ICC Champions Trophy 2017: At the end of the day, OPPO is the real winner
OPPO, the new sponsors of the Indian team, had a great start to their partnership with the world’s richest cricket body when the Men in Blue thrashed Pakistan by 124 runs via DLS method in Edgbaston on June 4. No one could have asked for a better start than beating their arch-rivals in the first match of an association.
After losing to Sri Lanka in the second match, Kohli’s men bounced back and decimated South Africa in a must-win group game and Bangladesh in the semi-finals to set up yet another clash against Pakistan, who by then, had found a new lease of life after their loss to India.
The day arrived and the Kia Oval was filled with Indian and Pakistan fans. The stadium was resplendent with the advertisement hoardings of ICC sponsors OPPO.
Association with the BCCI and ICC
The response for OPPO’s association with the ICC was positive through the course of the ICC Champions Trophy. And despite India’s loss in the final, OPPO couldn't have asked for a better start to their association with ICC.
Branded as a camera phone (after all, the Camera phone is defining the road ahead for smartphones), OPPO now has a concerted presence all over the cricketing spectrum and in many ways is visible as one strong force to be dealt with.
ICC has acknowledged the growing brand value of OPPO and accorded it the status by starting an association with it. And OPPO’s branding supremacy was on full display at the stadium.
From boundary skirtings to frequent adverts on the big screen and the sight screen behind the batsman, one could see how swiftly OPPO, a relatively new kid on the block, has developed as a brand.
Indian captain Virat Kohli, with an OPPO tagline on his left sleeve, won the toss and asked the opposition to bat first as his team have done well in chasing of late. The next 210 minutes, however, were an absolute nightmare for India as Pakistan put on a mammoth 338 runs on the board for the loss of just 4 wickets in their 50 overs.
OPPO F3 Black Edition
Launched to commemorate the ICC Champions Trophy, the new OPPO F3 Black edition has all the traits to emerge as the leader in the particular domain. The OPPO F3 BCCI Limited Edition was auctioned a day before the match and the proceeds will now be channelled to the Cricket Association of Blind in India.
The camera phone is an amalgamation of style and substance. In addition to sporting the BCCI logo on it, the limited edition smartphone would be signed by Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni and Ravi Ashwin.
Selfie, Group Selfie and Rear Camera
As mentioned above, OPPO is being branded as a camera phone and has attracted a lot of loyal customers in a short span of time. They are one of the best when it comes to camera and what makes them stand out is their dual selfie camera which has both the 16-megapixel, as well as the 8-megapixel sensor.
And on the rear, the F3 sports a 13-megapixel.
Adding to this, they also have a dual selfie camera – one for selfies and the other for group selfies. And this isn’t all, there’s more on offer. With a customised 120-degree wide-angle front camera, users can capture angles that are twice as much as the conventional 80-degree angle. To cap it all off, there’s a smart facial recognition feature as well.
And we put all of these to good use on matchday. England cricketer Ian Bell and Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh were just some of the several dignitaries that obliged to try the OPPO F3 Selfie Expert first hand.
The Digital Campaign
According to an IDC report in the first quarter of 2017, OPPO has 8.6% share amongst other leading smartphone brands in India.
OPPO’s sports marketing strategy aims to deliver a 360-degree experience across all platforms. To this effect, OPPO launched “Cheer Team India with Selfie Expert” – a campaign focused across digital platforms.
OPPO has always maintained that their strategy is to stay focused and keep thing simple – much like Pakistan’s approach against India in the final.
OPPO was not always this successful, they had a few impediments, but they never allowed themselves to be buoyed down.
The OPPO F3 smartphone looks stylish and swanky, but the features and the specifications are its USP. There is substance along with style, reasons enough for the world to be swooning over it.
As for the Final match itself, Indian batsmen had their task cut out against some quality bowling in a high-pressure chase. If there was any team capable of chasing this total down, it had to be Team India. That said, what turned out at the Oval was a meek surrender.
Pacer Mohammad Amir ran riot with the new ball and dismissed the Indian top-3 inside the first ten overs to put his side on the brink of victory. There was no way back for the Men in Blue as they were bundled out for just 158 runs handing Pakistan an 180-run win. Even Hardik Pandya's 43-ball 76 couldn't save India from the ensuing blushes as they failed to defend their Champions Trophy crown.
Well begun is half done. After a successful start to their association with BCCI and ICC, one can just hope that this is the stepping stone for OPPO as a brand and they are destined for more success in the coming years.
At the end of the day, OPPO is the real winner.