wang junkai and quan hongchan interacted closely: just a few words shocked people four times, huang zitao lost his only achievement

author | wu jiujiu

editor | akagi pingzi

the paris olympics has passed, but the athletes’ traffic has not decreased and they continue to dominate the hot searches.

the premiere of the movie "hedgehog" specially invited olympic athletes quan hongchan, huang yaqiong, and liu yuchen to promote the movie together with the leading actors ge you and wang junkai. the weibo topic #全红婵王俊凯合拍# quickly exceeded the 100 million reading mark. xu xin's behind the ball co., ltd. became popular on xiaohongshu, and the trend of exploring stores blew to the coffee shop he opened. many fans went to xuperman to meet him by chance.

on august 26, sun yang returned to the arena after four years and won the championship, becoming the center of attention of the entire network. in fact, since the paris olympic cycle, sun yang has become the focus of heated discussions among netizens along with sports stars such as xu jiayu and pan zhanle. this victory is undoubtedly another significant increase in his popularity.

the paris olympics also helped the athletes gain countless fans. currently, they are active in brand endorsements, converting traffic into market value.

one view is that athletes’ attention is limited to major event cycles such as the olympics and asian games. however, through continuous marketing activities and personal brand building, they have now proven that they have lasting and high-value commercial potential.

the high market value of athletes is closely linked to the fan economy, but fan culture has also brought various chaos to the sports field.fan zhendong expressed this sense of contradiction in an interview: "sometimes you feel that losing is not good, and winning is not that good either." when discussing the details of the game, ma long also expressed his concern about online public opinion: "netizens will not say that i hit his brother, right?"

after the applause, what is left for the industry is long-term thinking:is “gold medal traffic” a passing fad or an evergreen tree? when olympic fever meets the tide of fans, how can we make the tide of attention a source of vitality rather than a torrent that disrupts order?

how many fans do the champions of the development system gain in one olympic cycle?

the paris olympics sparked a nationwide craze for watching the games, and with it came an explosive growth in the number of fans of the athletes.

according to xinbang data, wang chuqin's cumulative followers on douyin and xiaohongshu exceeded 10 million. during the entire olympic games, sun yingsha's number of fans increased from 4.01 million on july 27 to 11.32 million on august 14, an increase of 7.3 million fans in just 18 days.

victory in key events is often accompanied by a sharp increase in the number of fans. fan zhendong defeated swedish player moregaard 4-1 in the men's singles final of the paris olympics table tennis and won the gold medal, completing the grand slam of his career. this victory had a huge response on social media, and the number of fans on fan zhendong's social account soared by more than 300,000 overnight.

for those athletes who already have significant fame, the paris olympics has become another leap in their popularity. quan hongchan, who is famous for her "disappearing water splash technique", has become the focus of the country since the last olympics. after the paris olympics, her number of fans on the douyin platform soared from 7.3 million to nearly 15 million. in particular, the toy turtle video she shared received more than 10 million likes, which shows her influence.

fans' love and support for athletes not only stems from the sense of national honor brought by the gold medals, but also from the athletes' personal charm. this year's netizens particularly favor those olympic athletes who show a strong core, or those contrasting champions with the attribute of "funny people". "the sense of relaxation unique to athletes born after 2000" has become a hot topic in the paris olympics.

tennis champion zheng qinwen's weibo followers soared to nearly one million after the olympic cycle. she is regarded as the new queen of commercial value after gu ailing. the scene of her insisting on playing with tears in her eyes on the court has been forwarded millions of times through social media. her magnificent vitality, rational pursuit of goals, and wisdom in the face of challenges have deeply inspired the audience in front of the screen and gained a strong spiritual motivation.

pan zhanle, affectionately called "le le" by netizens, saw his douyin account's followers surge to over a million in just five days after winning the gold medal at the paris olympics. in a post-match interview, he directly "complained" that his opponent ignored him, and also frankly complained about the poor food in the olympic village. this unpretentious and sincere attitude of interaction made him stand out among many athletes and was deeply loved by the audience.

the popularity of athletes has also led to an increase in the number of fans of their coaches, relatives and friends. for example, retired diving athlete chen ruolin, as quan hongchan's head coach, competed with her in the olympics. their interaction attracted a large number of netizens, and chen ruolin's douyin fans increased by 1.59 million. similarly, sun yingsha's coach qiu yike has also accumulated more than 1.5 million fans on major social platforms. he interacts with fans by sharing content such as daily training, family life and table tennis knowledge.

the fan economy supports athletes, consumes their endorsement products, and extends to paying attention to their coaches and private circles. this series of behaviors deeply reflects the fans' emotional consumption logic, which is similar to the currently popular "cultivation system" of star chasing.fans witness the entire process of athletes from their debut to winning the championship, satisfying their admiration for strength and their need for companionship. on the other hand, the interaction between athletes and their coaches, family, and friends provides fans with a space for emotional projection. fans gain psychological compensatory satisfaction by building or identifying with these relationships.

