Nio: live streaming events to gather and strengthen its fan community
The “Tesla of China” turned to live streaming to build loyalty to its fan community and boost sales.
Known as the “Tesla of China”, Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer Nio is valued today at $100 billion. Nio would be worth more than Volkswagen, Ford or General Motors while the company has only delivered 82,866 vehicles to date. The company is currently only present in China but plans to expand in Europe next year.
Within a few years, Nio was able to create a true fan base. It is therefore very logically that the brand turned to live streaming, which experienced a sudden acceleration in China following the pandemic. In May 2020, Li Bin, founder and CEO of Nio, even sold 320 cars via live streaming on the Alibaba platform, Taobao Live, which attracted more than 20 million spectators and also generated 5,288 test drives.
A bit like Apple, the brand organizes every year a Nio Day that brings this community together to celebrate the brand and share the latest innovations. In just 4 years, Nio Day has become the most important event of the Chinese manufacturer. Due to the pandemic, the 2020 Nio Day had to be postponed to January 9, 2021, and was broadcast live streaming. The brand announced to have delivered 7,225 vehicles in January, more than four times the number of cars delivered in the same month in 2020.
Why attend Nio Day?
Be involved in event planning
Nio’s customers were invited to vote for two days to elect the city where NIO Day 2020 would be held, and they preferred the city of Chengd, in Sichuan Province, in central-western China, to Suzhou and Wuhan. Chengd got over 16 million votes.This collaborative planning makes it possible to unite the community, which feels involved in the company’s strategy, and to create expectations regarding the event.
Attend performances of famous musicians
With the theme of “Always Forward”, Nio invited a famous Chinese composer Shi Lei Chang (known for composing the official song of the Beijing Olympics) to compose a song for Nio Day, entitled “The Future is Ahead” (the future is before us). In China, Nio is not the only company to organize such large-scale events and invite famous artists. Alibaba organizes this type of event every year on the occasion of Singles Day, November 11.
Hear from proud NIO car owners
The event showcased the testimonies of fans, who were able to share their experience as a NIO car owner live.
Watch mini-films telling the touching stories of NIO owners
Before the event, Nio had asked Nio car owners to share their most interesting stories on his website. Some stories were told in the form of mini-films. For example, they told the story of a Nio owner whose cat had just died, and who was comforted by his artificial intelligence system in the car.
Preview the latest innovations and the latest NIO electric car model
The highlight of the event was the launch of NIO’s first sedan, NIO ET7, a new battery, and a demonstration of its new autonomous driving technology. These innovations were announced and demonstrated at the event.
