The rise of global smartphone brand OPPO has remained under the international radar for much of the company’s 10-year history. However, all is set to change for the emerging mobile phone powerhouse thanks to a new three-year partnership with FC Barcelona, which is sure to increase public awareness and interest and cement OPPO’s status as a true global player.

The partnership, announced on May 31^st, will see OPPO serve as Barcelona’s official partner for the mobile phone device category starting from the current season until 2018. The agreement covers a wide range of activities including soccer events, fan activities, TV advertisements and accessories. OPPO’s logo will also be prominently displayed at the Spanish football club’s home stadium, Camp Nou.

With Barcelona’s position as one of the world’s most recognized sports teams, this groundbreaking partnership is set to bring OPPO closer to the legions of fans that follow every move of the football club and its star players such as Lionel Messi and Neymar. Barcelona is the first sports team to amass more than 85 million fans on Facebook, with many of them in countries as diverse as Indonesia, Egypt, Brazil, and Mexico.

FC Barcelona Chief Executive Officer Ignacio Mestre expressed his enthusiasm for the collaboration, saying, “We are thrilled to team up with OPPO and hope that the partnership will excite fans around the world. As a global leading smartphone brand that values artistry of design and innovation in technology, OPPO is more than at home in Barcelona.”

Driving expansion forward with cross-brand partnerships and campaigns

This deal with Barcelona comes as the smartphone maker charges forward with a new global expansion strategy that was put in place in 2014, as an integral part of OPPO’s mid to long-term growth strategy. As of April 2015, the brand has been registered in 116 countries worldwide.

“OPPO has been focusing heavily on overseas expansion in recent years,” says OPPO CEO Tony Chen. “From the very beginning, we have positioned ourselves as a global company and our dynamic expansion strategy fully demonstrates this commitment.”

Founded in 2004, OPPO started its business journey as a global electronics and technology service provider by manufacturing high-quality MP3 and MP4 devices before adding Blu-ray DVD players to its line-up of products, the latter of which continues to do well in the US market. It started its foray into the mobile phone market in 2008 and made its first step overseas the following year, outpacing many of its rivals in terms of global outlook.

In 2009, OPPO entered its first overseas market, Thailand, with lively campaigns and creative marketing strategies. Today, it is a top smartphone brand in the country. OPPO smartphones are currently available in over 20 global markets as well as being sold online in an additional 50 countries via 3^rd party online store OPPOstyle.com.

OPPO’s global expansion

OPPO made a big splash in 2011 when it enlisted Hollywood superstar Leonardo DiCaprio to star in the commercials for its Find smartphone series. In 2014, the company took part in a co-branding campaign with the action movie Transformers 4 for its promotional tour in Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam. This was followed up in the following year by a similar agreement in 10 countries with the blockbuster film The Fast and the Furious 7. This year, has seen OPPO make huge advances into the fashion industry; participating in 2015’s New York Fashion Week, with another major global fashion event this summer.

Thanks to its highly successful global marketing strategy that has put cross-brand partnerships and entertainment, fashion, and sports campaigns at the forefront, OPPO has seen its profile rise significantly, especially in Southeast Asia and South Asia. In 2014, the smartphone brand achieved registered market shares of 10% in Indonesia, 11% in Vietnam, and 12% in Malaysia, and has even established its first overseas assembly plant in Indonesia to service booming demand in the region. A second assembly plant is set to follow in India this year, as OPPO remains on target to ramp up its sales in the country to match that of the China market within the next five years.

In another recent global development, this July, saw OPPO enter into a partnership with leading Australian technology retailer Dick Smith to bring the full range of OPPO handsets to its 400+ outlets across the country.

With a series of diverse and worldwide partnerships in full swing, OPPO is well on track in its quest to establishing itself as a true global brand.

About FC Barcelona

FC Barcelona was founded on November 29, 1899 by initiative of a Swiss gentleman called Hans Maximilian Gamper, popularly known as Joan Gamper. Since it was founded, the club has had 44 different presidents. From Walter Wild to Josep Maria Bartomeu, Barça has grown into a massive social phenomenon that reaches far beyond the bounds of mere sport. The club has grown along with the city around it, and has come to represent Barcelona and Catalonia all around the world.

FC Barcelona is one of the football clubs with more members in the world and its achievements have also made it one of the most successful. The many famous victories and all-time greats that have played for the club (Kubala, Cruyff, Maradona, Romário, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Messi, and so many more) form an important part of the Barça legacy. But these would be no more than historical anecdotes if it wasn’t for the extraordinary social reality behind the events. 

About OPPO

OPPO is a leading global technology brand dedicated to providing consumers across the Americas, Africa, Europe, Oceania, and Asia with pioneering products that never fail to inspire and excite. At OPPO we design, manufacture, and promote our own products, combining innovative technology with unique design, to ensure our customers always receive the best.

Founded in 2004, OPPO quickly proved itself in the market with its intense obsession to details. Each OPPO product encompasses a carefully selected array of attributes to specifically cater for users, combining impressive features with elegant designs. After entering the mobile phone market in 2008, OPPO quickly expanded into overseas markets a year later. OPPO mobile phones are currently available in over 20 markets and offered for online purchase in over 50 additional countries, with the brand already registered in 116 countries as of April 2015.

But OPPO doesn’t stop there. Using our passion for design and commitment to new technologies, OPPO has made a big impact in the audio-visual market by offering world-renowned, premium Blu-ray players in the United States and across Europe. For more information, please visit http://www.oppo.com/en/.