Dialogue with ZTE: NBA Chinese New Year Wins American Heart

Sina Finance News On February 8, 2016, the first day of the year, ZTE and the Cleveland Cavaliers held the NBA Chinese New Year at their home stadium. This is the first time in the history of NBA that Chinese companies have sponsored a celebration of the New Year. The dragon dance on the scene, the acrobatics in the top bowl, and the basketball baby in the cheongsam made the audience feel the Chinese taste of the year. Cheng Lixin, CEO of ZTE, said that he hopes to bring Chinese culture to the United States through this event. "Not only won the American wallet, but also the American heart."

Since 2007, ZTE (14.46, -0.15, -1.03%) has cooperated with the Rockets, the Warriors, the Knicks, the Bulls and the Cavaliers, hoping to pass these most-watched bridges connecting Chinese and American audiences. The team entered the US domestic market. This sports strategy has achieved remarkable results. Last year, ZTE’s brand awareness increased by 34% compared with the same period of last year, and it will soon grow to 40%.

As one of the NBA's most globally exposed teams, the Cleveland Cavaliers hope to increase their influence in China through cooperation with ZTE, an international company. Both ZTE and the Cavaliers have stated that they are excellent partners who share the same philosophy and are committed to feedback to the society.

On-site activities, Cavaliers CEO Len Komorski also said that the current Cavaliers, LeBron James and other star players have already opened Sina Weibo to interact with Chinese fans, and then more players with international influence will also land on Sina Wei. Bo's platform.

The following is an interview with the event:

Sina Finance: The NBA China New Year event is still the first time in history. Why did ZTE sponsor this Chinese New Year?

Cheng Lixin: Just as President Xi said during his visit to the United States, "Between China and the United States, you have me, I have you." So we are doing business in the United States, not only to win the American wallet, but also to win the United States. Human heart.

We plan this event to bring Chinese culture to the United States. When our Chinese companies come to the United States, we must be proud of our culture, so that we will be very comfortable in spreading the brand.

The effect of today's event is very good, not only to bring joy to the Americans, but also to the Chinese netizens who have spread a lot of positive energy through Weibo. This is a Sino-US cooperation and mutual benefit activity, and more will be done in the future.

Sina Finance: What are the prospects of the local community for this event?

Len Komorski: Ohio has always had trade with China. Now the world is getting smaller and smaller, and there is more and more cooperation between China and the United States. Therefore, celebrating the Chinese New Year in the NBA can also help the two countries to be closer in many aspects. Contact.


In order to interact better with the community, we added a lot of Chinese elements to the competition, such as T-shirts printed with Chinese "Happy New Year", red envelopes and wonderful Chinese art performances.

Sina Finance: There are so many teams in the NBA, why did ZTE choose to cooperate with the Cavaliers?

Cheng Lixin: We are always looking for partners who share the same philosophy and are committed to giving back to the community. The Cavaliers are very good, they want to be the champion of the basketball court. Similarly, we hope to become the leader in the communications industry. At the same time, both Cavaliers and ZTE hope to be part of the local community and always be centered on the fans.

Sina Finance: ZTE has been sponsoring the Rockets, Warriors and the Knicks. How is this strategic cooperation?

Cheng Lixin: Since the first sponsorship of the Rockets, our market share has been continuously improved. Brand awareness across the United States has increased by 34% from the previous season and is now over 40%.

Last year, 2.3 million people in the United States watched the games we sponsored. There are 230 million fans in China and 340 million viewers worldwide. This year, there are 23 million fans who sponsored our team. There are 1.45 billion people in the world who can watch the games we sponsor, so this year will have more results.