OPPO on the hunt for global media agency as it eyes premiumisation in 2023

OPPO has called for a media pitch globally as the brand looks to change its strategy in 2023 to position itself as a premium brand. MARKETING-INTERACTIVE understands that the pitch is currently being handled by R3. In many of the markets it has a presence in, it is also looking for a PR partner.

In a conversation with MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, Andy Shi, APAC president of OPPO shared that the company is looking to change “the whole picture” on how it competes in Asia Pacific. This will largely revolve around its product and marketing strategy to move from being known as a “mass market” brand to a premium player in the mobile space. Alongside its media pitch, in many of the markets it has a presence in, it is also looking for a PR partner.

As such the company is looking for a partner who is able to understand the nuances across APAC. While often companies calling for a global pitch might be keen on getting a one-stop shop agency partner that has presence across numerous markets, for Shi and his team, getting the “local kings” is just as vital.

“My rule is to find the local kings, and not just not to look for the international number one or number two. Rather, I prefer the local number one and we want to work with them to understand how is it best allocate resources locally and the understands the local consumers. They can give us more insights,” he said.

In fact, localisation has always been big on Oppo’s agenda, said Shi who looks over nine key markets across Asia Pacific. His key markets include Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Taiwan and Hong Kong. His role sees him building on Oppo’s brand and strengthening and understanding the relationship with customers in the region.

Speaking specifically about its latest flip phone OPPO Find N2 Flip set to be revealed at a launch event in Singapore today, Shi said the company is banking big on the product to break into the premium market.

To ensure that the brand speaks to the people of the markets it has a presence in, OPPO banks on both retail and influencer marketing in Southeast Asia. “In our more established markets such as Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong, we rely on our telco partners for retail presence. But in emerging SEA markets, retail is a big area to create experiences for us,” he shared.

Meanwhile influencer campaigns are a must have for the brand – and will be crucial to its path of premiumisation, said Shi. “We want our names to be associated with  the local celebrities also locals who are not just the famous, but also they are from certain industries who represented a certain kind of lifestyle and values,” he said.

For example, globally the brand is working with photographers for UEFA to get its phones in their hands to take images of the sport to showcase the quality of its phone’s cameras for audiences. In Indonesia, OPPO collaborated with Indonesian filmmaker Riri Riza and Indonesian film producer Mira Lesmana to release a new mystery romance short film titled "Kau, Rabu, dan Perkara2 Sepintas Lalu".

As such, Shi emphasised that the brand not only wanted to work with influencers but also authentic storytellers to convey the grade of its products. Meanwhile when it comes to marketing budget, the brand has held steady this year, said Shi. “There's no rapid increase or dramatic drop and its quite stable for this year despite the talks of economic uncertainty,” he said.

“What we are seeing is that the market is that while there are difficulties worldwide, this region is quite lively, and I think the economy may recover from Southeast Asia. We are very confident about Southeast Asia,” he said.

He added that the company is interested not just in investing for marketing firms, but also for people doing research doing development for the consumers needs. Last but not least, as the former global head of product marketing he believes that when the product is great, it generally speaks for itself.

“In Oppo marketing is a really important function for us. But the product always comes first,” he added.

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