Chinese smartphone brand Vivo jointly held a press conference with FIFA on May 31 to announce its exclusive smartphone sponsorship of FIFA from 2017 to 2023, covering the FIFA Confederations Cup 2017, 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, FIFA Confederations Cup 2021, and the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Following previous official sponsorships deals by Wanda Group and Hisense, Vivo becomes the third Chinese sponsor and the first Chinese smartphone sponsor of FIFA.
This 6-year partnership will see Vivo obtain the sponsorship rights beginning with June's 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia. These FIFA rights will allow Vivo to show their logo on billboards at the stadiums, on event tickets, press release backdrops, and other key promotional areas and platforms. Vivo also have the rights to carry out special marketing activations including inviting guests to be Vivo smartphone photographers during pre-match player warm-ups.
The smartphone giants will also introduce a customized FIFA World Cup phone to offer a unique experience for Vivo consumers and football fans around the world. Additionally, FIFA staff will use Vivo smartphones on-site.
Vivo did not reveal how much they had paid for this deal but it has been reported by some media that Vivo have spent over $10m on this sponsorship agreement, which has not been confirmed officially by the company.
Source: Caixin and PR Newswire
Proofread by Raymond Fitzpatrick