OPPO CEO Bob Li shares insights about local market upon completing 5 years of operation

• OPPO announces Quality Campaign in Sri Lanka

The world’s fastest growing mobile and accessories brand, OPPO, announced a ‘Quality Campaign’ in November allowing customers a peek into the manufacturing process of the brand’s wide portfolio of devices prioritising ingenuity and quality through user-led innovation. The Quality Campaign strives to prioritise User Generated Content organically sourced from satisfied OPPO customers around the world. Sri Lankans too can join the campaign by sharing stories of their experience with OPPO via the brand’s official social media (@OPPOSriLanka) along with hashtag #MyOPPOStory.

In addition, OPPO will share throughout the month mini documentaries for the curious and discerning customers the process by which the devices are manufactured offering an insight into the degree of thinking and planning that goes into crafting each device to perfection. OPPO Sri Lanka CEO Bob Li spoke about the quality campaign and other insights specific to the Sri Lankan market upon completing five years of since launching locally. Excerpts of the interview as follows: 

Q: What is the global Quality Campaign and what does it serve to achieve? 

The campaign serves to raise awareness about the unrelenting process via which OPPO devices are manufactured and tested. The campaign is open to customers too, where they can share their own testimonials for the quality of the products and services via our official social media channels – @OPPOSriLanka – along with hashtag #MyOppoStory. This is the very secret of our success – our products and services are a product of engaging in deeper user requests, user-led technological innovation, allowing OPPO to compass a clearer road to perfection. 

Q: What makes OPPO stand out in terms of quality; what do you do differently compared to your competition? 

OPPO regards ‘BENFEN’ an integral part of the brand’s culture which drives us to challenge the status quo through innovation. The word loosely translates to ‘integrity’ from Chinese. Speaking of integrity, we take a user-led approach to design and each product is generally subjected to 130 different types of tests from trial to mass production with highest industrial standard to ensure functionality in durability. We use technology to break through even defects of a one in 40,000 probability so as to ensure a better experience for users. 

Furthermore, getting timely updates on smartphone software is a common challenge in the industry which we have successfully overcome through enhanced efficiency via optimisation of underlying technologies. We were able to launch ColorOs 11 Beta based on Android 11 on the same day this year as Google. 

Q: How has your journey been in the Sri Lankan market so far? 

 We have gained popularity steadily in the Sri Lankan market since launching. We first launched in 2015 as a line of phones geared to serve social-media savvy the millennial generation but thereafter, over the years, we have managed to penetrate other segments too catering to all consumers across the board with our diverse portfolio of products. We recently launched latest version of F Series – OPPO F17 – which was received brilliantly by existing and prospective customers. 

Some specialties of this phone include excellent camera quality and prolonged battery life for the millennial generation constantly on the move. The handset was endorsed by top local influencers such as actor and singer Raween Kanishka of ‘Deveni Inima’ fame, former pageant winner Tanasha Hatharasinghe and Tech Youtuber Chanuxbro who did a comprehensive demonstration of the product on YouTube and his other social media accounts. 

Another specialty was that this launch was done entirely virtually due to it coinciding with the COVID-19 lockdown – our second such launch in Sri Lanka. We believe that forging meaningful, mutually beneficial relationships over the years with local brands such as Daraz and Abans too have augured well for the brand. Our phones and devices performed phenomenally at the Daraz Mobile week this year which was appropriately themed ‘Out with the Old, in with the New’. We were a Gold partner of this event, the largest virtual sale of electronics in the country. 

Another, and the most approximate, example for how much the brand OPPO has captured the hearts and minds of youth in Sri Lanka is the overwhelming response to the #DynamicOrange campaign which was initiated alongside the F17 release to invoke the creative spirit among all Sri Lankans during this period of respite. The campaign was simple and open to OPPO customers and non-customers alike: any picture featuring the colour orange – captured with an OPPO device or otherwise – was to be uploaded tagging the official account and accompanying hashtag. We amassed over 100,000 responses which was truly mind-blowing.

Q: What is the way forward for OPPO in Sri Lanka?

 Sri Lanka is a very special market to OPPO. Giving back to this market, the country and people we hold dear, OPPO made a donation of Rs. 1.2 million to the Government’s COVID-19 fund to be utilised for mitigation efforts of the pandemic. Also, all our operations in Sri Lanka – as well as all over the world – have been carried out with strict adherence to health rules and regulations stipulated by authorities of respective country. 

Going even a step further, we debuted our signature ‘1 hour Flash Fix’ service in this backdrop to further facilitate safety of our customers. Via this service, we repair all OPPO devices within an hour or less using only authentic OPPO spare parts and by highly trained professionals ensuring safety for the devise as well as customers’ privacy. This service and our devices have enabled us to contribute to the brand’s ‘Satisfaction Rating’ exceeding 99% this year in the South Asian Region. In the coming years we look forward to continue offering our clientele sophistication for an affordable cost without compromising on quality!