Here’s What You Missed During Alibaba’s Pre-Singles Day Bonanza

Aldi, Apple, Disney, Gerber, Nike and Reebok were there

The best way to describe Alibaba’s 11.11 Countdown Gala to an audience in the Western Hemisphere is that it’s kind of like Sábado Gigante meets a Super Bowl halftime show.

The four-hour event started Saturday night in Shanghai’s 18,000-seat Mercedes-Benz Arena and was streamed live on video platform Youku. The goal: to get consumers fired up about Singles Day—and perhaps loosen their purse strings while they were at it.

The means to that end this year included singer Mariah Carey, supermodel Miranda Kerr (who pushed her skin-care line and sang a song in Mandarin with the hosts), retired NBA star Allen Iverson, comedian Naomi Watanabe (who is also known as the Beyoncé of Japan), pop stars Jay Chou and Coco Lee, boy band CTO, and a specially choreographed Singles Day performance by Cirque du Soleil.

AW+

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Subscribe today!

To Read the Full Story Become an Adweek+ Subscriber

View Subscription Options

Already a member? Sign in