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When it comes to celebrities making foreign endorsements, there might not be anybody as in-demand as Kobe Bryant. The recently retired NBA superstar is a worldwide star and his image could likely help to sell anything, be it a brand of car or the roughest toilet paper in the world.
That’s why it’s no surprise to see Bryant team with Alibaba and Ele.me — “are you hungry” in Chinese according to AdAge — to sell a new food delivery service. Bryant is apparently a big deal in China according to AdAge and this new venture is his opening salvo from retirement:
Mr. Bryant is huge in China – even in retirement, he’s the country’s most famous athlete, according to ESPN’s World Fame 100. Nike has brought him to China many times to train young players and inspire NBA fans. That partly explains his appeal here. Crowds appear whenever he visits; some Chinese companies gave employees time off in April to watch his final game.
Now as you can see in the commercial, Bryant’s basketball days are behind him. He’s taken up ping pong and is utilizing his skills on the court to win with the paddles. Well he would, but he’s got to deal with that terrible hunger first, the kind that must’ve plagued a few of his teammates on the Lakers.
That’s where Ele.me comes into play, acting as a Grubhub-style service from multiple eateries around the country. According to AdAge, this new campaign featuring Bryant is a way to “refresh” the company’s outlook after they faced trouble in March after they were caught using unlicensed restaurants in their deliveries. It’s a clean slate for everybody!
All that said, I can’t be the only one disappointed that Karl Malone wasn’t the delivery man.
(Via Eater / AdAge)
