How Chinese brands are leveraging sports marketing to go global

Alibaba joined the Olympic Partner (TOP) programme, the highest level of Olympic sponsorship, in 2017 and it’s recently extended its partnership through to 2028. And already, the brand has delivered several memorable campaigns during the Olympic seasons. One of the most impressive came from Alibaba Cloud, titled ‘Did You See That?’, produced in collaboration with Ogilvy Shanghai. 

The film humorously explores technological evolution through the lens of one man’s enduring passion for wrestling. The video follows his comedic frustrations, from Ancient Greece to today’s hyper-digital age, as he grapples with the limitations of each era’s viewing experience.

Another memorable piece came from former BBDO China CCO Nicole Ma’s new creative agency Ma'nifesto, ‘To the greatness of her’. A tribute to female athletes supported by Alibaba's AI tools, it echoes the award-winning campaign for the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games, ‘To the greatness of small’, also produced by Ma. 

Meanwhile, Chinese new-style tea beverage brands Chagee and HeyTea avoided the traditional TVC route and instead garnered attention through earned media via sports marketing.

Centre of Excellence (COE) from Omnicom Media Group recently published a report titled ‘A Snapshot of Paris 2024 Olympics’ and used Chagee and HeyTea as standout cases to seize the market opportunity presented by the Paris Olympics. 

Lucy Zhang, chief relationship officer at Omnicom Media Group China, commented: “During the Olympic Games, both HeyTea and Chagee opened pop-up stores in Paris, which quickly attracted local consumers to patronise. Chagee responded swiftly at the moment of the athletes' victories, launching marketing campaigns that brought long-term global exposure.”

Chagee collaborated with seven athletes, including Zheng Qinwen (Queen Wen), China’s first-ever Olympic gold medallist in women’s tennis singles. The brand also executed bus tours, OOH campaigns and pop-up stores in front of iconic Paris landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe.

Although HeyTea opened its flagship store in London’s Soho area last year, neither brand has fully penetrated the European market.

As the Paris Olympic Games drew near, HeyTea launched a special pop-up store in June in one of the most densely populated areas in Paris. Its goal was to invite global athletes and consumers to try their tea drinks while watching the games. The brand embraced a ‘running’ theme and drew inspiration from the strokes of the Chinese Song typeface to redesign its brand logo and font. It also released limited-edition brand merchandise around the Olympics.

Tapping into sports marketing beyond the Olympics

Rufio Zhu, VP of digital and social at 160over90, said: “For the brands from China that are starting out their globalisation efforts, brand prestige and visibility are the intrinsic values that sports marketing can bring to them, such as electric vehicle brand BYD with Euro 2024.”

Zhu highlighted the successful cases of Hisense and TCL which are direct competitors in the same category that managed to use long-term sports marketing to open up opportunities.

“Hisense sponsors the European Championships, and TCL sponsors the America's Cup; Hisense became partners with the National Basketball Association(NBA) in the North American market, whereas TCL is with the National Football League (NFL). Both brands have long occupied the top two places in global TV brand deliveries,” said Zhu. 

Successful overseas marketing strategies have propelled both brands to the global stage. Zhu also noted that for these two brands, overseas markets have also become one of their most important sources of revenue. For instance, added that TCL's overseas product sales accounted for nearly half of its total product sales in 2023.

In the same year, Hisense retained its No. 2 global ranking for TV shipment, while TCL held the No. 3 spot, according to data from market research institute AVC Revo. Both brands achieved positive growth in global TV shipment, while the rest, among the top five, faced negative growth rates.  

Zhu also observed that in addition to the European and North American markets, the two brands have also made long-term plans for the South American and Southeast Asian markets with great growth potential.

Global expansion that is simultaneously localised

The Olympics is the best stadium for sports marketing but a crowded one. In the long term, increased competition will be seen between Chinese brands in terms of overseas sports marketing and partnerships. Zhu said that there isn’t a universal rule for long-term success in the global market, especially considering the disrupted economics in international trade, as well as the tension between the West and East.

He emphasised that it is important to “maintain the brand DNA and continuously create a positive brand voice through long-term commitment to sports events to increase brand awareness and loyalty in all target markets”.  

Zhu also stressed the importance of understanding the different markets and its various sports fans. “The different consumer habits determine the differences in the information and communication measures of brands. We need to break through the inherent realisation and use flexible and localised creativity and actions to propose marketing strategies for different markets and different consumers,” he added. 

This week, Chinese mobile brand Tecno—a high-end brand under Transsion Holdings—expanded into new markets and became an official global supporter of the Asian Football Confederation’s newly unveiled club competitions, the AFC Champions League Elite, the AFC Champions League Two, and the AFC Women’s Champions League for the 2024-2025 season. This partnership will connect Tecno with millions of AFC users and fans across the continent.

Laury Bai, chief marketing officer of Tecno, reiterated the brand’s vision in this new partnership, stating that technology has transformed how fans enjoy and interact with sports, particularly for the younger generation who increasingly rely on technology to watch and enjoy football. He believes that for Tecno, “football serves as a powerful tool to engage and communicate with the fan community”.

Last year, Tecno supported the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations and initiatives such as the ‘Dream Field Renovation’ project, dedicated to refurbishing 100 community football fields across Africa. 

“Through our partnership with the AFC, we will continue to empower the youth and the grassroots football community in Asia, reinforcing our dedication to supporting and nurturing young talent,” Bai added.