Sponsorship of Rugby’s Super League helping manufacturer target new markets
Alcatel One Touch says it is on track for another record- breaking year for handset sales – aided by a series of UK distribution deals.
UK and Ireland country director William Paterson told Mobile News that the firm shipped 1.6 million products in 2013, its highest total ever, up from 1.4 million the previous year.
Distributors Ingram Micro and Tech Data have also been added to its distribution partners alongside Brightstar 20:20 and Data Select.
The firm recently launched the UK’s “most affordable 4G phone”, the POP S3, which is available throughEEfor£79.99.Italsohas handsets in all the major phone retailers and network stores, as well as Argos, and it will soon launch with Amazon.
Support
“We’re not relying purely on just the distributor to sell this product,” said Paterson. We’ll go to the end-user channel and support them there, tell them about the product, the brand, and support them through that.We’re not just shipping product into a distributor and letting them sell it out.We’re actively involved.”
Paterson claims the firm’s UK market share is 3.5 per cent according to data from a well- known initial-titled analyst firm, and that it took an “active decision” to change its brand recognition.
Its strongest market is with 16 to 24-year-old females, a legacy from a period when it pumped out numerous pink handsets. However, a sponsorship agreement with Rugby League for its Super League and Challenge Cup competitions, which are shown on Sky and the BBC respectively, will help it target a new market while retaining that core.
“It has a 60/40 male/female fan base,” he said. “We thought that’s great as they can move us slightly towards males, but it’s also really family oriented.”
Exposure
This partnership, which sees the firm appear on pitch-side boards, matchday programmes and interview areas, will be reviewed at the end of 2014 and the firm has an option to extend it for further years, if it has proven beneficial.
As well as exposure trackside and in matchday programmes, the manufacturer gets seen on promotional boarding during post-match interviews as part of the agreement.