The ascent of global smartphone brand OPPO has mostly remained industry buzz for much of the company’s 10-year history. However, all is set to change for the emerging mobile phone powerhouse thanks to a new three-year partnership with FC Barcelona, which is sure to increase public awareness and interest and cement OPPO’s status as a truly global player.
The partnership, announced on May 31st, will see OPPO serve as Barcelona’s official partner for the mobile phone category starting from the upcoming season until 2018. The agreement covers a wide range of activities including soccer events, fan activities, TV advertisements and accessories. OPPO’s logo will also be prominently displayed at the Spanish football club’s home stadium, the Camp Nou.
With Barcelona’s position as one of the world’s most recognized sports brands, this groundbreaking partnership is set to bring OPPO closer to the legions of fans that follow every move of the football club and its star players such as Lionel Messi and Neymar. Barcelona is the first sports team to amass more than 50 million fans on Facebook, with many of them in countries as diverse as Indonesia, Egypt, Brazil, and Mexico.
FC Barcelona Chief Executive Officer Ignacio Mestre expressed his enthusiasm for the collaboration, saying, "We are thrilled to team up with OPPO and hope that the partnership will excite fans around the world. As a global leading smartphone brand that values artistry in design and innovation in technology, OPPO is more than at home in Barcelona.”
Driving expansion forward with cross-brand partnerships and campaigns
This deal with Barcelona comes as the smartphone maker charges forward with a new global expansion strategy that was put in place in 2014, as an integral part of OPPO’s mid- to long-term growth strategy. As of April 2015, the brand has been registered in 116 countries.
“OPPO is focusing heavily on overseas expansion in recent years,” says OPPO CEO Tony Chen. “From the very beginning, we have positioned ourselves as a global company and our dynamic expansion strategy fully demonstrates this commitment.”
Founded in 2004, OPPO started its business journey as a global electronics and technology service provider by manufacturing high-quality MP3 and MP4 devices before adding Blu-ray DVD players to its line-up of products, the latter of which continues to do well in the US market. It started its foray into the mobile phone market in 2008 and made its first step overseas the following year, outpacing many of its rivals in terms of global outlook.
In 2009, OPPO entered its first overseas market, Thailand, with lively campaigns and creative marketing strategies. Today, it is a top smartphone brand in the country. OPPO smartphones are currently available in over 20 markets globally and via 3rd party online store OPPOstyle.com, is being sold online in more than 50 additional countries.
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