The story begins with a nail-biting finish to regulation time in the England versus Slovakia Round of 16 knockout game at the UEFA Euro 2024, which witnessed 21-year-old Jude Bellingham pull one out of the top drawer to score a splendid overhead kick in the fifth minute of stoppage time to level the game
at 1-1 and force overtime.
While the room that I was in burst into hysterics, the ADHD version of me got distracted. Was that a Build Your Dream (BYD) logo I just noticed behind Bellingham? What was a Chinese electric vehicle (EV) giant doing advertising, sponsoring, and partnering with a football tournament held in Germany – where the automotive sector is the beating heart of its economy? Surely, this had to be a first. Turns out I was right.
The brand confirmed to me that it is not only the first Chinese carmaker to sponsor the Euros, but it is also the only automotive manufacturer to sponsor Europe’s top-flight football tournament.
Strategy behind the UEFA Euro 2024 sponsorship
The journalist in me just had to find out. Sure enough, I got in touch with Hasan Nergiz, the managing director of Al-Futtaim Electric Mobility Company (AFEMC), which represents BYD in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
When asked about the strategy behind the UEFA Euro 2024 sponsorship campaign, Nergiz said, “Football is one the world’s most popular sports, so Euro 2024 is the perfect platform to amplify the brand’s commitment to green mobility and clearly show to the world that it is ready to deliver this. Despite being the world’s number one selling NEVs and one of the biggest names in the electric mobility world, it is still a relatively new brand compared with legacy automakers.”
Nergiz added, “The appointment of the brand as the ‘Official E-Mobility Partner of UEFA Euro 2024’ announces its arrival as a serious green mobility player, and the partnership is a perfect match between the world’s No. 1 NEV maker and the world’s most-watched sport,” he said.
“NEV?” I asked, recalling my days in New York, where NEV referred to a neighbourhood electric vehicle, a US category for battery electric vehicles that are usually built to have a top speed of 25 miles per hour.
It so happens that the same abbreviation (NEV) in China refers to new energy
vehicles, a collective term used to designate cars that are fully or predominantly powered by electric energy, which include plug-in electric vehicles, battery electric vehicles (BEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs).
Nergiz added: “BYD has reinforced its category leadership and has showcased the latest advancements in NEVs, including fully electric and hybrid cars, to a very large audience in Europe and beyond, while supporting UEFA’s endeavour to promote a greener and more eco-friendly tournament.
“This partnership also allows the brand to connect with a diverse and passionate audience, adding more enthusiasm and excitement to a brand that’s still establishing its positioning as ‘Build Your Dreams’.”
How apt, I thought, recalling the room when Harry Kane headed in what turned
out to be the winning goal in extra time against Slovakia.
“In KSA, leads generated have increased by 53 per cent while bookings have risen 28 per cent.”
BYD in the Middle East
That’s when it hit me. I had indeed seen the brand in Dubai before – on the way home from work – promoting its eco-friendly driving experience on a billboard.
When I asked Nergiz about the brand’s other marketing campaigns in the Middle East region, he said, “BYD only arrived in the UAE last year and launched into Saudi Arabia earlier this year.”
“AFEMC is the brand’s partner, and Al-Futtaim has been very active in supporting and sponsoring initiatives that encourage the development of e-mobility as a whole. For example, Al-Futtaim was the Strategic E-Mobility Partner of COP28 in December 2023.”
I looked into it. The brand had, indeed, delivered a fleet of electric vehicles for the COP28 event and had hosted several on-ground campaigns to raise public awareness and offer education on electric mobility, plug-in hybrids, and sustainability.
“Case in point is the interactive and engaging talks with mall audiences at Dubai Festival City Mall, where Virgin Radio’s Priti Malik and I conducted sessions to explain and answer the many questions that people had about electric mobility,” Nergiz added.
Additionally, AFEMC also sponsors EVLife.world, a new media platform that raises awareness about green mobility. This comprehensive approach clearly highlighted the brand’s dedication to promoting sustainable transportation solutions in the region.
Partnerships and collaborations
“BYD has partnered with several agencies to ensure the marketing efforts are impactful and resonate with the brand’s target audiences,” Nergiz told me.
In the UAE and KSA, AFEMC collaborates with a few agencies for the brand, including Arduina for advertising, social media, and creative/production, and PHD for media planning and buying.
