Staff Reporter.
A brief three months after launching its A-Series smartphones in South Africa late last year, OPPO has become one of the country’s Top 5 smartphone brands. Globally, it is the fifth-largest provider of smartphones, selling 111.8 million units in 2020. And with the fortunes af major competitiors, Huawei and Xiaomi under pressure in the world’s largest market, the United States, OPPO is well positioned to move up the rankings.
Launching in a socially distanced world did, of course, have its challenges, says Liam Faurie, OPPO South Africa’s Head of Go-to-Market and Operations. Introducing a new brand into a well-traded market without being able to have launch events and without being able to give customers a tactile experience of the product range meant that it had to grab attention based solely on its well-known reputation for innovation.
Positioned at the convergence of technology and culture, there was luckily no dearth of that. And OPPO’s superpower is that it aims to deliver more than just innovation; it aims to deliver technology as an art form.
In 40 countries around the world, the group has more than 40 000 people working on product innovation and design. This means that, in the 18 to 34 market in particular, it’s constantly rated as the go-to choice for advanced features. A favourite feature is the state-of-the-art image capturing and processing technology, which comes with a wicked range of aesthetic add-ons, Not to mention the elegant, fashion-forward designs that make OPPO devices such a must-have. Well ahead of the digital acceleration curve, they deliver something fresh for a more connected, caring and sharing world.
OPPO’s strategy is therefore to secure and expand its position as a global trendsetter and to entrench the brand as one that connects people and moves them forward. It will continue to do this by delivering smart products, services and technologies that not only work together seamlessly, but are beautiful to have and to hold. And then there is its marketing programme, which reflects the understated style that is becoming a hallmark of the 2020s.
Drilling down into its values, the brand also aims to attract the socially conscious attention of young people carving out a name for themselves in the professions and in business. Its vision is not only to be a sustainable company but one that contributes to a better world.
In line with this, OPPO strives to be a trustworthy, relationship-driven provider that is a positive disruptor, challenging established ways of doing business and being in the world. It takes responsibility for its decisions and actions; takes ownership of its relationships with stakeholders; and strives to be user-led in both its product design and business practices.
In a way, OPPO was born for a more caring and empathetic post-Covid world, says Faurie, making it easier and more fun to stay connected on social media platforms from Instagram and Snapchat to Pinterest, Facebook and WhatsApp.
Faurie points out that today’s consumers, especially young consumers, want to say everything and communicate with everybody in what has become known as a techno-cultural convergence. More than ever since the advent of the pandemic, it is in this space that they establish and nurture their social connections. It is here where meaning is created and transmitted, and here were technology, social interaction and creativity are intersecting.
Fast becoming the first choice South Africa’s tech-savvy movers and shakers, OPPO devices strike a chord with users who feel that technology should not only enhance their lives, but bring humanity closer together.