Vivo Gains on Samsung Smartphone Share in India Via Sports, Celebrity Marketing

Samsung was the sole top-four smartphone maker to lose market share in India in Q1, as Vivo’s share jumped 108 percent on shipments of 4.5 million, reported Canalys Friday. Vivo’s stake grew to 15 percent behind Samsung at 24.4 percent (down 1.8 percent) and leader Xiaomi at 31.4 percent (up 0.9 percent). Analyst Rushabh Doshi attributed Vivo’s growth to “expensive bets” on marketing rights for cricket: It paid six times the previous amount to retain title sponsorship of the Indian Premier League, touted as the world’s richest league. The company also hired a popular Bollywood actor as brand ambassador, he said.