On April 2, 2014, the promotional conference for the 2nd China Cross-Country Rally was held in Beijing, officially kicking off this event, which claims to be China’s version of the “Dakar Rally.” The press conference was quite interesting — former “CCTV anchor-turned-racer” Sha Tong took on the role of host, while “nine-ball queen” Pan Xiaoting crossed over as the promotion ambassador for the “Great Off-Road” race. To make her endorsement legitimate, the beauty also claimed she was “determined to become an outstanding race car driver.” But after all, Pan isn’t Lin Chi-ling, so we can take her bold words with a grain of salt.
Compared to these star-studded celebrities in the limelight, a few spectators in the VIP seats were relatively low-key. The biggest difference between them and Sha Tong and Pan Xiaoting is that the latter were there to make money, while these spectators were there to burn it. Four sponsors — Aeolus Tires, CAMEL, KouSheng, and Liri Tents — sponsored the event for the second consecutive year.We don’t know what’s going through the sponsors’ minds, but we do know that sponsorship fees for an event jointly organized by CCTV-5 are definitely not cheap; we also know that continuous sponsorship requires courage — wasting money without results will get you scolded by the boss, especially when the first edition of the race didn’t have much impact.
To be honest, the 1st China Cross-Country Rally in 2013 didn’t attract much attention, just like how many people have only seen Pan Xiaoting’s face but never watched her compete. The reason lies in the event’s “niche” appeal. Just look at Beijing’s gridlocked third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth ring roads starting every afternoon at 5 PM — not even bicycles can move, let alone race cars. The Chinese dream of racing, and off-road racing in particular, only exists among a “niche” group of people. So is it really worth burning money to sponsor the “Great Off-Road”? Are Aeolus Tires and CAMEL (Camel) visionary or just suckers?It’s worth analyzing.
Aeolus Tires began entering the passenger vehicle tire market in 2012. Compared to other brands in the passenger vehicle sector, it’s still a new player, but Aeolus itself is actually an old brand. How so? Before 2012, Aeolus mainly produced tires for trucks and buses, and its brand identity had already been established. Now, venturing into passenger vehicle tires, what strategy should it adopt? Start from scratch or build on its strengths? I believe the latter is the way to go — truck and bus tires are naturally far more resilient to harsh conditions than ordinary passenger vehicle tires. So Aeolus Tires shouldn’t follow the trend of sponsoring speed-focused circuit races, which isn’t its strength. If it’s going to sponsor, it should go for the grueling China “Great Off-Road.”
CAMEL, a traditional brand that started in the outdoor industry, has in recent years ventured into e-commerce and is one of the few brand enterprises that has successfully replicated its brick-and-mortar success online.During the 2013 Tmall Singles’ Day, it achieved an outstanding sales figure of 380 million yuan. While leading in sales is certainly something to celebrate, how to maintain that lead in China’s outdoor market, which hosts over 500 outdoor brands, and elevate its brand positioning to “professional outdoor” — CAMEL hasn’t stopped taking action.In early 2013, it signed racer Han Han, who had just emerged from a “ghostwriting controversy”; through Han Han’s connections, it also partnered with the Shanghai Volkswagen 333 Racing Team, becoming its strategic partner and official clothing sponsor; it sponsored China’s most famous mountaineering team, the Peking University Mountaineering Society, equipping these elite students with full CAMEL gear to scale snowy peaks and venture deep into mountainous regions; it also launched the “Camel Walker Program,” selecting 80 professional outdoor enthusiasts nationwide for year-round equipment sponsorship...Huge endorsement and sponsorship fees have elevated the brand and gradually formed CAMEL Camel’s unique branding strategy — to show consumers how tough your product is, you have to let them see how well it can withstand extreme challenges.
Therefore, what ultimately convinced CAMEL to willingly open its wallet again for the “Great Off-Road” wasn’t the promise of more coverage or guaranteed exposure from CCTV-5, but the event’s “niche” characteristics: ultra-long-distance off-roading, significantly increased difficulty, harsher and more varied weather conditions, and higher equipment demands...These pose a serious challenge to CAMELLuotuo’s outdoor products, but also provide an excellent opportunity to showcase their performance.This is why, for two consecutive competitions, CAMEL chose the sponsorship title of “Official Exclusive Outdoor Gear Provider,” providing all racers and organizing staff with high-end, custom-made equipment worth tens of millions.
“Niche” may seem to have limited influence, but it is very focused. Warm sunlight is very “mainstream,” but when it shines on people, they often don’t notice it; focusing that light through a convex lens into a tiny pinpoint, however, becomes something no one can ignore. The same logic applies — China’s “Great Off-Road,” though seemingly affecting only a small group of off-road and outdoor enthusiasts, can leverage the “halo effect” to make more people interested in “light outdoor” activities recognize and appreciate the professionalism of brands like Aeolus Tires and CAMEL.This is exactly what companies and brands aim to achieve.
Marketing burns money, sponsorships burn money, and the more famous the event, the more it costs. But sometimes, pouring money into the most widely known projects isn’t the best strategy. In this era of “micro” trends, the “niche” marketing approach taken by Aeolus and CAMEL (Camel) in sponsoring the Great Off-Road might just be an unexpected shortcut to success.