market feedback shows that the traffic influence of top athletes is comparable to that of popular stars. take quan hongchan as an example. the photo she shared on weibo with wang junkai and ge you at the press conference of "hedgehog" received nearly 2 million likes, which even surpassed the publicity effect of the movie's leading actors and official weibo. similarly, the ticket price for sun yang's comeback match soared to 1,000 yuan, and some ticket prices increased by as much as 23 times, reflecting his huge market appeal.

in addition, this olympic cycle has also demonstrated to the industry the long-term potential of the fan economy behind athlete ip.

guo jingjing, who has been retired for a long time, became popular on social platforms during the paris olympics. the related inspirational topics she linked, such as "women should not leave the poker table" and "let fairness be born from your hands", have exceeded 100,000 discussions. xuperman xu xin sports douyin store has nearly 1.4 million fans, and the related popular videos on xiaohongshu are all from this olympic cycle.

when traffic enters the arena, athletes inside and outside the arena have the opportunity to return to the table. outside the olympics, athletes have started a new competition in the traffic field.

fan economy invades sports circles: is it a blessing or a curse?

in the women's singles table tennis final at the paris olympics, chen meng defeated sun yingsha and successfully defended her title. however, a fan dispute arose after the game. some spectators booed when chen meng scored, made insulting gestures, and even shouted "refund" at the award ceremony. in addition, a large number of hate speech attacking athletes and coaches appeared on social media.

the promotion and commercialization of table tennis in china is closely related to the rise of the fan economy. the landmark initiative of 2017, the "12 strongest players on earth" event, was launched. together with tencent sports, the traditional team-to-team competition was opened to the general fans. the tickets sold out in 72 seconds, demonstrating the huge energy of the fan base and the deep exploration of market potential. in 2019, the establishment of the wtt world table tennis professional league further accelerated the pace of commercialization of table tennis worldwide. according to the forecast data of the prospective industry research institute, the market size of the table tennis industry is expected to reach 32.7 billion yuan in 2025. the realization of this achievement is inseparable from the continued enthusiasm and consumption power of the table tennis fan base.

therefore, the table tennis industry is also regarded as a disaster area severely affected by fan culture and the irrational behavior of some fans.

in the fan circle culture, star chasing, online comment control and anti-black, fundraising and social interaction are its core behaviors. these behaviors not only promote fans' emotional investment and the construction of cultural identity, but also help to improve the social influence and market value of idols.during the paris olympics, this cultural phenomenon is also permeating the field of sports.

fans of table tennis actively participated in offline viewing activities, and even booked theaters to watch live broadcasts of the games. they also expressed their support for the athletes by placing outdoor advertisements and customizing surrounding support items. for example, sun yingsha's fans placed support ads for her at frankfurt airport in germany. on the other hand, online, fans actively interacted on social media platforms, building momentum for athletes by posting, commenting, and forwarding, and even some irrational behaviors such as online dragging and attacking the coaching staff.

similar to the pursuit of idol cards, sports star cards have become a new trend in the market. fans are also keen on collecting athletes' autographed cards and other peripheral products, and participate in card opening activities in the live broadcast room.

after the paris olympics, fan zhendong admitted in an interview that he was troubled by the fan circle culture. "many things outside the court are over-focused, which is very stressful. sometimes i feel that losing is not good, and winning is not so good either. this is harmful to me, the team, table tennis, and everyone's unity. "

excessive attention in fan culture sometimes invades athletes' personal space, disrupting their schedules and physical and mental preparation. in march this year, fan zhendong attracted widespread attention and controversy during the wtt singapore grand slam because he watched taylor swift's concert. after he lost the game, some netizens questioned whether he missed training because of watching the concert, which led to his defeat.

although, as mentioned above, the internal logic of following sports stars and idol-cultivation stars is somewhat similar, the two are actually very different in nature. the core of sports competition is fair competition and self-transcendence, emphasizing the comprehensive abilities of athletes in many aspects, such as technical strength, tactical strategies, and psychological quality. fan circle culture tends to focus more on emotional projection, social interaction, and material support. this focus that deviates from the spirit of sports can easily blur the essence of the game and even cause athletes to face unnecessary pressure and psychological burden.

the double-edged sword effect of the fan economy makes athletes face a more complex public opinion environment when they encounter setbacks.wang chuqin was unexpectedly eliminated from the men's singles table tennis event at the paris olympics and failed to enter the top 16, which inspired some netizens to make groundless accusations and online attacks. at the same time, his fans quickly intervened to defend him, causing chaos in the public opinion field. similarly, liu xiang, the gold medalist of the 2004 athens olympics, also suffered misunderstandings and doubts from netizens, and even personal attacks when he withdrew from the 2008 beijing olympics and the 2012 london olympics due to injuries, which brought him great psychological pressure.

but it is precisely because of this huge attention that liu xiang returned to the olympic arena as a special guest during the paris olympics and participated in the commentary of track and field events. at the same time, many olympic athletes, including xu zhuo, expressed their admiration for liu xiang, believing that he is not only a role model for chinese track and field, but also a driving force for their own continuous progress. during this period, the number of fans of liu xiang's personal account "i am liu xiang" on xiaohongshu increased significantly during the olympics, increasing by 300,000, showing his irreplaceable position in the hearts of fans.

