MADRID, May 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- ZTE, one of the world's leading smartphone manufacturers, today signed a two-season renewal of its agreement as 'Official Technological Partner' with Sevilla Football Club. The deal includes becoming the official smartphone supplier to the Sevillian club.
The signing of the agreement took place at Sevilla FC Sport City at the Sevilla FC versus Real Sociedad pre-match press conference on the 36th day of the La Liga Santander competition. It was attended by the President of Sevilla FC, Jose Castro Carmona, and Jacky Zhang, CEO of EMEA and APAC of ZTE. They are accompanied by Jia Wei, Marketing Director of ZTE Spain, and Ramon Loarte, Marketing Director of Sevilla FC.
With the agreement, ZTE renews its relationship with one of the most prestigious Spanish football clubs, nationally and internationally. Sevilla FC has achieved several national and European titles in recent years and is the current champion of the Europa League, having reclaimed its status last year in Basel, Switzerland, against England's Liverpool FC.
"After almost two years as allies, we are euphoric about this new stage and about renewing our commitment as official technology partner of Sevilla FC, one of the best football teams in the world," said Jacky Zhang, CEO of ZTE EMEA and APAC. "Sevilla FC and ZTE share values such as passion, creativity, dedication and talent, as we have seen over the two years that we have been a team, when we have felt the affection and warmth of Sevilla FC fans and sport in general."
"Our organization will continue to grow, to dream, and to strengthen our partners. This will be an important part of our sports project. We are tremendously happy and proud to be able to continue the partnership, and we will continue contributing to the growth of the ZTE brand all over the world. ZTE's products are amazing, being in the first level of high-technology sector", said Jose Castro Carmona, president of Sevilla FC.
Our organization will continue to grow, to dream, and to strengthen our partners. This will be an important part of our sports project. We are tremendously happy and proud to be able to continue the partnership, and we will continue contributing to the growth of the ZTE brand all over the world. ZTE's products are amazing, being in the first level of high-technology sector.
ZTE's agreement with Sevilla FC means increasing its gamble in the Spanish marketplace by growing its brand there and, even more so, it means upholding ZTE's position as one of the most-desired mobile devices in the world, as evidenced by its sixth position in sales of smartphones in 2016, a year in which 100 million devices were sold.
With extension of the contract for the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 seasons, both ZTE and Sevilla FC will take various steps throughout the seasons to bring the brand closer to the fans. ZTE will have a strong advertising presence in numerous sectors of the Seville stadium, around the team's hometown, as well as in the press rooms and mixed zones of players and journalists. As in the past, ZTE will also continue to hold advertising space on field markers to increase awareness of its smartphones, and Sevilla fans will also be able to enjoy the latest information on the brand's products as well as have access to exclusive draws to win mobile phones, tickets or team merchandise. Throughout the seasons, promotional activities within social networks will also be run, which will further enhance the interaction with fans.
The Asian multinational has been one of the fastest growing technology companies in recent years, thanks to the worldwide launch of its leading smartphones, such as the ZTE AXON 7, AXON 7 MINI and, the latest to reach Spain, the BLADE V8. In Spain, ZTE is one of the major players, boasting agreements with the country's major distribution chains and operators. In figures, it tripled its sales in the last year alone, in some periods surpassing 10% of the quota in the Spanish free market.
ZTE has been gambling on the sports world for several years, and, beyond Europe, is also well known in countries such as the United States. For this reason, it is also currently the official technology sponsor of several NBA basketball teams, including the Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, Houston Rockets and Chicago Bulls. In Spain, it has always had a strong presence in the sport world, and with this agreement it will complete four years with Sevilla FC.
About ZTE Mobile Devices
ZTE Mobile Devices is a division of ZTE Corporation, a global telecommunications equipment, networks and mobile devices company headquartered in Shenzhen, China. ZTE is a publicly traded company listed on the Hong Kong and Shenzhen stock exchanges.
ZTE is one of the global leaders in the mobile handset manufacturing industry in the world, offering a complete range of mobile devices, including mobile phones, tablets, mobile broadband modems and hotspots and family desktop integration terminals.
ZTE has strategic partnerships with 47 of the world's top 50 carriers. ZTE is also the only company globally that has been ranked inside the Top-3 by WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) for the past 6 years (2010-2015) for patent filings. For more information, please visit: www.ztedevice.com
