How vivo's World Cup sponsorship has united community & sport

From innovation to activation, vivo strengthens its global presence with strategic partnerships and user generated content to build brand awareness and bring communities together.

SHENZHEN, China, Dec. 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sports are known for transcending boundaries, uniting people across the world and creating connections regardless of race, gender, age, or nationality. One brand that knows this all too well is vivo. As the Official Sponsor of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, vivo launched a social media campaign #vivoGiveItaShot inviting the community to join the frenzy of the World Cup.

The goal with this sponsorship was to enhance vivo's presence in the global market for its innovative portfolio of smartphones and leverage the power of social media to break down geographical barriers and connect people across the globe. Through various engaging online and offline activities, unique campaign hashtags, and influencer engagement, vivo hopes to build awareness, strengthen credibility, and allow more people to gain a deeper understanding of the values that vivo is striving for.

Connecting with global consumers to spark innovation

As a leading global technology company, vivo expanded to the Southeast Asia market in 2014, marking the start of vivo's overseas expansion and global business strategy. Till now, vivo has been expanding its global market, serving over 400 million users with its mobile products and services in over 60 countries and regions.

vivo's successful 'More local, more global' strategy to go global while staying true to its local values has played a pivotal role in helping the brand become one of the leading smartphone companies in the world.

Through key investments in sports sponsorship, social media strategy and user generated content (UGC), vivo is proving that its marketing strategy is just as innovative and user centric as its portfolio of phones.

#vivoGiveItaShot embodies sports & technology

As of November 2022, vivo has applied nearly 5,000 5G invention patents and submitted about 10,300 5G proposals to the telecommunications standard development organizations of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). vivo is willing to expand new technology and explore more innovations for a connected better world. During the World CupTM, vivo also provided industry-leading smartphones to FIFA World CupTM staff to complete preparations with cutting-edge technologies.

As the official smartphone brand sponsor of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ in the smartphone industry, vivo stands in a unique position to connect football fans across the world. vivo's #vivoGiveItaShot social media campaign promoted the message to action that safeguards the hope and global mindfulness of youth.

Through this campaign, vivo recreated beautiful and impressive moments of football and showed the courage of people who tackle challenges head on. "For vivo, sport and technology share a similar philosophy that embodies an unrelenting spirit of innovation and belief in oneself that drives us further," says Spark Ni, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at vivo.

Participants were encouraged to share football-themed photographs or videos, including vivo and FIFA elements and tag the official vivo Instagram page to their entries with the hashtag #vivoGiveItaShot. The 10 most creative entries were rewarded with a vivo smartphone and a football. Participants were given the opportunity to express and connect with a community of passionate football fans, along with a chance to win prizes. Click here to learn more about the #vivoGiveItaShot campaign.

The #vivoGiveItaShot challenge received hundreds and thousands of posts across social media channels including TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. The challenge on TikTok has attracted over 380,000 user-generated videos and 744 million online views as of December 8, 2022. Ni adds: "We understand the value of sharing in today's age and have integrated this awareness into our products by equipping them with powerful camera setups so users can capture memorable moments and share their joy with others. This activity is our effort to promote smartphone photography, creating a space for rewarding the creative pursuits of young individuals, as well as strengthening ties with our consumers."

Led by the local campaign slogan of 'Give your dreams a shot', vivo partnered with Model APEC to form a league of football stars and celebrities to support youth empowerment in sport. The campaign featured influential names from all around Southeast Asia. These personal accounts provided the next generation of superstars with the certainty that anything is possible and to give their dreams a shot.

vivo also collaborated with Jack Downer, a street football influencer, to bring excitement to the streets and drive conversations. A video was posted on TikTok about a public freestyle football giveaway challenge, and the challenge was recorded with a vivo X80, its newest flagship phone. Click here to see the highlights of the #vivoGiveItaShot campaign with videos from our participants.

Celebrating sports & community

For vivo, sponsoring sporting events has been a successful marketing strategy that has boosted its brand recognition among a wider global audience. vivo has been a sponsor of FIFA since 2017 and has provided support for the development of world football through its various major international tournaments ever since. vivo remains committed to supporting the development of football through its various football sponsorships.

Previous sports sponsorships include UEFA Euro 2020, Indian Premier League 2016-2019 & 2021, FIFA Confederations Cup 2017™, FIFA World Cup 2018™, FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021™.

"To date, vivo's progress in the global market has been firmly rooted in our user-driven mindset," says Ni. "This dedication to user insights enables vivo to deliver experiences that users love. Sponsoring sports events and activities is one of the many ways vivo communicates and connects with its users."