China’s bubble tea brand Chagee is reaping the rewards after Zheng Qinwen, its health ambassador, won the country’s first Olympic tennis singles gold on Aug. 3.
Right after the 21-year-old Zheng won in Paris, Chagee said it would treat 6,666 customers to a free beverage to “Celebrate the moment, Zheng Qinwen, and Chinese tennis.”
Why it matters: Bubble tea makers have bet big on potential Olympic medalists, as they look to establish a brand presence and healthy connotations via the world’s largest sporting event.
- Chagee and rival Heytea opened pop-up stores in Paris ahead of the summer games, while other Chinese counterparts ChaBaiDao and Auntea Jenny signed deals with members of China’s Olympics basketball and volleyball teams respectively.
Details: The fast-expanding Chagee signed Zheng as a health ambassador in April, and an official poster featuring Zheng with a tennis racket in one hand and a Chagee teacup in the other has been seen at the brand’s offline stores across the country since.
- Chinese dairy products producer Yili, an official partner of the Chinese team for Paris 2024, has suffered a number of marketing missteps during the Olympics however. The brand has been spotted placing advertisements erroneously stating that “Zheng Qinwen won the silver medal in the women’s singles tennis” and celebrating “Sun Yingsha’s table tennis gold” before the final matches; Zheng won gold while Sun claimed a silver medal.
- The two advertisements were displayed in the busy Sanlitun area of Beijing. Yili apologized saying the placement was an “in-advance test” as they wanted to be the first to share the joy with audiences as soon as the competitions were completed.
Context: In 2022, Luckin Coffee benefited from Eileen Gu’s gold medal at the Winter Olympics in Beijing. Chinese audiences generally knew little about the American-born free skier before the event, when the coffee chain announced Gu as its ambassador in late 2021. Luckin’s customized products for the athlete sold out in multiple stores across the country on the day of Gu’s win, according to local media reports.
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