Alibaba and famous brand names do not historically have a great relationship. Just earlier this week, the e-commerce company was suspended from an international anti-counterfeiting coalition and its CEO withdrew as keynote speaker at the group’s conference later this month. The company is trying, though, and today had a Super Brand Day on the company’s Tmall e-commerce site.

“Alibaba remains firmly committed to the protection of intellectual property rights and combatting counterfeits,” the company said in a statement about the suspension of intermediaries from the IACC. We believe the most effective way to solve the counterfeiting problem is through strong industry collaboration. Intermediaries like Alibaba must be an integral part of the solution.”

That’s why Alibaba makes a big deal out of direct brand partnerships, which include flagship e-stores on their site and big events like this one. The company held a 500-person exercise class on one of its campuses, and one executive cited a “budding national fitness craze” as a reason why Fitbit’s new products should prove popular.

Alibaba’s consumer-facing sites include Taobao and Tmall in China, and the e-commerce site planned to promote Fitbit’s new products heavily on Tmall today. Other big foreign brands have also held Super Brand Day promotions, which don’t just promote the brand: they show off the marketplace’s strong relationship with the brand.

Fitbit Taps Tmall For New Product Launches In China [Alibaba]
Alibaba’s Jack Ma drops out of IACC conference in spat over anti-counterfeiting efforts [CNBC] (Warning: auto-play video at that link)

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