The passionate story of football matches lingers long in memory, a feast for fans and an opportunity for Chinese enterprises to make their mark on the international stage.

In the early hours of July 15, Beijing time, the 2024 Euro Cup final witnessed a thrilling showdown, with Spain defeating England 2-1 to secure a perfect record of seven wins and their fourth Euro Cup title.

01

Unchanged: Collaboration with Sports Events

Changed: Context of Scene Communication

It is not difficult to observe that sports marketing has become a must-have investment for Chinese enterprises. Compared to other marketing methods, international top-tier sports events not only generate instant traffic but also promise a post-event "spillover effect."

However, relying solely on the power of sports events for large-scale communication is insufficient. Perceptive scenes are essential to establish connections between the public and brands, evoking deeper emotional resonances.

For instance, when Hisense Air Conditioners entered the global audience's vision with in-stadium advertisements such as "Hisense AirCon, Smart Air, Perfect Climate" and "Fresh Air Conditioner, Hisense Leads the Way," the output of scenes outside the stadium was also underway.

Prior to the opening match, Hisense partnered with CCTV host Sa Beining and "Football Poet" He Wei to launch the "Hisense Champion Ball Viewing Room" video. Among them, the official designated air conditioner for the 2024 Euro Cup, the Hisense Fresh Air Conditioner Brilliant C3 Series, addressed the pain points of staying up late to watch matches during summer, creating a comfortable and fresh home environment for fans.

During the subsequent pivotal match between Spain and Italy, former national football team captain Fan Zhiyi and renowned commentator Guan Zeyuan formed the "Hisense Football Viewing Team." While watching the game at the Veltins-Arena, Guan Zeyuan mentioned the unpleasant smell in the hotel room, and Fan Zhiyi immediately pointed to the Hisense air conditioner advertisement, offering an on-the-spot solution: with Hisense air conditioners, "turn on for 3 minutes, and the whole room is filled with fresh air."

During breaks in the games, on CCTV-5's "Football Feast" program, the Brilliant C3 Series continued to strengthen audience awareness with the slogan "Watch Matches with Oxygen Boost, Fresh Air Conditioner, Choose Hisense." Combined with interactive quizzes, the attention of fans was drawn to the product.

Using the Euro Cup as the main thread and sensory experience as the entry point, the communication information was highly immersive. Staying up late to watch matches often involves snacking, drinking, and smoking. Although turning on the air conditioner cools the indoor environment, enclosed rooms can lead to poor air circulation. In this scenario, the integrated communication of fresh air conditioner functions created a connection between the Euro Cup, users, and their homes.

The high-frequency, strongly scene-related marketing layout not only quickly conveyed the functions of Hisense's fresh air conditioner products but also reinforced Hisense Air Conditioners' brand positioning as a Chinese brand making waves in the international market, naturally infiltrating product power and influence into audience perceptions.

02

Category Innovation from 0 to 1

Creating Two "Wind-Making" Myths

In his book "From 0 to 1," Peter Thiel, the godfather of Silicon Valley venture capital, proposed that successful enterprises often achieve something from nothing, i.e., the innovation process from 0 to 1.

In the past nearly 30 years, Hisense Air Conditioners have undergone two "wind-making" transformations from 0 to 1.

In 1996, after thorough market research and analysis, Hisense Air Conditioners resolutely decided to avoid the popular development path of fixed-frequency air conditioners and invested 500 million yuan to establish the first domestic production factory for variable-frequency air conditioners, launching the first domestic variable-frequency air conditioner in 1997.

Since then, Hisense's variable-frequency technology has undergone nine iterations. Today, with a focus on environmental protection, energy efficiency, and automatic temperature control, variable-frequency air conditioners have become the mainstream choice in the market.

In 2007, beyond temperature regulation, Hisense Air Conditioners shifted their development goals to the broader "air proposition," embarking on a second innovation journey from 0 to 1. After launching the domestic first fresh air conditioner "Zunxiang" in 2008, Hisense Air Conditioners continued to enrich product functions with technologies such as oxygen enrichment, sterilization, and gentle wind, creating a more comfortable experience for users.

With the advent of the AI era, Hisense Air Conditioners focused on the "Five-Dimensional Air Steward" strategy, encompassing temperature, humidity, wind, purity, and oxygen. From precise temperature control, intelligent humidity control, refreshing comfort, healthy sterilization, and fresh, oxygen-rich air, the company proactively provides intelligent air scene solutions tailored to the preferences and needs of each family member.

