Video is an extremely powerful tool for connecting with your Chinese fans and to complement a brand’s official social channels. Sports brands have long been aware of the benefits, with with many launching their own official channel and now looking to secure content partnerships with the key video networks.
Youku, China’s version of YouTube, is the most obvious platform for a sports brand to launch an official video channel, especially with a massive 775 million hours of content being viewed on this platform each month. We took a look at some of the most popular videos from sports channels on this platform, these may not be the most watched videos from each brand, but each videos demonstrates a key element that resonates strongly with the Chinese fans.
UFC Anthony Pettis Signature Moves: 1.34m views
The UFC has patiently been building a passionate and active social fan base in China, with their unique video content being a key reason behind their growth. Youku is clearly a big fan of UFC global and China-created video content, regularly promoting this on their sports home page.
Why this video worked: Star power, entertainment & powerful content.
Usain Bolt: 100m final at Beijing Championships: 521k views
It’s not only sports brands that can leverage Youku, Usain Bolt with 2.3 million social followers also has an active video channel. Even though this video had English commentary, it still reached well over half a million views, with Chinese fans sharing this moment of Chinese history.
Why this video worked: China event, moment in history and sports star.
Bundesliga Imitation Game Campaign: 198k total views
The Bundesliga launched an integrated social campaign that was driven by a partnership with Youku Sports, showing the full potential of video in China. The campaign asked fans to create short videos inspired by their favorite Bundesliga moments and upload to a specially-designed Bundesliga page. The campaign hashtag reached almost 10 million reads on Weibo, with two lucky winners heading to Germany for the Super Cup.
Why this video worked: KOL and media promotion, grand prize and viral.
WTA Emoji Challenge: 146k views
The WTA has achieved massive success on Youku, uploading regular content to grow to almost 50,000 subscribers, an uncommon tendency for Chinese netizens. The WTA is supported by a host of the world’s best woman tennis players on Chinese social media, and uploaded a video of them replicating emoji faces.
Why this video worked: Utilizing popular Chinese social elements, star players, and comedy.
Real Madrid Chinese New Year Greetings: 140k views
Real Madrid, the Red Card 2015 champions, created a special video for their fans in China with their star players wishing them a happy New Year in Chinese. Despite the simplicity of the video and the length (only 38 seconds), videos like this can go a long way to win the hearts of Chinese fans, particularly around special occasions.
Why this video worked: Chinese specific content, star players and speaking Chinese.
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