Every January, the blue-green hard courts of Melbourne Park become the focal point for tennis fans worldwide. The 2026 Australian Open has arrived as scheduled, marking not only the opening spectacle of the professional tennis new year but also the second consecutive year that Haier Smart Home has sponsored the Grand Slam event as an official partner. More telling than the visibility on the advertising boards, however, is the metaphor behind this collaboration: inside the Australian Open arena, players compete on skill, endurance, and mental fortitude. Outside the court, Haier Smart Home is engaged in another equally intense "arena": the competition of globalization. Two arenas, one logic.
The appeal of tennis lies in its nature as a sport where the final outcome is determined by technique, strategy, and endurance. The placement of an ace, the choice on a break point, the perseverance in a deciding set—every aspect demands the utmost professionalism. This competitive logic bears a striking resemblance to the struggles of enterprises in the global marketplace. A company entering an unfamiliar market is like a player stepping onto a new court; it must quickly adapt to the environment, assess its opponents, and devise effective tactics. Victory in the match belongs to the side that can perfectly combine skill, strategy, and willpower.
In tennis, the first-serve success rate often dictates the initiative in a rally; in the global market, precise user insight is a company's equivalent of the "serve." The old globalization model was about "selling bestsellers worldwide," but market feedback proves that merely replicating products detached from local needs is unsustainable. True global efficiency is reflected in the ability to transform insights into localized solutions. Taking Haier Smart Home as an example: in the European market, where consumers prefer eating raw, cold steak, traditional freezing damages the texture; Haier refrigerators introduced a "super-cooled fresh-keeping drawer" that prevents ice crystallization below zero, locking in cellular moisture while promoting protease breakdown. For Australian users needing large-capacity laundry care, it swiftly launched a "lazy person's washing machine" tailored to local habits. These are precise "serves" made by Haier Smart Home based on a deep understanding of local lifestyles.
Of course, gaining the "serve" is just the first step; winning shots in tennis often come from split-second judgments of an opponent's return. In the arena of globalization, companies also need to react swiftly to market demands. The speed here competes on penetration power, not explosive force. To win in the global market, the decisive factor for a company is no longer the innovation capability of a single R&D center, but the collaborative efficiency across time zones and markets. Haier Smart Home is now bringing ten core capabilities—including "sales, marketing, service, logistics, procurement, R&D, and manufacturing"—to the global stage.
Take the X11 series washing machine as an example: the Chinese team was responsible for hardware and software design, the Australian team upgraded the motor, the European team addressed energy efficiency issues, and the American team contributed fresh air technology. Upon its launch in several European countries, the product captured 10% of the local high-end market share. It is evident that Haier Smart Home's globalization is not simply about selling products worldwide, but about the globalization of capabilities.
Finally, there is "endurance." Grand Slam tennis tournaments use a best-of-five sets format, testing an athlete's physical reserves and mental resilience. Corporate globalization is much the same; it is never a sprint but a marathon. Haier Smart Home has established a global footprint with 35 industrial parks, 163 manufacturing centers, 126 marketing centers, and 230,000 sales networks, adhering to a trinity localization strategy of "R&D, manufacturing, and marketing." This heavy-asset, long-cycle investment by Haier Smart Home represents the most valuable "endurance" in the globalization arena.
From "Going Global" to "Taking Root" If the early overseas expansion of Chinese manufacturing relied more on cost advantages to "go out," today's Haier Smart Home is demonstrating that Chinese companies can fully "move up" the value chain through value creation. Leveraging smart innovation, a premium brand strategy, and global brand building, Haier Smart Home has achieved leadership with different brands across various regions: official data shows that for every 10 home appliance brand products sold overseas from China, 6 are from Haier.
Specifically, in Australia, the Haier and Fisher & Paykel dual-brand major appliances rank TOP1; in North America, GE Appliances is transitioning from the largest US home appliance company to the leading US "Home Ecosystem" company; in Europe, Haier's overall share in major appliances ranks first among Chinese enterprises; in Southeast Asia, it holds the top overall share in major appliances; and in South Asia, Haier has been number one in Pakistan for 10 consecutive years... Globally, Haier has held the top position in retail volume for large home appliances for 17 consecutive years. While the industry is still discussing "going global," Haier Smart Home has already achieved "taking root."
From Haier, Casarte, and Leader, to America's GE Appliances, Australia's Fisher & Paykel, Japan's AQUA, and Europe's Candy, Haier Smart Home has formed a multi-brand portfolio covering over 200 countries and regions, serving more than 1 billion user households. The essence of sports marketing is value resonance, not one-way communication. When Haier Smart Home concretizes the concept of "beyond the court, another arena" into the real-life experiences of global users, that is the true value of sports marketing. The Australian Open champion's trophy is awarded to only one each year; the outcome on that blue-green hard court is momentary, but the match points in the global market are continuous. In a sense, Haier Smart Home's sponsorship of the Australian Open is not for the exposure of a single event, but for a mutual confirmation of values. The value of a champion is ultimately validated beyond the court.
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