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Our reporter Zhao Jianguo China Automotive News (2024-08-05 010-011 edition)

On the banks of the beautiful Seine River, under the five-ring logo of the Eiffel Tower, a world-renowned Olympic celebration is being staged. The 33rd Paris Olympic Games is not only a sports feast, but also a brand marketing feast, especially for the automotive industry. The Olympic Games, the World Cup and other world-class sports events that have received widespread attention and "exploded traffic" have always become a good opportunity for automotive brand marketing. Automakers are also full of tricks and constantly renovating in Olympic marketing, which meets the core concept of the Olympic spirit of "faster, higher, stronger", colliding with a series of exciting sparks, and creating a good story of automotive brands to enhance their influence. It is worth noting that while Chinese cars are "going overseas" against all odds, Chinese automakers are also using the stage and influence of international top events such as the Olympic Games and the European Cup to hope to do better on the road of globalization.
Official sponsors have high “gold content”
The Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre... Recently, 2,650 Toyota electric vehicles and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles were traveling on the streets of Paris, contributing to the "most environmentally friendly" Olympic Games in history.
As a global multinational auto giant with the highest sales volume, Toyota is the official partner and top sponsor of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Toyota joined the Olympic Partner Program in 2015, spending a huge sum of money, $835 million in sponsorship fees, to win the sponsorship rights for four consecutive Olympic Games, from the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics to the 2024 Paris Olympics, providing transportation services for the Olympics. From this perspective, as the only automaker to be a top sponsor of the Paris Olympics, the "gold content" is indeed quite high.
"As a top sponsor of the Olympic Games, Toyota's use of electric vehicles to provide low-carbon travel services is not only a response to the concept of sustainable development in the Olympic Agenda 2020, but also an important contribution to environmental protection and green transportation in the host city." Xia Xiaofeng, an associate researcher at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, told a reporter from China Auto News that low-carbon and environmentally friendly travel is gradually becoming a common concept around the world, and it is also a high degree of fit between auto brands and the Olympic Games. Using the Olympic Games, a world-renowned stage, to carry out brand marketing will undoubtedly greatly enhance brand influence and further expand the global recognition and acceptance of auto brands.
After checking the list of official sponsors of recent Olympic Games, the reporter found that many well-known car brands were among them. For example, the car sponsor of the 2016 Rio Olympics was Nissan, and the sponsorship contract was worth up to 250 million US dollars. During the Rio Olympics, Nissan invested 5,000 cars as official cars for the Olympics. At that time, Nissan took the opportunity to increase its brand promotion and investment in the Brazilian market. Just one year after the Rio Olympics (2017), Nissan's sales in Brazil increased by 30%.
"It is not difficult to find that although the Olympic sponsorship fee is expensive, the brand effect obtained by automobile brands through sponsoring top international events such as the Olympics is far better than other forms of advertising." Sun Quanshu, a researcher at the Economic Development Research Center of the Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance, said in an interview with a reporter from China Automobile News that the Olympics is the focus of the whole world and can be spread beyond the limit across regions, nationalities, and ideologies around the world. The "bundling" of brands and the Olympics through sponsorship and other forms can achieve high-value communication through the advantages of this communication platform, effectively empower the brand, and rapidly expand the brand's global influence. It is also easy to make the brand deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. This is also the real reason why well-known brands in various fields such as Intel, Samsung, and Omega are competing to "gild" the Olympics.
Hand in hand with the national team, athletes are highly "eye-catching"
In China, as a strategic partner of the State Sports General Administration, FAW Hongqi has been deeply involved in the field of sports marketing in recent years, providing car support for national teams in multiple sports events. On the eve of the opening of the Paris Olympics, FAW Hongqi announced at the brand fan ceremony that for every five-star red flag raised at the Paris Olympics, a Hongqi EH7 Honor Edition sedan would be presented to an Olympic athlete. At the same time, FAW Hongqi has also prepared a PLUS version of the "Raise the Red Flag, Give the Red Flag" benefit for all fans, that is, for every five-star red flag raised at the Paris Olympics, Hongqi will provide a lucky fan with the right to use a Hongqi EH7 for half a year. Previously, during the Tokyo Olympics and the Beijing Winter Olympics, the Hongqi brand presented the Hongqi H9 model to the winning Olympic athletes. FAW Hongqi revealed that this move has increased the familiarity of the Hongqi brand by 9.8% and its reputation by 6.8%.
It is worth noting that, because the number of top Olympic sponsors is extremely limited and the cost is high, more brands are turning their attention to the sponsorship rights of national teams in popular events, or inviting popular athletes to endorse their products, or "betting" on potential athletes who have the hope of winning gold medals. In China, the national teams of popular events with huge exposure, such as the diving team, table tennis team, badminton team, swimming team, and women's volleyball team, are the targets of sponsorship and naming rights that major brands are competing for; and those athletes with good images, stable performance, high comprehensive scores or great potential have long become "hot cakes".
