ZTE Corporation became the fourth largest handset vendor by market share in 2011 and set out its ambitions for further growth with a series of high-profile celebrity sponsorship deals.

According to a Q3 report by ABIresearch,IDC,and Strategy Analytics,ZTE overtook Apple to become the fourth-largest handset manufacturer in the world.According to the report,ZTE shipped 19.1 million terminals in Q3 2011,a 57.9 percent increase year on year.ZTE ’s market share also increased to 4.9 percent,which closed the gap between ZTE and 3rd place,LG Electronics.In the first three quarters of 2011,ZTE ’s revenue from terminal sales increased 53.4 percent year on year.

ZTE is not resting on its laurels and is looking forward to 2012.Backed by strong financial and business performance,ZTE will invest more in marketing initiatives next year to bring its brand recognition in line with its global market share.

In April,ZTE announced its smart terminalstrategy,part of which included partnering with the Singaporean singer/songwriter,Huang Yida,to create the new brand song“Light Your Smart World,”which is also ZTE ’s smart terminalslogan.

In May,ZTE unveiled the new Light Pro tablet at the Mutua Madrid Open,an ATPWorld Tour Masters 1000 event,with support from Spanish PRAgency,Perception&Image.The device included an application specifically designed for the tournament.The application provided statistics,player information,and match schedules in real time.The world’s top tennis player,Carlos MoyàLlompart,was also invited to experience ZTE ’s smart terminal products.

In September,ZTE launched its flagship smartphone,Skate,during Cibeles Madrid Fashion Week.Spanish supermodel,Jon Kortajarena,presented ZTE products at the event,further strengthening the company’s brand.In Hong Kong,the Skate launch was endorsed by local pop star,Kandy Wong with support from Edelman Hong Kong.

In October,ZTE ,in conjunction with PRagency,AxiCom,announced an exclusive deal with EMI Music/Virgin Records to sponsor leading UKrapper,Professor Green,on an 18 day UK tour.The campaign includes an ongoing Twitter competition@ZTE _UKfor SIM-free Skate terminals,a ticket give-away supported by local media,and an integrated Facebook campaign on facebook.com/ZTE UK.Professor Green fans had the opportunity to win free tickets to an exclusive London gig and some very lucky fans to meet the performer face-to-face.

Also in October,ZTE announced the exclusive sponsorship of Spanish artist,David Bisbal’s,tour‘Acustico’.The tour started on November 1 with a specialconcert in the Teatro Real in Madrid.This sponsorship package is part of ZTE ’s marketing strategy for the launch of ZTE Skate.

ZTE also secured exclusive sponsorship of all the handsets in China’s top-rated TVseries,“Man’s Gang.”ZTE presents its full series of smartphones and tablets in the TVseries,strengthening ZTE ’s smart terminalbrand with fashion-conscious youth.“ZTE has been involved in a wide range of celebrity and entertainment marketing campaigns over the past 12 months,marking 2011 as a watershed year in the company’s transition from white label ODM to fully fledged own-brand player,”said He Shiyou,head of ZTE ’s mobile-terminals business.“Next year looks set to be even bigger and brighter,as we continue on our roadmap to becoming a top-three handset player by the year 2015.”