Haier Shows the Best of Its Home Appliances at Roland Garros
PARIS - For the second consecutive year, Haier is the official partner of Roland-Garros : the logo of the household appliance giant appears on the netboxes, while inside the Porte d'Auteuil complex an experiential area invites us to “touch with our hands” X Series 11 washing machines , I-Pro Shine dishwashers and the French Door Series 7 refrigerator naturally packed with tennis balls (tickets for the Rolex Paris Masters are up for grabs for whoever guesses the number). The activation includes EEG sensors that transform the emotions of fans into digital works, a Haier Laundry Lounge in Place de la Concorde where washing machines become “players” on social media and a TV/Prime Video campaign until June 8. The protagonist is global brand ambassador Ana Ivanovi?, former WTA number 1.
Among the new features, the X Series 11 stands out, washing machines and dryers equipped with Ultra Fresh Air that keeps clothes fresh for 12 hours and a silent Direct Motion motor supported by the AI Dynamic Balance System – not even washing machines can do without artificial intelligence. In this case, also thanks to the hOn app , it helps to recognize the type and quantity of clothes, select the ideal washing and drying program, automatically dosing the detergent. Each function can be customized: it is possible to create customized programs, store the labels of your clothes in a virtual wardrobe, receive advice for each type of fabric and monitor consumption.
Among rackets and players, the I-Pro Shine stands out, the first class A dishwasher with Biovitae LED that sanitizes at 99.99% even at 45 degrees centigrade and Maxi Tub, a tub that is 11% larger than the average volume in the segment. The system uses natural LED light without UV rays to sanitize deeply and eliminate viruses and bacteria. Again, the French Door 90 Series 7 refrigerator combines Air Surround (the air is distributed evenly throughout the cavity, surrounding the food rather than hitting it directly, thus preventing drying and keeping the ingredients fresher for longer), antibacterial ABT PRO and Humidity/My Zone drawers with app control, which in this case allows you to activate functions such as Smart Storage , to manage inventory and shopping lists, and My Food Locator , which recommends the ideal shelf in the refrigerator for each food.
Also on display is the interesting Wine Bank 60 Series 7 cellar that replicates the conditions of a professional one thanks to technologies such as Natural Air Flow, Dual Zone and anti-UV glass. The Four Seasons function ensures stability all year round, detecting temperature changes and automatically balancing them to respect the storage conditions, and the anti-vibration system reduces noise and oscillations, keeping the aromatic profile of the bottles intact.
Among the latest ranges launched, also the ID Serie 6/4 of ovens, microwaves, hobs and hoods with Bionic Vision video camera and sensors that automatically adjust cooking times and temperatures, allowing you to recognize foods and automatically set the ideal cooking program, constantly monitoring the process. Finally, the small I-Master Serie 7 & 5 appliances, designed and developed by the Milan Experience Design Center , the creative hub of the group. They range from the blender that recognizes three jugs thanks to AI, and adjusts speed and execution time accordingly, to the toaster with 21 different toasting settings with washable and removable glass sides, passing through the “thermos” kettle capable of keeping water hot for 12 hours up to the inevitable air fryer and the chopper with the IF Award-winning design. All obviously connected to the hOn ecosystem, which depending on the device manages different functions and offers various additional or programming options.
It is just the tip of the spear of the products of Haier Group - which controls, among others, the Hoover and Candy brands - which closed 2024 with 34.28 billion euros in revenues , over a billion user families and maintains the world leadership in large household appliances for the 16th consecutive year, according to Euromonitor data. With 143 factories, 35 industrial parks and over 100 thousand employees , the group is also among the Fortune "World's Most Admired Companies" this year. Haier Europe contributes to the holding's ecosystem with 3.8 billion euros in revenues , more than 5 thousand employees and 8% market share. But it aims to enter the top 3 in the European markets thanks to the model called RenDanHeYi - which considers employees as the element at the heart of the group's success - and the hOn app, awarded Red Dot 2020.
“The path to becoming a major player in Europe started with the acquisition of Candy a few years ago, which is helping us accelerate the path to over 8% market share, in an extremely fragmented context with many brands, some consolidated and others new – explains Neil Tunstall , CEO of Haier Europe since last year, to Italian Tech – that move allowed us to start from a good point, also considering Candy's history and tradition. Our goal, in any case, is to have a few strong brands: Haier is the brand with premium positioning and most dedicated to IoT and smart home , Candy is the one that stands out for its beauty and simplicity, typical of products with Italian DNA, Hoover in the middle with a specific link, in Italy, to cleaning and vacuum cleaners".
A still relatively small market share but an awareness - that is, an awareness of the brand - growing in double digits : "After all, Haier's history is just 40 years long, much less in Europe - confirms Antony Peart , Head of brand of Haier Europe - the work of these years allows us to connect our values, and those of sponsorships for example linked to tennis, to the products. Technology is involved in sport in the sense that it connects different areas, the human work, of the athlete, and that of the tools and preparation that he uses to reach the objectives. Even in our work there is this attempt - continuous teamwork - to improve the products following that inspiration : smart and high-level products adapted to each market".
Sponsorships that speak all the languages of sportFrom Australian basketball in 2004 to the much more prestigious NBA (2006), to Kickstart FC women's football in India, up to new partnerships with LaLiga and the Moroccan Football Federation, passing through the 2008 Beijing Winter Olympics, Haier weaves a multi-sport network in every corner of the world that today also includes marathons, cricket, hockey, motorsport and badminton. Tennis is the linchpin of this strategy, however , as top managers at the Roland Garros complex in Paris tell us, also because according to a Nielsen survey the discipline involves a fan base of 100 million people in Europe , made up of consumers characterised by a high spending power and a strong interest in consumer electronics: the plan started in 2023 with the ATP Tour and the French Tennis Federation has over time extended to the Australian Open, Mutua Madrid Open, Hamburg Open, Rolex Paris Masters and Nitto ATP Finals, among other tournaments, generating almost twenty points of brand image in Europe and strengthening the relationship with the main chains.
The “Play with the Number Ones” strategy has also become a story in the six-episode web series called Road to Number 1 , online for a few weeks on Haier’s social channels: after the debut with Ivanovi?, the young Caroline Garcia, Jodie Burrage and Matej Dodig will follow, guided by the director and former tennis coach Max Gaggino . Each episode sets out values shared with the brand – Master your moves , Pursue your passion and so on – and is amplified by the Tennis Legend Instagram community and its agency The Bon Collectif. “For me, being number 1 means overcoming your limits and simplifying everyday life with solutions that really matter”: in the words of Ivanovi?.
La Repubblica
