Haier Smart Home may be the world’s best appliance brand by market share, but it’s not just about name recognition.
That’s exactly why the Chinese company has returned to Roland Garos for the third year in a row (also follows up with an Australian open sponsorship).
The brand once again serves as the official partner of the Grand Slam event, leaning heavily towards the overlap between design-centric appliances and sporting elegance.
In and around the courthouse, Haier displays everything from dishwashers to new televisions. Former world No. 1 Ana Ivanovic returns as a brand ambassador to lend some additional stars.
However, this year, Higher pushed further off the court and launched a web series documenting the struggles of six tennis stars, including Ivanovich. This is about to achieve and maintain its No. 1 status.
Haier’s global market share, part of a broader strategy to gain brand influence, is already implied.
I have a sneak peak in the series, which blends lifestyle storytelling with sophisticated product shots in an attempt to change brand perceptions from “Chinese appliance giants” to something more design-like and emotionally resonant than design.
Haier Smart Home is a huge conglomerate that includes mainstream brands such as Hoover and Ge-Appliances Stateside in the UK, and the web series aims to make Haier the group’s premium brand, along with the premium sports partnership.
Something like the Haier X Series 11 (Ambient’s highly recommended product) proves that brands have hardware to back up their lofty ambitions.
In addition to the Australian Open and Roland Garos plays, the company has also bets sponsorship claims at the Hamburg Open, Madrid Open and the Knit ATP Finals.
The real goal here is not just product placement, but cultural placement. While LG and Samsung are already synonymous with Premium Tech across categories, Haier is still working to raise such global brand awareness outside of China.
But like its South Korean rival, Haier Smart Home wants to be more than just an appliance brand. In Paris, we turned to the new Haier M80 series mini-driven television, which the brand worked in collaboration with ultra-high-end audio expert Kef On.
The plan is to stand up to the test market, with a wider launch, and given what I’ve seen, especially as brands like Hisense and TCL have seen a huge expansion in television sales outside China following their well-known sports partnerships.
