Gionee India has announced that it now has 1.20 Cr customers in India and to increase the brand presence and value, the company has signed up with Virat Kohli, the ace cricketer and the Indian team captain as the brand ambassador. The company has been working on the Make in India campaign and now has its smartphones assembled in two manufacturing units in India, and for the year 2017, the aim is to a growth of 2.5 times. Gionee will also be establishing 500 brand stores in India along with doubling their strength of retail representatives to 20,000.
On the partnership, Arvind R Vohra, Country CEO & MD, Gionee India said “India is one of the fastest growing young economies in the world and Gionee takes immense pride in having India’s biggest youth icons Virat Kohli and Alia Bhatt as its brand endorsers. With the two of the most loved icons in India our motto of Making Smiles is bound to create a new benchmark across billions of young hearts.”
On the association, Indian Captain Virat Kohli said “I play my game with dignity and passion and apply the same rule in choosing my partnerships. Gionee comes across as a brand that is fueled by passion, determination and focus to innovate and perform and with all of this have it’s heart in the right place by giving back to society. Thus, I feel and believe that this association will go a long way. I am very excited to start this journey with Gionee.”
It is not the first brand focusing on the sports side for the branding, as OPPO and Vivo too have been actively signing partnerships and sponsorships for sports teams, and Gionee India has been sponsoring IPL Cricket team Kolkata Night Riders, Football Club Shillong Lajong, and Pro Kabaddi League for the last few years. On the Bollywood side, actress Alia Bhatt was signed with for the recent promotions and advertisements.
The company had recently launched a smartphone with 7000 mAh battery in China, named the Gionee M2017, and it also had the dual-rear camera setup.
