How luxury brands woo Chinese millennials during 2018 Fifa World Cup

Jul 12 , 2018

Chinese soccer enthusiasts are eagerly following events at the 2018 Fifa World Cup in Russia despite the failure of their own team to qualify for the tournament. Photo: Shutterstock

Fifa World Cup 2018

Louis Vuitton, Versace and Kenzo make use of the 2018 World Cup frenzy by releasing limited-edition, soccer-related capsules or one-off pieces in their spring/summer collections

This article was written by Jessica Rapp and originally published in Jing Daily

Luxury brands are betting that the 2018 Fifa World Cup finals will attract plenty of Chinese soccer enthusiasts despite China’s failure to qualify for the month-long tournament in Russia.

Swiss watchmaker Hublot, the official timekeeper of the World Cup, hopes Chinese fans will notice the maison, and specifically its new, soccer-inspired smartwatch, the Big Bang Referee 2018. Emblazoned with the flag of every World Cup team, the watch displays real-time game statistics to the wearer, and Hublot CEO Ricardo Guadalupe, says it will be particularly attractive to Chinese millennials – a huge market that brands such as Hublot are salivating over.

“[Chinese millennials] are becoming big fans of football,” Guadalupe says. “They watch the World Cup, the Premier League, the Champions League, and we try to talk to the younger generation.”

But why not also promote the smartwatch to more mature soccer fans?

“The older generation is more classical – they only wear classic watches,” Guadalupe explains. “I cannot transform this consumer, so I prefer to talk to the young ones, aged 20 to 25.”

Chinese soccer fans in Moscow had the chance to see the World Cup trophy last month when the TsUM department store promoted its flash football merchandise sale on WeChat.

Hublot is not alone in seeking the attention of young, crazed soccer fans in China. Louis Vuitton, Versace, and Kenzo have also taken advantage of the 2018 World Cup frenzy by releasing limited-edition capsules or one-off pieces in their spring/summer collections dedicated to the sport. Louis Vuitton mixed soccer and fashion this year with its leather Apollo and Keepall bags, both of which were available in a number of team colours. This soccer/fashion mash-up has taken-off in China, prompting beauty bloggers to gush on Weibo about how the collection gives fashionistas a chance to participate in World Cup fever, even if they are not typical fans.