DHL Leverages Bayern Munich Tour Partnership To Fuel Its China Expansion

Late July sees logistics heavyweight DHL leverage its sponsorship of German football giant Bayern Munich’s pre-season tour to fuel its expansion in China.

The global logistics company launched an integrated FC Bayern led campaign and unveiled its fresh e-commerce plans for China at a press briefing that coincided with FC Bayern Munich’s Audi Summer Tour of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

DHL is rolling out a series of YouTube films about FC Bayern Munich’s China Tour to front the promotional push.

This includes clips of the squad arriving in Bejing,

and a spot, called ‘Delivery,, starring captain Philip Lahm.

The creative supports DHL’s late July launch of a new e-commerce Shanghai Terminal (in Jiuting) and plans for additional drop off centres in North and South China by end of 2015.

The company hopes that its new, dedicated ecommerce Shanghai Terminal, which will serve as the central point of consolidation of e-commerce goods from China for global distribution, will benefit from the burgeoning e-commerce sector in China.

‘We’re excited by China’s e-commerce sector where the trade volume in the first five months of 2015 was already equal to the whole of 2014,’ said Thomas Kipp, CEO, DHL ecommerce.

‘With about 95% of outbound logistics volume expected to come from nine provinces, we will continue to invest to grow our footprint in China and support the rising market demand.’

This move isn’t the team’s first major mid 2015 DHL commerce initiative in China.

In late May and early June DHL worked with FC Bayern Munich on the launch of its online flagship store on Alibaba’s Tmall global platform.

The store offers a range of the football team’s own merchandise, including the 2015/16 home jersey, ready to be shipped by DHL eCommerce to fans in China.

‘The FC Bayern Munich online store was launched to provide our 90 million local Chinese fan base a means to access the same, quality merchandising worn by their favourite international soccer stars,’ said Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Executive Board Chairman of FC Bayern Munich.

‘Since the grand opening in May, we’ve seen more than 7,100 online purchases on our new web shop and expect our Audi Summer Tour in China will expand our touch points with our Chinese fan base even further.’

DHL claims that its strategic partnership with FC Bayern, Germany’s biggest football team, provides the company with a key platform to showcase and grow its capabilities in the e-commerce sector.

The fan shop opening campaign was developed with agency 180 Amsterdam: who created striking creative to watch and share that stood out through its refreshing sense of fun.

Led by a spearhead spot – featuring players including Arjen Robben, Manuel Neuer and Thomas Müller – this campaign actually made its debut both online and at the Allianz Arena in Munich.

As well as the usual presence of classic club merchandise – from shirts and balls – there are some more surprising scenes such as those in which a club towel is used as a towel whip, when Robben daintily dunks a tea bag in an FC Bayern Munich mug and when keeper Manuel Neuer lunges to catch a novelty gnome.

Striker Thomas Müller even wears lederhosen and performs a traditional Bavarian slap dance.

‘DHL’s and our ambition for this campaign was to turn what could have been a straightforward launch moment into something much more culturally resonant,’ explains 180 Amsterdam chief creative officer Al Moseley.

‘This campaign is for the fans of FC Bayern Munich both in China and across the world. FC Bayern Munich, like DHL, is a truly global brand, and we wanted fans everywhere to enjoy this campaign.”

Comment

DHL, which was already the team’s logistics partner, first become an official platinum sponsor and international logistics and ecommerce partner of FC Bayern Munich back in August 2014.

The football club intends to profit from the partnership via DHL’s international ecommerce expertise right around the world – including China.

This new six-year agreement will last up to 2020.

July also saw DHl post a video to its YouTube site showcasing and exploring all of its major partnerships – called ‘Great Is In The Detail – which includes Bayern Munich, F1, Formula E, Fashion Week, Cirque De Soleil and the Rugby World Cup 2015.

Links

DHL YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/user/dhl

DHL Website:

http://www.dhl.com/en.html

DHL Google+:

https://plus.google.com/102868252427855067703/videos

DHL / Bayern Site:

http://www.dpdhl.com/en/media_relations/specials/dhl_logistics_partner_fcb.html

FC Bayern Munich Website:

http://www.fcbayern.de/en/

FC Bayern Munich Twitter: