Inspiration behind the Huawei – Messi partnership?

Football being the most popular sport internationally makes its players very marketable when it comes to promoting brands. It’s little wonder that Huawei recently signed up prominent footballer Lionel Messi as a Global Brand Ambassador for its flagship and hero products such as the P series and Mate series.

Huawei’s partnership with the 28 year old FC Barcelona soccer star is a bold message in total sync with its current tagline ‘Connecting Greatness’. Huawei, a leading company in ICT and telecommunication solutions is currently the 3^rd biggest smartphone manufacturer globally; currently employing over 170,000 employees worldwide with over 100 situated in Uganda alone.

Messi, widely considered as the world’s best footballer, is the personification of “Make it Possible” and “Connecting Greatness”. These are the mottos Huawei chose to inspire both its collaborators and consumers to pursue their goals, no matter how difficult they may seem at first. Messi achieved his dreams through determination, hard work, teamwork and total commitment, to become an aspirational as well as inspirational figure.

Messi was able to achieve his dreams through the passion he has for the game, just the right person to represent Huawei. Born in football-passionate Latin America, he embodies the aspirations of every child in the continent kicking an empty soda can between two rocks or a professional football into a goal.

Why Huawei chose Messi

“To connect with greatness, we have to value the growth, learning experiences and struggles as the parts of our story that took us where we are now. Those who understand that are always pursuing challenges to be better. That is what makes Huawei and Messi a perfect fit. We honor the path we walked to what we have achieved,” reads Huawei’s story in part.

Messi, a former Samsung brand ambassador believes he will achieve a lot more with Huawei. “What I’m doing with Huawei is even better because we share a lot of the same perspectives regarding goals and dreams, and how to achieve them. I think we’re a really good fit.”

Three attributes in particular link Messi to Huawei;

Perseverance

Messi’s story is the proof that what Huawei has always believed is true: No matter how improbable your dream seems, with hard work, perseverance and total dedication, you can achieve it. That is how Huawei looks at its most ambitious goals, as a challenge to give it all and make them possible.

Just as Messi knows you never stop learning and improving, Huawei never stops developing innovations to deliver better products and services. Over 50% of Huawei’s employees work in Research and Development. “We never stop at the perfect smartphone; we connect our consumers with greatness.”

Commitment

“Focus, persevere, breakthrough” identifies both Messi’s and Huawei’s paths. We set a goal, we commit totally to it and we achieve it.

According to Huawei, their motivation isn’t the fast win or the perceived victory. They are there for the long run improving with each challenge.

Teamwork

Football perfectly reflects Huawei’s teamwork values. No single person scores a goal, as the whole team is involved; they win, lose and learn together. “Huawei’s strength is found in its teamwork and how we evolve together.”

Other renowned footballers have similarly been ambassadors for popular brands. Some of these include David Beckham for Armani and H&M, Real Madrid’s Raphaël Varane for HARMAN International Industries and Brazilian soccer icon Pelé for Subway Restaurants, among others.