Invest in sport, the experience of vivo in volleyball

For a few weeks I livea technology company that develops innovative devices and with its core business focused on smartphones and smart services, is Title Sponsor of the Women’s Serie A Volleyball League, of the Women’s A1 and A2 Serie Volleyball Championship for the second part of the 2021/2022 season.

Technology meets sport to jointly promote values ​​such as inclusion, diversity and respect. Ettore Patriarca, Marketing & Retail Director of I live Italy he tells of a commitment that is already strong: «I live despite being relatively young as a brand in sports and has already been active for some time at a global level and recently also in Italy. From 2018 to 2024 we are sponsors of European and World Cups: Euro2020, Qatar 2022 and the Europeans of 2024. In Italy we have activated two partnerships: in digital sports, e-sports where the smartphone is obviously an important enabler, and now in the volleyball”.

First time for women.
«Yes, also because women’s volleyball is a phenomenon: by force and diffusion».

What is the positive side of this meeting between you and volleyball.
«The commonality with the values ​​of volleyball. On the one hand there is the tenacity shown in arriving at the result with determination, on the other hand the great commitment off the pitch. Vivo’s philosophy is contained in the Chinese term Ben Fen, which describes the attitude to do the right things, in the right way and promotes the adoption of an honest attitude, oriented towards achieving goals with team spirit, initiative and proactivity. We thought women’s sport and volleyball in particular promoted this way of doing things. We often talk about inclusion, for women’s volleyball it is a term already outdated: they are already beyond they are already stronger than any definition. In the agreement there is also the possibility to make use of contents through the smartphone ».

Why is technology essential in the world of sport?
«Volleyball fans are especially in the new generations, those born with the smartphone in hand. On the other hand, off the pitch, the same athletes use the smartphone as a means of communication. And finally, some of the contents of the matches are filmed and shared through live smartphones, not from photos and video cameras ».

Is image the future of the smartphone?
«Yes, it is the sharing of content that they can resume at any time of my day. The evolution of communication that used to be telephone is this ».

Sport has been greatly affected by the pandemic. Isn’t it a risk to invest in sports?
«Here it is precisely a question of sharing and believing in a philosophy: to do something well not when it is easy, but when there are common values. It is right to support the values ​​of sport even in a moment of difficulty, after months with a reduced audience in the arenas and stadiums. It was also wanting to give a sign of hope ».

The pandemic has also changed the way people enjoy sport.
«The smartphone becomes an enabler to enjoy these contents and it will be more and more. We will no longer see it as a telephone, but as a screen, as part of an “ecosystem” of use ».