The strong presence of Chinese sponsors is drawing attention at the UEFA Euro 2020 after the first top-notch soccer event kicked off in Rome despite the coronavirus pandemic. Four Chinese companies, among the 12 sponsors of the UEFA European Championship, represent Chinese brands' ambitions to go global. Hisense, Alipay, Vivo and TikTok are among the UEFA National Team Football Official Sponsors and UEFA Euro 2020 Official Sponsors, making China one of the largest sources of sponsors for this year's European football championship. Other sponsors include FedEx, Booking.com, Volkswagen, Coca-Cola and Qatar Airways.
“This year and next year are big years for global sporting events because the UEFA Euro, Olympic Games and World Cup are being or will be held one after another. It is an excellent time for our brand to expand its profile,” Hisense told the Global Times in a statement. It is the second time for Hisense to sponsor the UEFA Euro event. Ipsos found that Hisense's brand awareness doubled in five European countries – Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Spain – after it sponsored Euro 2016.
ByteDance-owned TikTok became the first digital entertainment platform to sponsor the tournament as the short-video sharing platform “is looking to cement its reputation as the home for football fans to share their passion for the game, as well as driving awareness with new audiences,” according to a statement published on UEFA.com in February. The platform has gained rising popularity in multiple countries and is regarded by industry insiders as one of the most successful Chinese brands in going global.
“Sports, especially soccer, are popular among European consumers. Sponsoring the Euro is beneficial to build a bridge between the brand and the audiences,” Zhang Qing, CEO of Key Solution Sports Co, a firm that consults on the sports industry in China, told the Global Times. According to Zhang, in the 1980s, Japanese companies sponsored a number of international sporting events and South Korean companies started to do so in the 1990s. “Now, Chinese companies are more competitive in fields such as consumer electronics, home appliances, mobile devices, and IT. The latecomers now have an upper hand.” He said this reflected Chinese companies' growing investment in technological research and development (R&D), as well as increased participation in the global value chain.
One of the sponsors of the UEFA Euro 2020, Chinese smartphone manufacturer Vivo, has been expanding in the European market since October 2020. In February, it entered Romania and the Czech Republic, and it plans to cover more than 12 markets in Europe by the end of the year. Deng Li, Vivo Vice President and President for European markets, said that Vivo hopes to adopt a “local mentality, local culture and local management” philosophy to serve consumers and better integrate into the local market. By respecting its local European partners and the needs of local consumers, Vivo is committed to localized operations and is doing well in the European market, the Global Times reports.