As the only sports team among the three major Chinese balls that has reached the top of the world, the Chinese women's volleyball team has written a glorious chapter on the world volleyball stage with its indomitable spirit. On April 8 this year, Chery Automobile and the Chinese National Women's Volleyball Team officially signed a contract at the Chinese Sports Athletes' Home of the Training Bureau of the State General Administration of Sports. Chery Fengyun and Chery Tiggo became the official vehicles of the Chinese National Women's Volleyball Team, and the two sides launched a strategic cooperation. During the Paris Olympics, Chery Automobile also "showed its face" with the women's volleyball girls.
In the first half of this year, Chery became the "export champion" of Chinese automobile enterprises. Chery is deepening its layout in overseas markets, and the Olympics is a good opportunity to establish closer ties with local markets. On June 19, Chery signed a cooperation agreement with the Malaysian Sports Department to give a new car as a reward to Malaysian athletes who won the Paris Olympics. Among them, the gold medalist will receive a Tiggo 8 Pro, the silver medalist will receive an Omenda E5, and the bronze medalist will receive a Tiggo 7 Pro.
Also on the eve of the opening of the Paris Olympics, BYD Fangchengbao and the Chinese National Weightlifting Team held an official cooperation signing ceremony at the State Sports General Administration to formally sign the cooperation agreement. Xiong Tianbo, general manager of BYD Fangchengbao Automobile, said at the signing ceremony: "The reason for cooperating with the Chinese National Weightlifting Team this time is that we are impressed by the strength and heritage of the weightlifting team, which is very similar to BYD's experience of continuously overcoming technical difficulties in the field of new energy vehicles and growing into an industry benchmark; on the other hand, the low-key and focused spirit and quality of weightlifting are very consistent with the brand core of Fangchengbao. As a new brand launched last year, BYD Fangchengbao Automobile has been devoted to technological innovation and product development. I believe it will burst out with strong strength like Chinese weightlifting." FAW-Volkswagen also officially announced that it has become the official partner of the Chinese National Women's Basketball Team not long ago. The two sides "joined hands" to go to the 2024 Paris Olympics together.
In the men's 100m freestyle final of the Paris Olympics held in the early morning of August 1, Beijing time, Chinese swimmer Pan Zhanle swam a good score of 46.40 seconds, breaking the world record and winning the championship, which quickly "ignited" social media. Didi's "bet" was successful, and on July 20, it officially announced that Pan Zhanle became the "Happy" Ambassador of Didi Chuxing's online car-hailing service. At the same time, it launched a plan to tackle the problem of taxi-hailing certainty, launched a 3-minute no-car compensation activity, and issued multiple rewards such as high temperature subsidies and water flow acceleration cards to drivers, jointly providing users with a faster and more convenient travel experience.
Liu Rui, professor at the School of Applied Economics of Renmin University of China, told a reporter from China Auto News that, on the one hand, leveraging the influence of the world's top events, top teams or top athletes for automobile brand marketing has gradually become a new trend; on the other hand, the practice of Chinese auto companies using top sports events for brand marketing reflects the rapid growth and increasing strength of Chinese auto companies, especially new energy auto companies, and also reflects the determination and confidence of Chinese auto brands to use this brand marketing method to expand their overseas influence and actively "go overseas".

China's automobile industry is accelerating its overseas expansion
Before the opening of the Paris Olympics, many Chinese car brands gathered in Paris, including Xiaomi's exhibition, Chery, BYD, Ankai Automobile and other car companies. In June this year, BYD opened a new energy vehicle European flagship store on the Champs Elysees in Paris; Ankai Automobile provided a batch of new energy buses for the Paris Olympics. Relevant Chinese car brands are carrying out brand marketing with practical actions, forming a new attraction.
In the Paris Museum District, Xiaomi held the "Xiaomi Paris Car and Home Ecosystem Special Exhibition" with a focus on Xiaomi cars. In response to the speculation that Xiaomi wants to enter the European market after the Xiaomi SU7 appeared on the streets of Paris, Lei Jun, the founder of Xiaomi Group, responded in a live broadcast: "We will strive to sell Xiaomi cars in Europe before 2030." He also pointed out: "Xiaomi's goal for cars is to be among the top five in the world, and we will go global when the time is right."
"Chinese auto companies are actively carrying out brand marketing with the help of the Paris Olympics. This is a good signal to accelerate the layout of overseas markets. At the same time, it can also further influence Chinese and foreign consumers through the international influence of the Olympics." Chen Hui, associate professor at the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business, told a reporter from China Auto News that based on the fact that China's new energy vehicle technology and strength have already led the world, Chinese auto brands have appeared in Paris and used the Olympics for brand marketing, which can not only bring huge exposure and enhance brand awareness for auto companies, but also enhance the high-end brand image of Chinese auto brands in the European market. There is also an opportunity to interact with local dealers and consumers, accelerating the localization process of Chinese auto brands in Europe.
