How Nio's brand-building strategy extends beyond automotive

You would have found a similar experience on the Nio stand at the Shanghai motor show earlier this year, where the show stand staff were supported by a hundred or so volunteers who had signed up through the Nio app. “I was attracted to Nio because it’s a Chinese brand,” said one. “It’s better than driving something European.” So why did he sign up to volunteer? “Dedicating yourself to this sort of effort is more important than expecting a reward for it.”

It might be hard to fathom such loyalty, but it’s a major part of how Nio is attempting to build a brand that stands out from a mass of Chinese EV start-ups. “Building a community among our users is absolutely key,” says Calvin Shen, Nio’s head of user relations.

It’s an unusual job title: Shen likens it to a media relations manager who deals with journalists – except his role is to make existing owners happy. Effectively, Nio uses its app to help guide and direct the efforts of the sort of fan clubs that most car brands have. Shen claims there are now more than 500 Nio user clubs, who organise a combined 1400 events per week. There’s also a partner programme, where Nio enthusiasts are encouraged to offer discounts to other app users.

“Our focus is on user satisfaction,” he says. “With some firms, once they sell you a car, that’s the end of their interaction with you. We think it makes sense to focus on people who have actually bought our cars – because they are our best ambassadors.” That approach is also in evidence if you visit a Nio House.

While they might seem similar to the various car brand ‘stores’ you will find in shopping centres, Nio Houses are different from many because they do more than merely showcase cars. Each Nio House has its own coffee shop, where you can buy Nio-branded drinks and snacks – using either cash or Nio points. You get Nio points for taking part in Nio events, posting on the Nio app or buying a Nio product.

Nio products? Oh yes: the firm has a whole Nio Life brand of merch developed in collaboration with around 500 designers and other companies. Spanning eight categories, there are hundreds of thousands of different items, ranging from homeware to fashion, and waffles to wine.

The desire to build community into Nio stretches to a ‘user advisory board’, a panel of nine people – company boss William Li and eight owners elected by a community vote. When he founded the company, Li donated a percentage of his shares, with the dividends from them going to charity efforts selected by that user board.