Xtep International Holdings, a leading Hong Kong-listed mainland sportswear company, is repositioning itself to capture the youth market.
'Most of our consumers are students who love sports and entertainment and, in order to target these fashion-conscious customers, we have asked celebrities to promote our products,' said Ding Shuipo, Xtep chairman and chief executive.
The brand's 'ambassadors' include singer-actor Nicholas Tse Ting-fung and pop icons Twins from Hong Kong, and Taiwan's Jolin Tsai Yi-lin and Wilber Pan.
'These celebrities are popular in China. Their healthy, sporty image has helped us to market our group. For example, Wilber Pan plays basketball well. He is also energetic and fashionable. Therefore, by asking him to be our ambassador we could raise awareness and our customers would get the message that our brand is a trend-setting sportswear producer,' Mr Ding said.
'Since our aim is to be the top fashion sportswear producer, we prefer selecting entertainment idols as representatives rather than other sportsman, which makes us different from other sporting brands,' he said.
The group will extend its network with events involving the pop stars, such as sponsoring concerts, new CD promotional campaigns and autograph sessions. The company will hold 10 concerts, called Xtep's Five Stars Concert, on the mainland's main cities next year, with performers wearing Xtep brand apparel and footwear.