"After China's automobile exports ranked first in the world, deepening the global layout of automobile companies has become one of the main development directions for future development." Sun Quanshu believes that the sponsorship and related marketing measures of Chinese automobile brands for top international sports events such as the Olympics and the European Cup are essentially to use high-profile sports events to enhance the brand's popularity and influence and further tap into overseas markets. Using sports activities for brand marketing is not only about binding a well-known sports brand, but also reflects a connotation and spirit, mainly spreading brand connotations such as love, dreams, hard work, and struggle.
As we all know, sports contain elements of sportiness and youthfulness, which are also the core concepts and design sources of current automobiles, especially new energy vehicles. Based on this foundation, automobile companies can effectively enhance their brand image and market awareness through brand marketing in sports events, and attract more attention and love from young consumers. "The active participation of Chinese automobile companies in Olympic brand marketing is actually a key change in the brand marketing strategy of Chinese automobile companies." Liu Rui believes that today's Chinese brand cars are no longer limited to the domestic market, but are constantly exploring a wider international market, which requires more international recognition. Through brand marketing in sports events, more brand recognition and cultural recognition can be generated, thereby accelerating the process of Chinese automobile companies "going overseas".
Regarding the new features and trends in automobile brand marketing, Fu Yalin, a researcher at the Modern Consumption Research Center of Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics, believes that from previous cases, Korean and Japanese automobile brands have successfully created a good brand image and expanded their international influence by relying on their high degree of connection with sports events and sports culture in the process of globalization. Sales in many regions around the world have also increased significantly. Today, Chinese auto companies are rising rapidly, taking the European Cup, the Olympic Games and other sports events as opportunities to start a new pace in global brand marketing. As Chinese auto brands accelerate their "going out", Chinese auto brands will also appear in more activities and a wider range, helping Chinese cars to build world-class international brands and achieve the transformation from an automobile power to an automobile power.
The focus is on tapping into emotional value
2024 is known as the "Year of Sports", with top international sports events such as the European Cup, America's Cup, and the Olympic Games being held one after another. Sponsoring top events and leveraging sports marketing are gradually becoming a new path for Chinese auto companies to establish their brand image and expand their international influence.
At the recently concluded European Cup, from live broadcasts to stadium advertisements, BYD's "overwhelming" advertisements showed the determination of Chinese brand car companies to sponsor large-scale international events. BYD has become the official partner of the 2024 European Cup in one fell swoop, and is using sports marketing as a starting point to open up a vast overseas market. As early as May this year, the national direct-operated chain car rental brand eHi Car Rental and NBA (National Basketball League) China jointly announced that the two parties have reached a long-term strategic partnership. eHi Car Rental will become the official market partner and car rental service partner of NBA China, and work together to create a new model of "travel + sports + cultural tourism". According to relevant statistics, the number of NBA fans in China has exceeded 300 million, accounting for nearly 1/4 of the total number of NBA fans worldwide.
Why are car companies keen on sports marketing? The main reason is that sports contain huge emotional value, and sports marketing can integrate fans' emotions into the connection between brands and events. In Chen Hui's view, in the marketing of automobile brands with the help of sports events and other activities, it is in many exciting sports events that consumers and automobile brands experience the culture of top events together, and gradually resonate. The combination of the spirit of sports and automobile brands can not only break the traffic wall, but also establish a high degree of brand awareness. Brand marketing that can really produce long-term effects and keep traffic rising is not just simply relying on the influence of sports activities, but under the joint action of resources, content and products, it brings emotional resonance to the majority of users and ultimately enhances the recognition and acceptance of automobile brands. In addition, whether automobile brands can convert traffic into sales in this process depends on the "hard core strength" of brands and products. In terms of expanding overseas markets, only by continuously strengthening the construction of service networks and improving consumer satisfaction can Chinese automobile brands effectively use this marketing method to gain a foothold overseas and win a broader market.
In the era of emotional consumption, as a carrier of public emotional expression, sports marketing remains hot. "Top sports events and outstanding athletes not only bring traffic, but also give brands emotional value, which is the connotation that car brand marketing should focus on." Xia Xiaofeng said that the traffic brought by sports events to car brands may disappear soon, and the key factor to improve the conversion rate of car brands is emotional value. The fundamental reason why sports can cross the barriers of the world is that it triggers emotional resonance that is consistent with human nature at the spiritual level, and the connotation of car brands should actually have richer emotional value. Therefore, car brands will gradually enter the hearts of consumers and establish a deep brand complex. This is the advanced stage of car brand marketing.
Sun Quanshu believes that in recent years, with the changes in automobile market demand, in order to attract more loyal consumers, automobile brand marketing is gradually leaning towards more precise and concentrated channels, optimizing marketing resources and strengthening the delivery of key channels in order to achieve higher market penetration and better conversion effects. In the current market environment, the cooperation between relevant automobile brands and top sports events is increasing and becoming increasingly close, forming a deep cross-border alliance in a certain sense. In the increasingly hot sports marketing, top international sports events with a global audience base are particularly concerned. Combining the event itself, the international sports spirit and automobile brands, such cross-border cooperation can effectively bring more traffic, reach a wider group, and make it easier to leave a deep brand memory in the hearts of global consumers.
(Picture from our newspaper database)

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