IFA 2025 marketing review: How technology brands can turn exhibitions into global content growth engines

In the past, when technology brands participated in IFA, the most concerned things were the booth area, the number of products and the scale of the press conference.

However, a review of IFA 2025 reveals that the value of a global technology exhibition is no longer limited to "putting new products in front of consumers." Leading brands are redesigning the exhibition into a complete global communication system: manufacturing topics before the exhibition, content produced during the exhibition, and continuing to amplify the influence through overseas creators, vertical media, e-commerce channels and local retail after the exhibition.

In September 2025, IFA was held in Berlin, Germany. According to official figures, the event attracted more than 1,900 exhibitors from 49 countries and approximately 220,000 visitors, covering over 190,000 square meters of exhibition space. The number of press conferences increased by 16% year over year, while the Creator Hub welcomed more than 1,200 creators and influencers—an increase of over 50% in participation.

These numbers reveal an important change:

IFA is moving from a product showcase to a global content production site where brands, media, creators, channel operators and consumers participate together.

For technology brands that are sailing, the most worthy research in IFA 2025 is not just what Samsung, LG, TCL, Hisense, Chasing, Stone Technology, Midea and Acer have released, but how these brands transform complex technologies into an easy-to-communicate concept, a set of scenes that can be filmed, and a content link that connects cognition, trust and sales.

1. The real changes in IFA 2025: from "media coverage of the exhibition" to "exhibition organization content"

The communication model of traditional science and technology exhibitions is relatively simple.

The brand launches a product, media outlets attend and conduct interviews, and news websites subsequently publish their coverage. The amount of attention the brand receives depends largely on the newsworthiness of the announcement and how much editorial space the media are willing to devote to it.

IFA 2025 is changing this relationship.

The official has not only added Creator Hub, but also configured functions such as live streaming, podcasting, product demonstrations, content production and creator communication. IFA described Creator Hub in its pre-show materials as a content space integrating studio, stage, product experience and brand cooperation, and introduced cooperation forms such as TikTok Shop to allow creators to conduct product displays, live interactions and shopping on site. Transformation.

This means that creators are no longer just "peripheral communicators" invited to visit the booth, but are included in the infrastructure of the exhibition.

For brands, a press conference used to generate dozens of media reports; now, the same press conference can be broken down into in-depth YouTube reviews, TikTok Short Video, Instagram lifestyle content, live slices, podcast discussions, product comparisons and behind-the-scenes tidbits.

The actual results officially released by IFA also confirm this direction: Creator Hub will attract more than 1200 creators in 2025, a year-on-year increase of more than 50%.

From a marketing perspective, IFA 2025 is no longer simply about bringing visitors face-to-face with products. Instead, it helps brands accomplish three key objectives:

First, turn complex technology into a live experience that can be photographed and understood.

Second, allow creators from different countries and languages to localize content.

Third, let an exhibition event have a longer dissemination cycle on different social platforms.

This also provides a new criterion for judging brand marketing performance: an excellent exhibition is not just about "having a lot of people", but whether the site can continue to produce content that is recognizable, distributable, and can promote consumer decisions.

2. Samsung: Not competing for the sound of a single product, but competing for the "naming rights" of the industry

三星在IFA 2025使用的核心主题是：

AI Home：Future Living, Now。

Samsung did not center its communications around any single television, refrigerator, or washing machine. Instead, it brought Bespoke AI appliances, Vision AI displays, Galaxy AI mobile products, and SmartThings together under the unified concept of the “AI Home.”

Before the opening of the exhibition, Samsung first released the "SmartThings Meets AI Home" brand video to explain the practical meaning of an AI family through scenes such as air conditioning, lighting, family affairs, sleep and pet care. In addition to being launched on Samsung's official social channels, the film was also released on outdoor screens such as Times Square in New York and Piccadilly Circus in London.

At the IFA site, Samsung set up a digital facade about 50 meters wide at the entrance of the CityCube, working with digital artist Maotik to transform data flow into large-scale media art with the theme of "wind".

This marketing design includes at least three levels.

First of all, Samsung first uses "AI Home" to define the life that users should aspire to, and then makes specific products the entrance to this life.

Secondly, Samsung does not rely on one press conference to complete all communication, but uses branded videos, global outdoor media, digital art, live experiences and news releases to form continuous contact points.

Finally, the 50-meter digital façade served not only as booth decoration, but also as a media cover image, a backdrop for short-form videos, and a landmark for visitor photos. It condensed Samsung’s abstract AI ecosystem into a powerful visual symbol that could be shared worldwide.

