Kuaishou, Taobao Tap Messi Mania to Give Livestream E-Commerce a Leg Up

Where soccer superstar Lionel Messi goes, brands hungry to leverage his fame follow, and Chinese companies are no exception.

On June 15, the World Cup champion captained the Argentinian national team to a 2-0 victory in a friendly match against Australia at Beijing’s newly renovated 68,000-seat Workers’ Stadium.

In the run-up to the game, the 35-year-old soccer legend had a packed pre-game schedule following his arrival to the Chinese capital on June 10, with media appearances on Chinese livestreaming e-commerce platforms Kuaishou and Taobao Live among the lineup. Both platforms’ efforts to tap the Messi mania comes as they sought to draw much-needed traffic and viewership amid competition with established rivals like TikTok sibling Douyin and budget e-commerce platform Pinduoduo, as well as newcomers like food delivery giant Meituan.