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Meet Vivo, the FIFA World Cup sponsor you’ve never heard of

Founded in 2009, Vivo is one of the top smartphone brands in China -- and a sister firm of Oppo. Their most famous handsets include the super-thin X1 and the Nex, which has a pop-up camera.

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Industry watchers say Vivo has done well thanks to affordable devices with premium styling. (Picture: Vivo)
This article originally appeared on ABACUS

Anyone watching the World Cup would see their billboards lining the sides of the football pitches: Adidas, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s; massive global brands.

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But at Russia 2018, they were be accompanied by other names that may not be as well known: Hisense, Mengniu and Vivo.

These Chinese brands were taking advantage of one of the biggest stages in sports to raise their profiles and reach millions of people.

Among them was Chinese smartphone maker Vivo, which isn’t as well known outside mainland China or India -- yet ranked as the world’s sixth-largest smartphone vendor in 2017, according to IDC.

Industry watchers say Vivo has done well thanks to affordable devices with premium styling. (Picture: Vivo)
Industry watchers say Vivo has done well thanks to affordable devices with premium styling. (Picture: Vivo)

History of innovation

Founded in 2009 by Shen Wei, Vivo has rapidly grown within China to become the country’s third largest smartphone maker (by devices shipped).

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