FILA names Chinese actor Chen Kun as brand ambassador

September 1: Italian sports brand FILA has announced Chinese actor Chen Kun as its ambassador on Friday.

The 41-year-old actor has great popularity in China with Chen having 81m followers on Weibo, making him the third most followed on the Chinese equivalent to Twitter. He is a well-renowned actor with his performance in the movie Painted Skin winning him Best Actor in the Hundred Flowers Awards 2010. Chen first found fame due to his role in the TV series The Story of a Noble Family in 2003. His movie credits include Painted Skin, The Knot and Mojin: The Lost Legend making him one of the most popular actors in China.

With its century-old history, FILA entered the Chinese market in 2006 and was then acquired by Chinese sports company Anta for US$76.6 million in 2009. Under the management and guidance of Anta, the brand had opened more than 750 Chinese branches by the end of 2016 and aims to increase the number to more than 900 this year.

According to Tencent News, FILA’s operating income reached more than US$305 million last year, accounting for nearly one-fourth of the total operating income of Anta. 

Source:‍‍‍‍iFeng‍‍‍‍, QQ and Fila

Proofread by Raymond Fitzpatrick