Meet Vivo, the FIFA World Cup sponsor you’ve never heard of
Founded in 2009, Vivo is one of the top smartphone brands in China -- and a sister firm of Oppo. Their most famous handsets include the super-thin X1 and the Nex, which has a pop-up camera.
Anyone watching the World Cup would see their billboards lining the sides of the football pitches: Adidas, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s; massive global brands.
But at Russia 2018, they were be accompanied by other names that may not be as well known: Hisense, Mengniu and Vivo.
These Chinese brands were taking advantage of one of the biggest stages in sports to raise their profiles and reach millions of people.
Among them was Chinese smartphone maker Vivo, which isn’t as well known outside mainland China or India -- yet ranked as the world’s sixth-largest smartphone vendor in 2017, according to IDC.
History of innovation
Founded in 2009 by Shen Wei, Vivo has rapidly grown within China to become the country’s third largest smartphone maker (by devices shipped).
Despite the reputation of Chinese smartphone makers as copycats, Vivo has been “quite aggressive” with new technology concepts, according to IDC’s Bryan Ma.
In June 2018, Vivo announced its latest handset: The Nex, a smartphone with nothing but a screen in front.
Vivo delivers a handset with nothing but screen on the front
So where’s the selfie camera? It automatically pops out of the top of the phone when needed -- a design Vivo showed off in their World Cup ad.
Part of a bigger family
Both companies have done well, analysts say, thanks to their affordable devices with premium styling.
“Vivo and Oppo are quite similar in that they are focused on quality mid-range phones,” says Ma.
Unlike competitor Xiaomi, Vivo has focused on offline sales. And it wasn’t long before the company found success outside of China in markets like India and Indonesia.
“That same formula has worked quite well for them in emerging markets,” adds Ma.
Vivo delivers a handset with nothing but screen on the front
What's next?
The company is hoping that the deal with FIFA -- part of a rumored US$500 million, six-year package that includes Russia 2018, Qatar 2022 and the Confederations Cup -- will help turn around those sagging fortunes.
Sponsoring high-profile sporting events is a strategy that has worked well for Vivo in the past. In 2015, it became the title sponsor of the Indian Premier League under a two-year deal that was extended until 2022.
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