AliExpress appoints David Beckham as Brand Ambassador

AliExpress, the e-commerce platform owned by Chinese conglomerate Alibaba, has hired former England captain David Beckham as a brand ambassador to expand its global presence. This strategic move is aimed at strengthening AliExpress’s competitive position against rival PDD Holdings-owned Temu, which aggressively promotes its cheap, made-in-China products around the world.

Alibaba, which was previously a relatively modest player in the cross-border e-commerce sector, is now making significant investments to expand share in the international market, especially as domestic e-commerce growth slows. Alibaba’s international division, which includes AliExpress, has become its fastest-growing segment, with revenue increasing 45 percent year-on-year from January to March.

In addition to signing Beckham, AliExpress has secured a sponsorship deal for the UEFA Euro 2024 tournament, which starts in June. Sponsorship will involve significant investment in discounts, offers and consumer engagement efforts to attract online shoppers. The advertising campaign featuring Beckham will coincide with the UEFA tournament, and its slogan will be “get more with AliExpress”, aiming to capitalize on the huge viewership of the event.

The initiative follows PDD Holdings’ successful Temu campaign, which aired multiple ads during the Super Bowl encouraging American consumers to “shop like a billionaire.” As a result, there was a significant increase in app downloads for Temu, with a 34% increase on Super Bowl Sunday compared to the previous day, according to mobile analytics company Apptopia.

Humphrey Ho, American managing partner at digital advertising agency Hylink Digital saw a strategic fit in reaching football fans. He stressed that soccer fans in Europe and Latin America have a similar demographic structure to American soccer fans in North America and often include price-sensitive and inflation-affected consumers. This demographic targeting is a key reason why both Then and Now AliExpress are targeting football viewers to increase their interest global expansion efforts.