Smartphone brands that sponsor sporting events are legion, but what do they really gain by undertaking this kind of collaboration? Oppo, a partner of Roland-Garros, provides us with some answers.
Applause, a few shouts, then complete calm. The public at the Philippe Chatrier court watches in religious silence as Rafael Nadal prepares for his service. The legend of the Roland-Garros tournament faces in the quarter-final another tennis juggernaut, the world number 1 Novak Djokovic. He bounces the yellow ball on the clay, throws it in the air and hits hard with his racket. The two adversaries go blow for blow in this clash of the titans. Nadal 15, Djokovic 0.
The match will last until 1:30 a.m. and will end with a victory for the Spaniard. That’s on a sporting level. On the marketing side, a few brands are rubbing their hands. This clash at the top of world tennis gives them visibility. Rolex and Perrier in particular whose names are displayed on the clocks of the court or the chair of the main referee. But on the side panels bordering the field, millions of viewers can see the logos of Emirates, Renault, Lavazza… or even Oppo.
Oppo at Roland-Garros, it’s not just an advertising insert
However, at Frandroid, we wondered why a brand of smartphones (in addition to other tech products) wants to associate its image with a sporting event. Is there a real interest for the company? Especially since Oppo is far from the only one in this scenario. In football for example, Vivo is a partner of the Euro when TCL sponsors the Copa América.
Big smile plastered on his face, delighted to attend this spectacular match to which we were also invited by the brand, Julian Clobus, marketing and communication director at Oppo AED France, tries, during the short breaks granted by the players, to explain to us the strategy of his group around Roland-Garros. ” A lot of people think that a partnership with a sports tournament is just to put our name on pitchside advertising. In reality, this insert is only an anchor. Even if it’s an important part of the partnership, it’s really everything we’re going to do around it that matters the most“.
The silence required during a tennis match not being conducive to long conversations, we decide to continue this exchange more calmly a few days later to go more in depth. The opportunity for Julian Clobus to clarify his point with the help of a metaphor. “Roland-Garros provides the wheels, but it’s up to you [à la marque] to build the carcass and all the rest to embark people with you“.
In other words, on the occasion of Roland-Garros, Oppo is obviously delighted to see its name visible very close to tennis players, but it would be almost useless if there were not all a communication strategy put in place around. The goal: to increase notoriety and, ultimately boost sales.
Gain notoriety
In the words of the representative of Oppo AED France, the advertising insert that the brands place at the edge of the field serve as “bail“. You almost have to see it as proof that the partnership does indeed exist. The Roland-Garros partner then has a free hand to put the package on other communication channels.
And the sinews of war is notoriety. This is an essential concept in marketing, particularly in the world of smartphones or new technologies. In a market where giants such as Samsung or Apple have established themselves, competitors must redouble their efforts to make themselves known in a positive way to the general public.
For Oppo – a giant on a global scale, but relatively young in France – a tournament like Roland-Garros can accelerate the gain of notoriety in an impressive way. Like all brands, the group regularly conducts market research to take the pulse. “In 2021, we had gained around 22 notoriety points over the year. And during a period like Roland Garros, we will seek 5 or 6 points of notoriety“.
How does the brand do it? It’s quite simple. During the few weeks that the tournament lasts, she activates several points of communication. In addition to classic advertisements at physical or online points of sale and traditional contests on social networks, Oppo is also setting up special campaigns. The spokesperson cites as an example the fact that Gaël Monfils (French tennis player) is an ambassador for Oppo and can thus promote the manufacturer’s products to his community.
Julian Clobus also dwells on the photo exhibition “From the shadow to the lightorganized by his company. In this context, photographer Ryad Guelmaoui used an Oppo Find X5 Pro to take portraits of the people involved in the tournament, but not necessarily highlighted (ball boys, referees, coordinators, etc.). The shots have been retouched, but only with tools available on the smartphone.
For Oppo, this is an opportunity to make a great technological demonstration while offering editorial content that is pleasant to consult for the public. “In addition, Roland Garros is coming soon after the launch of our Find X range“, specifies our interlocutor, the timing is perfect.
What impact on sales?
Joining forces with Roland-Garros therefore brings great opportunities to Oppo which, thanks to the tournament, can activate many levers to increase its popularity with the public. Certainly, but does all this have a real impact on smartphone sales? Yes and no.
Be on people’s mind
It is not this partnership strictly speaking that will push consumers to jump on Oppo devices. By way of comparison, seeing an advertisement on television is unlikely to cause you to feel an irrepressible urge to buy the product presented. However, “ceach point of contact plays a role“, emphasizes Julian Clobus. What a brand is aiming for,it’s to be in people’s mind when they are going to ask themselves the question of a purchase“.
In other words, promoting a brand is not intended to trigger a purchase decision, but to influence it when it is triggered. The moment you buy a smartphone, you will remember everything you have seen on this or that manufacturer.
In this, Roland-Garros is a formidable platform. Some might indeed believe that a tournament sponsor would only reach tennis fans, but in reality, this competition offers “audience penetration 3 to 4 times highere”, the Oppo representative tells us.
On phone sales, Julian Clobus says there are immediate effects that can be felt during the Roland-Garros sponsorship campaign. However, it is above all necessary to plan for the long term. This type of campaign pays off over time in terms of acquiring new customers.
Occupy the land
The marketing and communication director of Oppo AED France recalls a simple rule in this regard. Selling products requires, among other things, maximizing share of voice. This concept is an indicator that allows companies to measure their advertising presence compared to those of all competing advertisers. Concretely, “it is the ability to occupy the ground“. Roland-Garros provides a very good base from this point of view. It is then up to the brand to transform the trial with a content strategy intelligently designed around the event to offer astory tellingcoherent and pleasant from the first point of contact with the consumer until the purchase of the smartphone by this one.
Roland-Garros also needs Oppo
As you will have understood, the partnership has many advantages for Oppo. However, this collaboration also has advantages for Roland-Garros – apart from the handsome sum that the organizers of the tournament had to receive to display this sponsor.
Partnering with a brand in the technology news sector allows a sporting competition to reach a wider audience who might not have spontaneously taken an interest in the event. In the case of Roland-Garros, the traditional audience is quite aging.
However, via the sponsor of Oppo, the tournament has the possibility of seeing its name and its logo put forward with the community of the brand of smartphones, this one having undoubtedly a younger average age.
Moreover, today,there is no longer too much sponsorship that is only display strategy“says Julian Clobus. “When we sign a contract, the main question is: what will we be able to bring to each other“.
So no matter who wins in the final, the tournament itself and the sponsors always win.
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