Chinese brands enter Olympics marketing ring, vying for gold on global stage

Chinese companies, looking to reach global consumers, have leapt for branding opportunities at Paris Olympics

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China reigns supreme as supplier for the 2024 Olympic Games

Kandy Wongin Hong KongandHe Huifengin Guangdong

Published: 7:00am, 27 Jul 2024Updated: 10:58am, 27 Jul 2024

Chinese companies, eager to burnish their standing among consumers at home and abroad, have embraced this year’s Summer Olympic Games in Paris as an opportunity to raise brand awareness and expand their presence in global markets.

Notably, dairy giant Mengniu has signed a long-term sponsorship deal with the Olympics, in effect from 2021 to 2032. Other large Chinese enterprises that have partnered with the Games include tech firm Alibaba – owner of the South China Morning Post – and Yili, another dairy producer.

Data from market research firm Daxue Consulting showed sports retailer Anta, electric vehicle manufacturer BYD and tech company Vivo have received the most attention on Chinese social media in relation to the Games, with the highest number of mentions on major platforms.

Tencent Marketing Insight has estimated 62 per cent of global television audiences will watch these Olympics, and data collected since 2000 indicates a cumulative 2 billion people have watched the Games at some point during the intervening years.

“Smaller brands that don’t have [large] budgets or want to do something more creative … have cleverly created buzz through pop-ups,” said Jiang Yaling, founder of research and strategy consultancy ApertureChina.

“They are using content created in Paris to showcase their international [status] to domestic audiences.”