When it comes to partnerships between vape companies and companies outside of the vape industry, at least here in the United States, vape companies must tread lightly due to media misinformation and the risk of being associated with a company selling highly regulated products. This makes it a lot harder for vape companies and vape shops to market to customers via partnerships, considering restrictions on marketing. However, China-based GeekVape has announced that they will be partnering with Ligue 1 football (soccer) club Paris Saint-Germain.
Why This Matters
The reasoning for any corporate partnership or sponsorship is to cross-sell to different audiences and to increase influence in each others’ industries. If one watches world football, you can see corporate logos everywhere and even some countries sponsor teams. Even regulated industries such as casinos and alcohol are prominent in world football (a/k/a soccer). One example is Betway, a global online gambling company, which sponsors Premier League club West Ham United. Liverpool FC, another Premier League club and one of the most popular clubs in the world, is partnered with Danish beer brand Carlsberg. There are some stipulations to these partnerships/sponsorships: when they play in certain jurisdictions, the use of logos from these regulated industries may be prohibited. Certain competitions are also sponsored by major corporations, or have partnerships with said corporations.
GeekVape’s partnership with PSG shows that businesses around the world are more amenable to partnering with vape companies. This is something that may be unthinkable in the United States given the heavy restrictions on marketing tobacco products. The Master Settlement Agreement of 1998 heavily curbed marketing of tobacco products. Before then, tobacco companies would sponsor sports events, concerts, festivals, and other events. While other heavily regulated industries such as alcohol and casinos are active in sponsoring numerous events in the United States and internationally, vape companies such as GeekVape are starting to make their own moves in the international market with this news.
PSG-GeekVape Partnership Shows Growing Power of Vaping Industry Worldwide
PSG is owned by Qatar Sports Investments (QSI). The president of the club, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, not only has the backing of the Qatar royal family, but is also worth $8 billion himself. This has allowed the club to attract world football superstars from all around the world. PSG reached the UEFA Champions League final in 2020, and as of March 2021, has over 100 million followers on social media.
Their roster boasts Neymar, the most expensive player in world football history, 2018 World Cup winner Kylian Mbappe, who is the most valuable player in the world right now, and Copa America winner Angel Di Maria, who has also played for other large clubs such as Real Madrid and Manchester United. This summer, PSG has also added longtime Real Madrid captain, four-time UEFA Champions League winner, and 2010 World Cup winner Sergio Ramos to their roster.
“In their own sectors, Geekvape and Paris Saint-Germain are sharing the same passion for ‘Excellence’ and ‘Elegance.’ And based on this common idea, we have come together today. Six years after its creation, Geekvape has grown into an international brand serving millions of users around the globe. The partnership with Paris Saint-Germain is an essential step in its brand strategic upgrade and will, at the same time, attract more users to feel the positive energy brought by football through Paris Saint-Germain’s football magic,” said Allen Yang, CEO of GeekVape.
“We are delighted to welcome Geekvape to the Paris Saint-Germain family. Geekvape is an innovative Chinese brand with worldwide ambition. We both share the same determination to ally excellence and elegance. We are looking forward to working together to develop creative campaigns,” said Marc Armstrong, PSG’s Chief Partnerships Officer.
This is a significant development for the international vaping community, considering many companies do not want to touch vaping due to some negative, yet misinformed, associations with the activity. If you have any questions or concerns, you can always contact your eJuices.co account manager or sales representative. We’re looking forward to speaking with you.