“These partnerships enable us to leverage strong insights and expertise to craft compelling campaigns that drive engagement and brand growth,” he added. “Additionally, along with the BYD Discovery Centre in Dubai Festival City, we are excited to announce the opening of several new showrooms soon, showcasing our commitment to expanding our presence and accessibility in the region.”
In the UAE and KSA, the brand has also adopted an integrated approach that encompasses a blend of online and offline channels to maximise reach and engagement.
Nergiz explained, “In addition to its showrooms, this includes digital advertising, social media campaigns, influencer partnerships, and content marketing, as well as traditional media such as TV, radio, and outdoor advertising. By creating a cohesive narrative across these platforms, it ensures a consistent and engaging brand experience for the brand’s audience.”
“As part of the UEFA Euro 2024 sponsorship, the brand also partnered with TikTok, to create a unique filter to promote the BYD SEAL car through the duration of the tournament. The filter offers users the opportunity to try and stop the clock at 3.8 seconds, which marks the 0-100 kmph acceleration of the car. This filter not only promotes the brand’s new electric vehicle but also taps into the massive popularity of TikTok and the football tournament,” he added.
The Chinese carmaker also collaborated with Snapchat in KSA, in terms of creative media, which resulted in ads created and placed on the app through the duration of the tournament, as well as a media partnership with kooora.com and goalzz.com.
“Concrete examples of our successful projects with these agencies include high-profile advertising campaigns, strategic social media initiatives, and innovative media planning that have significantly boosted our brand visibility and customer engagement,” said Nergiz.
“How significantly?” I asked, hoping to peel the onion on the actual impact that the sponsorship campaign had on brand building efforts and sales. Nergiz’s response did not disappoint.
Impact of the UEFA Euro 2024 campaign
He began with a detailed explanation of how the sponsorship of the UEFA Euro 2024 tournament significantly enhanced the company’s brand-building efforts and overall strategy by elevating brand visibility and reiterating BYD’s position as a leader in electric mobility and a supporter of sustainable initiatives.
“We know that there is already a strong affinity among our target audiences for the brand. Even in a new and emerging EV market like Saudi Arabia, where we have just launched a few months ago, we have already clocked over 1.14 million web visits – demonstrating the clear interest from customers and how the region is ready to embrace the green mobility evolution,”
Nergiz said.
“All our Euro 2024 activities and communication campaigns have definitely caught the attention of the region’s customers. For example, in Saudi Arabia, we have seen an increase in web traffic by a whopping 66 per cent and a rise in engagement by 1,900 per cent in June 2024, compared with May 2024’s digital performance,” he added. “In the UAE, the brand’s campaign has also witnessed record engagements, with video views up 714 per cent, and impressions up
71 per cent.”
BYD shared that in the UAE, leads and enquiries were up 4 per cent and bookings were up 5.7 per cent. In KSA, leads generated have increased by 53 per cent while bookings have risen 28 per cent.
“These numbers give a good indication of the positive brand recall and a higher than anticipated return on investment,” Nergiz explained. “Even before the tournament, BYD had become a very popular marque in the UAE, with more than 1,000 sales of cars since the launch last year. This is a great starting point, clearly showing a strong appetite and demand within the region for greener mobility alternatives.”
According to a study by online marketplace Dubizzle, where the region’s largest automotive community resides, there has been an eight-times increase in page views for Chinese car brands in the last four years, while the overall automotive traffic remains at a
steady level.
“This year, the brand expects to sell even more in the region and achieve its global target to sell more than 4 million NEVs, surpassing last year’s sales of nearly 3 million,” Nergiz said.
Future plans
BYD’s future plans in the Middle East region include expanding the product portfolio, bringing in new models and variants and increasing presence in
key markets.
“We will also continue to ensure that the brand supports initiatives that promote sustainability and innovation,” Nergiz added.
According to Astute Analytica’s latest research, the EV market in the UAE is witnessing unprecedented growth. Valued at $2,969.72 million in 2023, it is projected to soar to $82,218.83 million by 2032, reflecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 45.84 per cent from 2024 to 2032.
“We remain extremely optimistic about our growth, especially as the region’s key stakeholders have identified electrification as the main pillar for sustainable growth and developing benchmark green economies,”
Nergiz concluded.
