While Western brands have been going head-to-head to win the Olympic sponsorship battle, Chinese brands perhaps are enjoying the biggest gain in the world’s sporting event.Brands gaining exposure DaoInsight reported Chinese table tennis player Fan Zhendong, who won the gold medal last week, went viral with the topic, #Fan Zhendong is the spokesperson of Anta chosen by God’, which generated 21.43 million views on Weibo. The related discussion, #Anta is Too Godly, also gained 18.2 million views. Anta, the Chinese sports equipment multinational, which is the world’s largest sports equipment company by revenue, has been a partner of the Chinese Olympic Committee and has helped Chinese Olympic athletes reach the podium 293 times since 2009.“Aside from Anta, we found Mengniu Dairy, BYD and Vivo to be top-mentioned Chinese brands riding the Olympic buzz off Chinese social media,” Allison Malmsten, Daxue Consulting’s marketing and public research director, told Inside Retail. “Mengniu signed to be an Olympic sponsor from 2021 to 2032 and has been leveraging this in all aspects of marketing from choosing athletes as ambassadors, to packaging with the Olympic logo, and advertisements featuring Olympic sports. Many brand ambassadors of Mengniu, including Winter Olympic gold-medalist Aileen Gu and actor Jin Dong participated in the torch relay.”She added that Vivo donated electronics to the China Olympic team and BYD sponsors the Chinese dragon boat team; dragon boat racing is a demonstration sport in the 2024 Olympics. According to Malmsten, Baidu search data shows that searches for Mengniu have spiked alongside the Olympics. Daily searches for ‘Mengniu’ on Baidu since July 26 have been consistently at least 10 times higher than daily searches were in the previous month. Anta’s search results have also increased, although less significantly. Daily searches since July 26 are around double of the usual search amount.For smaller brands, like milk-tea chains Heytea and Chagee, Olympic sponsorships can be lucrative. Instead, they put themselves on the scene for international consumers through pop-up activities in Paris.Heytea’s pop-up store in Paris, which is in collaboration with the stylish Chinese restaurant chain Bao Family, served approximately 20,000 people in its first four weeks and made over €10,000 (US$11,000) in sales on its first day alone as large crowds gathered to try the drinks. The brand also sold out all its 4000 Olympic-themed badges within the first week, while 500 limited-edition teacups have also all sold.“The eyes of the world will be on Paris because of the Olympics, and there will also be many tourists visiting this wonderful city,” said Yujia Gu, vice president, overseas strategy and franchise at Heytea, in a press release. “This is a fantastic opportunity for French consumers to get to know and love our new-style teas.Meanwhile, back in their home market, Chagee uses Olympians to advertise. The bubble tea brand is now reaping the rewards after Zheng Qinwen, its health ambassador, won the country’s first Olympic tennis singles gold. “Despite not sponsoring the Olympics, they selected a range of promising Chinese athletes as ambassadors and called them the ‘Health Ambassador Group’. While Chinese netizens are becoming increasingly health conscious, and milk tea doesn’t have the best reputation for health, Chagee is setting itself apart by positioning itself as a health-aware milk tea chain.” While domestic brands are gaining more exposure globally, the Western brands also benefit from Olympic marketing within the country. The most effective way to capitalise on this opportunity is to partner with Chinese athletes or teams. While Tag Heuer chose Chinese swimmer Qin Haiyang as brand ambassador, Louis Vuitton named Haiyang and basketball player Yang Liwei as ‘friends of the house.’“Luxury brands, including Louis Vuitton, Omega Watch, Audemars Piguet, and Loewe, started to pick up momentum on Chinese social media due to their affiliations with the Olympics or specific athletes,” Malmsten added. “The Olympics gives a chance for new athletes to rise in popularity and brands have the chance to capitalise on their growing fame through partnerships.”Why is it unique compared to Western approach?“A common theme for Chinese brand’s narrative around the Olympics is national pride,” said Malmsten. “Whereas say, US brands focus on the accomplishments of the individual [athletes], Chinese brands tie their Olympic marketing strategies to national pride.” Malmsten emphasises the importance of choosing a sport that aligns with the brand’s target audience and an athlete that aligns with their values. “For example, luxury brands choose tennis stars. Then the personality of the athlete is also taken into account, Wu Yanni and her colourful personality was chosen by Xiaoma Bestune EV, a quirky and colourful car,” she said. Malmsten added the sports industry overall is likely to gain momentum. “During the Tokyo games, sales on Douyin for products related to surfing, rock climbing, skateboards and baseball all grew more than two-fold. We can expect the Paris Olympics to bring another boost to the summer and outdoor sports industry,” she concluded.