in addition, liu xiang's commercial value has also been significantly improved during this period. he not only served as the co-spokesperson for yili's "salute to chinese sports pioneers" event to review the glorious history of chinese sports, but also cooperated with xiaohongshu to resonate with the post-80s and post-90s groups by entering the platform and participating in search ads. in addition, liu xiang was appointed as the "global health ambassador" by bawang tea princess, and cooperated with jindian to emphasize the "organic life" concept behind the athletes. jd.com also selected him as the "time witness officer" to highlight the brand's fast service.

the fan base behind the athletes constitutes an active and continuous fan traffic pool, showing strong vitality. how to tap and make good use of this attention resource is a common issue facing the market, industry and athletes.

traffic business of athlete ip, can it last forever?

currently, domestic athletes realize their market value through diversified channels, including brand endorsements, live streaming, and establishing personal brands to deepen their market influence.

after pan zhanle won the championship, his cooperation advertisements with brands such as clear, germ, mentholatum, de rucci and yili won more than 100,000 likes, and fans asked in the comment area, "how many advertisements did lele take?" wang chuqin's endorsement effect during the olympics was significant, and the sales performance of brands such as baxi, yili, coca-cola and procter & gamble all increased significantly. sun yingsha became the spokesperson for 11 brands during the 2024 paris olympics, with an annual income of 15 million, highlighting her high value in commercial cooperation. in addition, the shooting team's "post-00" combination huang yuting and sheng lihao, weightlifter luo shifang, and gymnast zhang boheng all have various brand endorsements.

source: securities market weekly

the current athletes' brands are widely distributed in many fields, such as fast-moving consumer goods, sportswear, sporting goods, and luxury fashion, showing a significant cross-border feature. in contrast, the endorsements of olympic athletes in the past were more concentrated in traditional fields, especially products and services directly related to sports.

brand endorsements are now more inclined to dig deeper into the unique stories behind athletes rather than mechanically relying on the single label of "sports". the bawang cha ji brand explored zheng qinwen's growth process in depth, including her love for tennis, her courage to face challenges, and her spirit of continuous self-transcendence, and integrated these elements into the brand story, combining them with the olympic spirit, thus causing a strong emotional resonance in the hearts of consumers.

this strategic shift means that the commercial value of athletes is not interrupted by retirement, as the market increasingly values ​​the traffic and topic discussion they bring.

during the paris olympics, subway and xu xin jointly launched an advertisement, which cleverly incorporated xu xin's iconic batting action. its unique magic and abstract style quickly aroused widespread discussion on social media. this novel advertising form successfully attracted the attention of fan consumers.

in the marketing strategy of xu xin's personal brand xuperman, the in-depth exploration of its own topicality is particularly evident. the full name of the brand is "xu xin hitting the ball behind his back co., ltd.". its logo design uses xu xin's iconic behind-the-back hitting action, conveying a relaxed and humorous attribute. the xuperman brand has also expanded offline, opening table tennis venues. the interior decoration includes xu xin's classic cartoon pattern of a shirtless court. the packaging bag says "my coffee is so delicious" corresponding to "my ball is so good." this "playing with your own stalks" further strengthens the brand's personalized image.

xuperman's product line includes table tennis balls and accessories, sportswear, and peripherals, with a wide range of prices to suit different consumer groups. in particular, a table tennis-shaped mobile phone holder has become a hit, with sales exceeding one million. during the paris olympics, xu xin live-streamed on the brand's official account, mainly explaining the games and recommending products when appropriate. this "buy while watching" model was particularly effective during the olympics, with the gmv of a single game exceeding one million on august 10. in addition, xuperman further accumulated fans and increased brand awareness by posting xu xin's live-streaming clips and playing memes on its official account.

this marketing method has shown significant results. according to feigua data, during the paris olympics, the number of fans of the xuperman brand surged by more than 500,000 in one week. fans actively recommended xuperman on social platforms, praised its high quality and high cost performance, and were keen on on-site check-ins and shopping experiences. at the same time, netizens' creative jokes and humorous comments, such as "xu xin is still too comprehensive" and "ma long: don't start a business on other people's wounds", brought additional communication effects to the brand.

in the wave of fan economy, athletes such as xu xin no longer simply use their influence to monetize, but begin to actively explore and utilize traffic, and interact with fans in a positive and constructive manner. this change represents a major leap in the development of athletes' personal brands.

the athletes' outstanding performance on the olympic stage not only won them honors, but also demonstrated huge commercial potential in the tide of fan economy.through precise brand endorsements, innovative personal brand building and efficient social media operations, athletes are gradually achieving seamless integration from the field to the market.however, how to balance sportsmanship and fan culture and ensure the physical and mental health of athletes still requires in-depth thinking and practice by the industry. in the future, as the sports industry matures further, the ip value of athletes will become more prominent, injecting new vitality and opportunities into the market. professional and innovative marketing strategies will be the key for athletes to ride the wave of fan economy.