This case study demonstrates how we localise global talent, by identifying the right cultural moment and acting quickly to convert it into audience growth.
Image: Douyin's summary for the U23 Asian Cup
During the recent U23 Asian Football Confederation Championship, the China U23 Men’s National Team made a strong run to their first ever final with several clean sheets along the way. This led to conversation around the great performances of the team’s goalkeeper, Li Hao, gaining traction on the Chinese social media platform Douyin. As momentum built on Douyin, Li Hao referenced legendary goalkeeper Petr Čech as his idol – creating a clear and authentic entry point for EMW.
Having recently launched Petr’s Asian social channels, we identified this as a timely opportunity to build relevance in-market.
We first engaged with a simple well-timed good luck message following the semi-final win over Vietnam. This delivered immediate interaction, and positioned Čech within the conversation as it was accelerating.
We then moved quickly to develop the moment. Working closely between the UK and China offices, we coordinated a direct on-camera message from Čech to Li Hao and the China U23 team. The speed of the turnaround was critical – allowing us to publish while the topic was still peaking.
The response was clearly strong. The content resonated with local audiences, and was picked up by Douyin’s recommendation algorithm, entering the platform’s trending topics. By activating at the right time and in the right tone, we were able to turn a single interaction into sustained visibility, engagement, and follower growth. What began as a single interaction developed into a broader conversation, extending across fan communities and football media.
The activation delivered clear, measurable impact within a short timeframe, and engagement levels across the moment were consistently strong:
The moment also sustained beyond the initial posts, with user-generated content and platform amplification extending reach. The topic remained in Douyin’s Hot List Top 5 for multiple consecutive days and reached No. 1 ahead of the final.
In total, the activation drove more than 1.4M profile visits, alongside accelerated follower growth and increased account visibility.
This activation demonstrates how real-time interaction around Chinese football hotspots can reliably trigger large-scale impact.
With zero media spend, we delivered substantial reach, strong engagement, and meaningful follower conversion.
More importantly, it reinforces a repeatable approach. By staying close to local conversations, moving quickly, and enabling talent to respond in a culturally relevant way we can continue to build audience at scale, and unlock long-term value for our partners.