From an overseas influencer-marketing perspective, Samsung’s strength lies in establishing a clear, overarching content theme. Creators can approach the story from different angles—energy efficiency, pet care, sleep, audiovisual entertainment, or device connectivity—but every piece of content ultimately returns to the same core concept: AI Home.

This approach can reduce the fragmentation of information between creators in different countries. Brands don't need to require everyone to use the exact same script, they just need to ensure that different content serves the same brand perception.

Samsung's case shows that the strongest marketing ability of a leading technology brand is not to explain more parameters, but to define in advance the terms consumers use when understanding an industry.

3. LG: Turn the smart home ecosystem into a "life experience drama"

The theme used by LG at IFA 2025 is "LG AI Appliances Orchestra", or "AI Appliances Symphony Orchestra".

LG compares ThinQ AI to a conductor, and compares refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners, cleaning devices and other smart home products to musical instruments played together. The brand also puts AI agent Furon at the center of vision, making complex device collaborations more intuitive. Before the exhibition started, LG used the visual expression of "conductor and appliance orchestra" in its media invitation letter and announced that it would display the booth content to users who were unable to attend through the LG Global YouTube channel.

The on-site booth was divided into several distinct zones, each designed to serve a specific content function.

Hero Zone uses the home appliance orchestra to present the overall AI Home concept;Fit & Max Zone restores European homes and compact spaces;AI Core Tech Zone explains AI motors, cleaning and energy-saving technologies;AI Home Zone displays real-life scenes through voice, automated processes and personalized settings. LG also demonstrated the Spielraum concept, extending the smart home experience to vehicles.

Both LG and Samsung are talking about the AI family, but the communication methods are different.

Samsung is more like formulating an industry language that emphasizes platform, ecology and unified entrance;LG is more like directing a life drama that allows consumers to see how AI works in the process of getting up in the morning, cooking, laundry, cleaning and traveling. Work collaboratively in the background.

This spatial narrative is particularly suitable for overseas creators.

Home creators can focus on space and design, maternal and child or family life creators can discuss convenience, energy-saving content can enter the AI Core Tech Zone, and technology bloggers can explain ThinQ ON and device interconnection.

The same booth could therefore support multiple content verticals, rather than having every creator produce highly similar “booth tour” videos.

LG also tailored its messaging to European living spaces, emphasizing zero-clearance hinges, compact installation, energy efficiency, and built-in solutions.

The marketing logic behind this is: The truly effective localization is not to translate global advertisements into local languages, but to let consumers see the specific state of the product after it enters their homes.

4. TCL: Use Olympic IP to attract traffic and use design cooperation to reshape high-end awareness

TCL will continue to use the "Inspire Greatness" brand theme at IFA 2025 and bring its global Olympic partner status to the booth.

The brand has set up interactive areas related to the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, introduced the Winter Olympics mascots Milo and Tina, and displayed ultra-large screen TVs, QD-Mini LEDs, air conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines and mobile devices through sports scenes.

Sports IP is not simply a brand Logo exposed here.

A television’s size, brightness, refresh rate, and sound quality are relatively abstract specifications. Once placed in the context of watching the Olympic Games, however, they can be translated into tangible benefits such as clearly capturing fast-moving action, creating a more immersive viewing experience, and turning the living room into a live sports venue.

This transformation is especially important for creator content. Ordinary consumers may not be willing to watch a lengthy video explaining local dimming zones, but they can easily understand whether a large-screen television can smoothly display the rapid motion of skiing, ice hockey, or speed skating.

TCL also launched NXTHY at IFA globally and partnered with sound, furniture, materials and design partners such as Bang & Olufsen, Roche Bobois, Castelli 1938, Alcantara and Chris Lefteri Design.

The significance of this step is that TCL no longer only wants to be understood as a company that sells TVs and home appliances, but is trying to use sports, art, furniture and material design to enter the context of high-quality lifestyle.

From the perspective of brand marketing structure, TCL has formed a relatively complete combination:

Sports IP is responsible for creating emotion and global attention; display technology is responsible for proving product capabilities; high-end design cooperation is responsible for improving brand texture; and all categories of smart homes are responsible for expanding consumers 'imagination of brand boundaries.

For overseas brands, the enlightenment of the TCL case is that IP cooperation can only form long-term brand assets when it can return to product use scenarios. Simply displaying sponsorship identity can only gain exposure, and the connection between product, content and IP will form a memory.

5. Hisense: Turning Football Sponsorship into a Real-World Reason to Choose Its Display Technology

Hisense will use "AI Your Life" as the theme of its exhibition at IFA 2025 and organize audio-visual and smart home communication around "Own the Moment".

