Alibaba taps David Beckham as global brand ambassador for international e-commerce platform ahead of Euro 2024

The move comes after Alibaba’s rival Temu, a budget shopping platform that has been gaining popularity in the international market, splashed millions of dollars on commercials during the past two Super Bowl games, the annual championship of the US National Football League that is one of the most expensive nights to place ads.

AliExpress’ Euro 2024 campaign will involve a giveaway of millions of euros worth of coupons, as well as free tickets to matches, the platform said.

Its partnership with Beckham “makes a lot of sense” as he “is a global sports and lifestyle icon” and “will help AliExpress users get closer to the action throughout the tournament”, said Gary Topp, European commercial director at AliExpress.

The European Championship, which takes place every four years, is the world’s most watched football tournament after the World Cup. Euro 2020 accumulated 5.2 billion global views during live matches, according to the Union of European Football Associations, the organiser.

Combined orders on Alibaba’s international marketplaces in the quarter rose 20 per cent year on year, the report showed.

As part of its global marketing push, AliExpress has also tapped Chinese actress Tang Wei as its regional brand endorser in South Korea, which has a rapidly growing e-commerce market.