On August 15, 2023, basketball sensation James Harden captivated audiences as he made a surprise appearance in the live broadcast room of China’s well-known streamer, Xiaoyangge, to sell the wine products of his personal brand J-HARDEN. Within a mere 5 seconds, the brand’s 5,000 sets of wine products priced at CNY 436 were sold out, achieving sales of CNY 2.18 million. During the entire live streaming, there were over 10,000 wine orders after extra sets were put to the shelf, with sales exceeding CNY 5 million.
The meteoric success of this sales event stands as a testament to the immense influence and sales potential of sports stars. Like idols, sports icons with devoted fan bases is capable to stimulate consumers’ purchasing desire and frequency. Nowadays, inviting popular athletic stars as brands’ ambassadors or cooperating with them for marketing initiatives are frequently used by brands, especially after the frequent scandals of idols in China in recent years. For instance, targeting the huge football fans of Manchester United Football Club, Estée Lauder collaborated with the club’s four football stars and launched a short VCR to promote the brand’s hero product—advanced night repair essence. Luckin Coffee rolled out two Ailing Gu themed lattes following her gold medal victory in the 2022 Winter Olympic, which became one of the most popular products of the brand during that period.
Additionally, athletes who embody shining qualities like health, confidence and self-discipline can significantly enhance brands’ image and reputation. Athletic stars’ relatively low-key private lives can also mitigate the risks of negative events that may tarnish the brands’ reputation. For instance, Prada, after suffering from the continuous scandals by its previous ambassadors, announced to cooperate with China Women’s National Football Team, a team with positive impression and little negative news among Chinese consumers due to the team members’ dedication and dauntless spirit on and off the field.
Chinese consumers are also optimistic towards brands’ collaboration with sports stars. Prada’s cooperation with China Women’s National Football Team garnered immense positive sentiment among Chinese consumers. After Harden’s appearance in Chinese streamer’s broadcast room, viewers expressed their hope for joint live streaming sessions with LeBron James or Kevin Durant next year. Endorsed by Lionel Messi and as the sponsor of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Mengniu’s peak sales on Douyin reached CNY 7.75 million when the World Cup approached. Consumers’ positive attitudes will probably embolden brands’ confidence to enhance collaboration with athletic stars, paving the way for more special marketing campaigns in the future.
However, although consumers are supportive to this type of cooperation, they still anticipate that brands’ marketing campaigns have distinctive themes and multiple forms rather than homogeneous content. Taking Ailing Gu as an example, when she collaborated with luxury brands like LV and Tiffany, these brands were themed with her love for fashion rather than her indomitable spirit on the field. Similarly, brands can hold marketing campaigns by discovering the different characteristics of athletes in their daily life. In terms of marketing forms, in addition to the traditional ways like posters, Mengniu transformed 25 critical moments of Gu’s growth course into garage kits and enhanced the playability and interestingness of the kits through the design of multiple movable joints and replacement accessories, which increased the interaction between fans and Gu and left a deep impression among consumers.
Apart from the popular athletic sectors, brands can also discover the well-known players in some emerging fields to cooperate, such as electronic sports. But at the same time, brands need to select the most suitable players so as to fit the brand image and tone. According to the industry insiders, there are many factors to consider, such as competition performance, personal image and temperament, activity in social media, etc.
**Disclaimer: The cover image and all images used in the article are from the Internet.