For example, if users are in the renovation stage, the ubiquitous formaldehyde pollution can be addressed by Hisense Air Conditioners. Unlike single fresh air systems that only replace air, Hisense Air Conditioners employ an AI-powered "oven room formaldehyde removal" scene, which accelerates formaldehyde release through temperature elevation, accelerates its volatilization through wind sweeping, and then replaces the air with fresh air to remove formaldehyde. Another example is Hisense's recreation of the high-quality air of Guangxi Bama Longevity Village, creating an AI-powered "Bama Air" scene with oxygen-rich, fresh, and gentle wind, allowing users to enjoy the natural deep breaths of the village without leaving home.

Regardless of where users are, they can remotely control the air conditioner to perform oven room formaldehyde removal through the Aijia APP. The Bama Air scene allows users to enjoy the excellent air of Guangxi Longevity Village without leaving home. This also means that Hisense Air Conditioners have broken through the spatial boundaries of the home, achieving unlimited extension of comfort and convenience.

User-centric innovation has driven positive market feedback. According to offline fresh air conditioner market monitoring data from AVC Cloud Network, in June 2024, Hisense's fresh air conditioner occupied 48.89% of the offline market sales share, ranking first nationwide. Among the top 10 products in the fresh air market, seven were from Hisense, including the Brilliant C320, Brilliant C310, Xiao Yangba X5, as well as X600 and X628.

03

Continuing the Momentum of Sports Marketing

Capturing the Minds of Young Users

Currently, a new round of large-scale home appliance replacements is being implemented nationwide. As the mainstay of consumption, young people not only add new appliances when buying new homes but also inspect their homes for "expired" appliances and promptly replace them for their parents.

As the consumer group continues to age younger, young people's unique consumption concepts and pursuits are leading market trends. They not only value product functionality but are also willing to pay for lifestyles they love and aspire to.

By constantly paying attention to changes in young consumers' interests, Hisense Air Conditioners, combined with current popular sentiments, have captured the favor and recognition of young consumers through repeated hot topic marketing momentum.

Due to their competitiveness and emotional resonance, not only international sports events like the Euro Cup and the World Cup easily attract the attention of young consumers, but e-sports events are also effective channels for communication with them.

On the path of brand rejuvenation, Hisense Air Conditioners have expanded their sports marketing layout to the field of e-sports, aiming to cover more target user groups. On March 14, Hisense Air Conditioners announced their cooperation with the KPL Honor of Kings Professional League and the renowned domestic e-sports club Chongqing Wolves. Alongside the announcement, Hisense Air Conditioners launched the Hisense Fresh Air Conditioner Xiao Yangba X5 from the War God series, quickly embedding a youthful brand image into the hearts of target user groups.

The 2024 KPL Summer Season is underway, with Chongqing Wolves, who have already won the 2024 KPL Spring Season championship, attracting much attention. Focusing on indoor e-sports scenes during summer, Hisense partnered with Chongqing Wolves to launch a creative short film blending e-sports and home appliances. The Hisense Fresh Air Conditioner Xiao Yangba X5 once again made an appearance, injecting oxygen-rich, non-suffocating air into the intense e-sports scene, adding a "fresh air" buff and deeply associating the product with air scenes required for gaming, such as fresh oxygen and low noise.

In addition to partnering with renowned sports IPs, Hisense Air Conditioners signed a long-term strategic cooperation agreement with Olympic double gold medalist Chen Meng in 2022. In 2024, Hisense Home Appliance Group deepened its cooperation with Chen Meng, officially announcing her as the product experience officer for Hisense Home Appliance champions, continuously associating the brand with the nationally popular table tennis program.

With the 2024 Paris Olympics imminent, Hisense Air Conditioners have already released a momentum poster on Chen Meng's departure day, signaling the beginning of a synchronized social interaction between the brand and young sports enthusiasts.

Based on a leading strategy to capture consumer minds and maintain consistency between sports marketing and brand concepts, Hisense Air Conditioners have steadily built their sports marketing territory, fully demonstrating the brand's pursuit of championship quality and the sports spirit of excellence. Continuously intensifying the sports marketing atmosphere, they have implemented the firm belief of "Belief is Championship" in every aspect.

This year, the home appliance market has shown a relatively strong growth trend. Leveraging sports marketing strategies, Hisense Air Conditioners have successfully "broken the circle" of target consumer groups, bringing about new usage scenarios and lifestyle changes with fresh air conditioners. We also look forward to Hisense Air Conditioners continuing to uphold their commitment to innovation on the global stage in the future, creating new "wind-making" myths.