Benjamin Li
Jun 24, 2011

Mercedes-Benz signs Li Na as its first Chinese global brand ambassador

BEIJING - After becoming the first Asian player to win the French Open last month, tennis star Li Na has now signed up as the first Chinese global brand ambassador for Mercedes-Benz, with a locally driven campaign on the way.

Mercedes-Benz signs Li Na as its first Chinese global brand ambassador

The head of MEC China, which works on the Mercedes-Benz account, said a new campaign starring Li will be driven from China, but details are still being discussed with the client.

Li, who herself owns a Mercedes-Benz, has a three-year contract with this German luxury car brand. This will also see Li become the official ambassador for Benz’s ‘Swing for the stars' junior tennis programme, an initiative that the brand co-founded with the China Tennis Association in 2008.

Mao Jinbdo, VP and head of marketing for Mercedez-Benz (China) Ltd flew to London earlier this week on 19 June to sign the contract with Li, who was competing at the Wimbledon Championships. She was knocked out of the competition on 23 June.

Mao was quoted in Chinese media that, “in our extensive history of sports marketing, we have long been associated with tennis. We support tennis, motorsports and golf in China, which form an integral part of our brand culture and enable all-round customer participation.”

The Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club and Mercedes-Benz both celebrate their 125th anniversary this year.

 

Source:
Campaign China

Related Articles

Just Published

22 hours ago

November APAC advertiser of the month: Taobao, ...

The three brands lead in advertising awareness gains in Hong Kong this month, with Taobao’s Double 11 campaign dominating public attention.

22 hours ago

'The industry doesn’t need another behemoth’: Mark ...

EXCLUSIVE: The political kingmaker-turned-Stagwell-chief tells Campaign why the $31 billion merger could see thousands of layoffs, shift pitch dynamics, and prove that AI will favour smaller players in the long run.

22 hours ago

The $31 billion Omnicom-IPG deal has industrial ...

The biggest beneficiary might not be the two companies involved, but the wider agency sector itself, writes Campaign UK editor-in-chief, Gideon Spanier.

23 hours ago

Why traditional programmatic is holding you back

The media ecosystem in Asia is now embracing app-driven, performance-first advertising. It's a shift that demands immediate attention from regional CMOs, says Resonant Agency's principal Ramakrishnan Raja.