With newly launched quality products and an effective marketing strategy, Vivo has gained increasing public attention. Photo: CFP

Vivo Communication Technology Co is a mobile brand thriving in both domestic and international markets, thanks to its distinguished products and an effective marketing strategy. The company's Vice President and Chief of Marketing Feng Lei lost no time over Chinese New Year dispatching tens of thousands of yuan via hongbao, literally "red envelopes," through his Sina Weibo account as a way of showing his appreciation for Vivo's fans as well as to promote the brand to mobile users.

When Vivo, a subsidiary to BBK Electronics Corporation, entered the domestic mobile market, it was alongside other mobile giants like Apple, Samsung, HTC and Huawei. On top of the fierce competition, the domestic smartphone market was shrinking as well. China Academy of Telecommunication Research under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology reported that in 2014, there were 312 million shipments of smartphones from January to October, 10.4 percent less than in the same period in 2013. To combat this, Vivo makes sure its products and brand stand out from the others.

Vivo has launched dozens of mobile products that feature its advanced high fidelity (Hi-Fi) and latest slim design to gain music fans. Vivo announced the release of its X5 Max on December 10, 2014, a smartphone that at its thickest point (4.75 millimeters) is thinner than the Gionee Elife S5.1, which held the Guinness World Record as the thinnest smartphone. X5's speaker box is also the thinnest in the world. It features a highly efficient NXP TFA9890 audio amplifier and a Yamaha chip that reduces voice delay.

In 2013, Vivo was a sponsor for Hunan Satellite TV's Happy Camp entertainment program to show off the music and passion associated with its brand. Then in June 2013, Vivo successfully organized a group of 223 people who played a tune on their Vivo phones using one of 12 installed music apps, setting the Guinness World Record for the largest smartphone ensemble.

The smartphone company has also been dedicated to promoting their brand via their official Sina Weibo and WeChat accounts, gaining millions of online fans. In 2014, ZOL Data Center released a report saying that Vivo has seen a stable and constant growth of public attention. The brand's market share has grown from 2 percent in early 2014 to 6 percent in September 2014, according to a report on huanqiu.com in December 2014.

Now Vivo's monthly sales have reached 3 million units on average. Its products have also been available in Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar and Malaysia. In February, Vivo officially released the Vivo X5 Max in India, paving the way for growth in India's market. The young smartphone brand plans to enter more than 100 markets around the world in the coming years, and what they have achieved so far is just the tip of the iceberg in their ambitious plan.