Hisense, Gorenje and ASKO brands jointly use an exhibition area of nearly 3900 square meters. At the same time, Hisense announced during IFA that it will continue to become an official sponsor of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Unlike many less relevant brand sponsorships, there is a natural usage relationship between football and television.

Large-scale football events around the world can provide specific consumption scenarios for large screens, colors, sports pictures, sound and low latency. Therefore, when Hisense simultaneously displays a 116-inch RGB-MiniLED TV, laser display and audio-visual system, World Cup sponsorship is no longer just a popularity asset, but also a content portal to explain the value of the product.

Hisense also completed the first public display of Dolby Vision 2 with Dolby at IFA, and used cooperation with Devialet, Paris Opera House and others to strengthen audio-visual professionalism.

This combination can be understood as a three-layer trust structure:

FIFA provides global sentiment and public awareness;Dolby, Devialet and other technical and audio-visual partners provide professional endorsements;RGB-MiniLED, large screen and audio products are responsible for completing practical experience certificates.

From the marketing perspective of overseas creators, the advantage of this strategy is that the content is naturally malleable.

Technology creators can explain display technology, football creators can create game viewing scenes, home entertainment bloggers can renovate living rooms, and game masters can create content around refresh rates, delays and immersive experiences.

An IFA launch can therefore be extended to multiple follow-up marketing nodes such as World Cup pre-ups, Black Friday, Christmas, Super Bowl or local leagues.

Hisense's case shows that brand sponsorship should not be regarded as a separate public relations project, but should become an important source of material for content planning and product sales throughout the year.

6. Dreame: Breaking Out of Its Core Audience with “Engineering Spectacles,” Then Capturing Traffic Through a Full-Category Ecosystem

During IFA 2025, one of Dreame’s most shareable innovations was the Cyber X concept technology.

Cyber X uses a biomimetic four-track system to transport a robot vacuum up and down stairs. According to the brand’s materials, the system can adapt to different staircase configurations, handle steps up to 25 centimeters high, and move at approximately 0.2 meters per second.

For ordinary consumers, however, the technology’s greatest value lies not in the specifications themselves, but in the clarity of its visual message:

A robot vacuum can climb stairs.

This sentence requires no technical background or complex explanation. Consumers only need to see a few seconds of demonstration to understand the multi-floor cleaning problem the product is trying to solve.

This kind of "engineering spectacle" has typical exhibition communication advantages: it can be understood at a glance, can be demonstrated on site, is suitable for Short Video, and corresponds to real life pain points.

However, the pursuit does not stop IFA dissemination only on conceptual products.

According to brand disclosure, Chasing used a complete exhibition hall at IFA 2025, displaying 22 product lines, 15 of which were newly expanded categories, covering areas such as cleaning, mowing, cooking, laundry and air management. The brand also disclosed its e-commerce, retail stores, service centers and localized channel layout in Europe.

The resulting propagation links are:

Cyber X was designed to generate global buzz; Dreame’s mature cleaning products demonstrated the strength of its commercial foundation; its whole-home smart ecosystem expanded the brand’s boundaries; and its European retail and service network helped convert attention into purchase confidence.

This is also the right way to use concept products at major trade shows. A concept product does not necessarily need to drive immediate sales, but it must demonstrate the brand’s engineering capabilities and direct attention toward a product ecosystem that is already available for sale, delivery, and after-sales support.

For the overseas celebrity marketing team, this means that we cannot just arrange for talent to shoot "robots that can climb stairs." Content planning should also continue to answer: What mature products the brand currently has, in which markets these products can be purchased, and why consumers can trust its long-term service capabilities.

7. Stone Technology: Use one sentence "Inside and Out" to explain category expansion

The themes used by Stone Technology at IFA 2025 are:

Rocking Life, Inside and Out。

The brand launched the RockMow and RockNeo mowing robot series for the first time at the exhibition, including RockMow Z1, RockMow S1 and RockNeo Q1, extending the navigation, obstacle avoidance and automation capabilities previously mainly used in indoor sweeping robots to outdoor courtyards.

When a robot vacuum brand already familiar to consumers enters the robotic lawn mower category, it may face a brand-perception challenge: will consumers see the move as a natural extension or as an unrelated category crossover?

“Inside and Out” addresses precisely this issue. It redefines the brand’s capabilities from indoor cleaning to robotic home services for both indoor and outdoor spaces. As a result, the robotic lawn mower is no longer perceived as a suddenly added SKU, but as part of a broader home-automation ecosystem.

