CHENGDU, May 22 (Xinhua) -- Italian Serie A champions Juventus are continuing their expansion into China after another successful domestic season.
Luca Adornato, Juventus brand development manager, says the team doesn't want to be "just a football club" in China, adding that China has become an important part of the club's global footprint.
Juventus has won seven consecutive Serie A championships. At the same time, the club is trying to seek changes outside the football field.
A new brand strategy has been developed. "Although Juventus has a long history, the club realized that we need to let a wider audience know about Juventus, not only...football fans," Adornato said. "[The] new brand strategy is lifestyle-oriented, as we want to make Juventus become a well-known brand based on this strategy."
Juventus Legend Edgar Davids also came to Chengdu over the weekend. He interacted with Chinese fans of Juventus and had a match with young players from the Juventus Football Academy in Meishan.
In Davids' opinion, China is very important for Juventus' new brand strategy. "China has a huge population and the number of football fans keeps growing. What is more, people here have strong desire to develop football," Davids said.
According to Adornato, many football players and clubs in China have made progress with the help of European clubs. Juventus can be a bridge; bringing talents, ideas and tactics to China. There are Juventus football academies in China and also a WeChat account. Juventus hopes to get closer to its Chinese audience through the social media.
