Alibaba Group Holding Limited, China’s leading e-commerce giants, yesterday announced an agreement with Kobe Inc., a newly formed company by the renowned NBA superstar Kobe Bryant.
Under the deal Alibaba will release Kobe’s recent video narrative, Kobe Bryant’s Muse, exclusively through Tmall Magic Box on August 8, 2015.
In addition, Alibaba Pictures, an affiliate of Alibaba Group, will work with Kobe Inc. to create a series of Kobe branded products and distribute them through their popular retail platforms including Taobao Marketplace and Tmall.com, which are accessed by over 350 million active buyers throughout China.
“We are pleased to partner with Kobe to inspire young people all across China and encourage them to dream big and reach for their potential,” said Jack Ma, Executive Chairman of the Alibaba Group.
“As the champion of entrepreneurs, Alibaba is proud to welcome Kobe into our ecosystem to work together on this meaningful project which we hope can have a positive impact on the youth in China.”
To promote Kobe’s personal narrative, Alibaba and Sina will collaborate with Kobe Inc. to create a brand new social media platform, bringing new avenues of connecting China’s young people directly to Kobe and his philosophies.
Moving forward, Alibaba and Sina will establish a “SMEP” (Star, Media, Platform) model of collaboration in the cultural arena, aiming to further connect inspirational figures with Chinese youth so their achievements and legacies can be learnt and shared among the youngsters.
Andrea Fairchild, President of Kobe Inc. commented: “As Kobe Inc. looks to expand in China, the partnership with Alibaba Group and Sina will help us reach a vast number of Chinese youth who are looking to reach their full potential and be inspired by others. They offer an opportunity for Kobe Inc. to bring content, products and services to a diverse crowd with various cultural backgrounds.”
Arthur Wei, Sina’s Senior Vice President added: “We are thrilled to work with Alibaba Group and Kobe Inc. to introduce Kobe’s philosophies and his inspiring life story to Chinese’ youth. Kobe is a be-loved figure with over 3 million followers on his Sina Weibo account, and his stories are destined to inspire and motive many of his fans.”
Taken from Business Wire