Huawei is a Chinese company which markets wireless handsets, USB devices and other telecommunications and networking devices. In fact, it is no newcomer to the sports industry. It is a title partner for the activation of many European events in China.
The Telco is very interested in soccer. In the past four years, it has expanded its sponsorship portfolio internationally to include the likes of A.C. Milan, Arsenal FC, Borussia Dortmund, AFC Ajax, PSG, SL Benfica, and La Liga. At the end of 2014, Huawei became the official partner of the NFL side Washington Redskins.
Recently, the company announced that it will sponsor a top tennis tournament, the Shanghai Rolex Masters. The Shanghai Masters is an ideal platform to integrate branding with the spirit of athletics. Obviously, this will become an opportunity for Huawei to make a difference in sports sponsorship. In other words, Huawei has got on the sponsorship highway in both scope and depth.
When dealing with brand marketing, Huawei is not addicted to the “big money” strategy, but attempts to launch customized solutions for teams and leagues. For example, the company has implemented its Smart Stadium project in a dozen stadia. With an on-site intelligence infrastructure, stadia can provide smart services for both audience and players. The link between its brand and sports is made to look more attractive.
Besides, Huawei values the importance of users’ engagement. Early in September this year, the company set up a virtual tennis court, where participants played to win tickets for the Shanghai Rolex Masters. It proved to be a successful marketing initiative in sports sponsorship.
Why is Huawei doing this? An expansion from soccer to tennis? This may be coming from its customer-centric philosophy. Tennis is likely to become popular with the emergence of top players in China. People always associate this sport with excellence.
Huawei’s attention to tennis is a signal that it has adopted a strategy of sponsoring high-level products. It is said that in terms of annual sales, Huawei has become an international brand third only to Apple and Samsung. Its sponsorship brings huge brand exposure during different events. In the long run, this can only lead to an increase in sales and better brand recognition.
Source:money.china.com
Proofread by John Devlin