ICC Champions Trophy 2017: OPPO's association with the Indian team begins in grand fashion
OPPO, the new camera phone has taken the market by storm and created quite a flutter when it bagged the coveted sponsorship of the Indian Cricket team.
Association with the BCCI and ICC
For a relatively new entrant in the already densely populated market space, the OPPO has been able to carve an identity for itself in a relatively short time. Branded as a camera phone, 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.
It is indeed poetic, the Camera phone is defining the road ahead for smartphones.
Jersey handover and OPPO branding in the UK
Ahead of India’s Champions Trophy opener against Pakistan, Virat Kohli was handed the new team jersey. OPPO’s logo is displayed on the sleeve of the jersey.
The growing force was on in full splendour all over Birmingham for the 'mother of all matches' as India took on Pakistan.
As the sun was out in full glory, OPPO banners dotted the space with some grandeur. It has delved deep into Cricket sponsorship, and it reflected on the stellar work of OPPO’s branding vision.
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, the spectacle was a glittering reminder of the 'newbies', which has surpassed the established players in the market.
As Indian captain, Virat Kohli entered the cauldron amidst raucous cheers, the OPPO tagline on his left sleeve shone out with some gusto. The journey with the Indian team could not have been scripted better as the Kohli-led defending champions mauled the arch rivals on a damp day in Birmingham.
On a day when rains kept spoiling play, grand sunshine ensured that the proceedings ended with a bang.
One cannot help but draw comparisons with the journey of OPPO, based only on the day's play. The journey was never always successful, but now the brand is revelling in pristine sunlight.
Pakistan won the toss and elected to field first and under cloudy skies, the Indian openers in Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan started their innings with a lot of caution. A journey well begun is half done – and you can trust the OPPO sponsored team to understand this.
As the batsmen settled in, they opened the shoulders and became more expansive – in many ways echoing the sentiments of OPPO’s branding vision. The camera phone, after a slightly cautious start, began expanding and spreading wings and as they started identifying their areas of strengths, they are now a resounding force in the spectrum.
As Shikhar Dhawan was dismissed, Captain Kohli entered the arena and dug in. For any brand to grow, there has to be a period of settling down and gauging competition and carving out a niche for itself. And the Virat Kohli-led Indian cricket team epitomises that to the fullest.
OPPO F3 Black Edition
Launched to commemorate the ICC Champions Trophy, the new OPPO F3 Black edition has all the traits to emerges 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 Indian.
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
The camera phone, as the name suggests, is a selfie lover’s delight. It sports a 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.
And remember, the camera phone is a dual selfie camera – one for selfie, one for group selfie. And 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. Pakistani commentator, Rameez Raja, was just one 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 India’s approach against Pakistan.
And Virat Kohli displayed this in abundance as he took centre stage. The captain slowly got into his groove and even as Rohit Sharma was unfortunately run out, Kohli never looked flustered.
What do they say about dealing with setbacks and always maintaining a solid temperament!
Rings a bell, doesn't it. OPPO was not always this successful, they had a few impediments, but they never allowed themselves to be buoyed down.
As Yuvraj Singh joined Kohli and the Indians went on a rampage, it drove home the point that even when the going gets tough, class shines through. Yuvraj, the old warrior stamped home the point that a solid game plan and experience never gets outdated, a feature so well visible in the new OPPO F3 smartphone.
The phone 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.
Pakistan never got going in the chase as the Indian bowlers strangled the chase and never allowed the good work done by the batsmen to go waste.
The Indian sauntered home in the end and crushed Pakistan by a whopping margin of 124 runs.
OPPO, the proud sponsors of the Indian team could not have asked for a more auspicious beginning.