digital purchase of tickets for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics in the future. "Alibaba's digital transformation of the Olympics is the best marketing," Tung adds.

Tung added that by processing the visual elements through Alibaba Cloud's technology, traditional graphic art creations can be turned into dynamic, living digital creations. He hopes that through the exhibition, more people will realize the power and artistic potential of Alibaba's cloud infrastructure.