At the same trade show, Roborock also showcased robot vacuums, wet-and-dry floor cleaners, handheld vacuum cleaners, and laundry appliances, while announcing European pricing and launch information for selected products.

From a content-marketing perspective, this theme offers strong integration potential. Indoor-cleaning creators, garden and outdoor-living influencers, pet-owning households, smart-home creators, and outdoor-tool reviewers can all participate in the campaign, while the brand maintains a unified identity through “Inside and Out.”

Roborock’s case demonstrates that when a brand expands into new categories, the core communications objective is not to make consumers remember more product names, but to establish a new brand boundary that is clear and easy to understand.

8. Beautiful: Transforming the language of global technology into the problem language of European families

With the theme of "Master Your Home" at IFA 2025, Midea organizes its product capabilities into SPACE MASTER, XPRESS MASTER, SMART MASTER, ECOMASTER and other systems, and demonstrates complete home solutions through embedded kitchens, refrigerators, cooking, air management and cleaning scenarios.

The importance of this naming method is that it does not organize and disseminate completely according to traditional product categories, but organizes content according to consumer needs.

SPACE MASTER corresponds to space utilization;XPRESS MASTER corresponds to time efficiency;SMART MASTER corresponds to intelligent operation;ECOMASTER corresponds to energy management.

For consumers, this is easier than memorizing refrigerator volume, washing machine model and oven technology individually.

Midea also emphasized built-in kitchens, compatibility with European cabinetry, performance in low-temperature Nordic climates, large-capacity solutions for families, and energy efficiency. For example, the brand stated that ECOMASTER uses AI and real-time data processing to optimize appliance energy consumption, reducing energy use by up to approximately 30% in certain scenarios.

From the perspective of overseas marketing, Midea's advantage is not to create the strongest visual spectacle, but to translate technology into issues of concern to European families:

Is there enough room space?

Can products be integrated into cabinets?

Can it operate stably in winter?

Can energy costs be reduced?

Can a single appliance perform more functions?

This type of content is particularly well suited to partnerships with local creators in home design, lifestyle, energy efficiency, and household management. Their value lies not merely in introducing the product, but in helping the brand demonstrate how well it fits local homes, climates, diets, and everyday habits.

9. Acer: Using a High-Density News Matrix to Reach Diverse Vertical Media Outlets

Compared with home-appliance brands, Acer adopted a more conventional consumer-electronics communications strategy at IFA 2025.

The brand focuses on releasing commercial AI PCs, projectors and various types of computing equipment on Media Day. Taking TravelMate X414AI as an example, Acer's official materials also provide core selling points, product specifications, regional selling prices, time to market, image materials and Microsoft executive reviews, as well as IFA 2025 media package.

This form of release may seem traditional, but it is highly efficient in communication.

Commercial technology media can focus on AI productivity and small and medium-sized enterprise applications; hardware media can analyze processors, screens and performance; office media can discuss mixed work; and sustainability media can focus on the materials and energy consumption design of Vero projectors.

Acer is not trying to get all media and creators to tell the same grand story, but by standardizing news materials to prepare content portals that can be used directly for different vertical channels.

Evaluations from ecosystem partners such as Microsoft have helped Acer put its products into the larger industry narrative of Windows, Copilot+ PC and AI Office.

For technology brands expanding overseas, this media-coverage-driven marketing approach is equally worth considering.

Not every product can create a visual spectacle like a robot climbing stairs. For notebooks, software tools and B2B products, communication efficiency depends more on whether the information is clear, whether the materials are complete, and whether different vertical media can quickly find perspectives relevant to their own audiences.

Behind the ten or eight brands is the same set of exhibition content growth formulas

Putting the above brands together, we can see that most of the outstanding marketing projects in IFA 2025 follow a similar path.

1. Occupy a concept first

Samsung occupies "AI Home", LG uses "AI Appliances Orchestra", Stone Technology uses "Inside and Out", and Midea reorganizes product capabilities with "Master Your Home".

The purpose of a concept is not decoration, but to distill a complex product portfolio into a single, unified brand perception.

2. Then Build Specific Use Cases

LG recreated European living spaces, TCL built an Olympic viewing environment, Hisense placed its large-screen technology in the context of football matches, and Midea organized its booth around the kitchen, laundry care, and energy management.

Scenarios help consumers answer a fundamental question: “What does this technology mean for me?”

3. Create a Visual Symbol.

Samsung's 50-meter digital facade, sought climbing system, and TCL's Winter Olympics interactive area are all visual assets suitable for media covers and Short Video dissemination.

In an information-intensive exhibition environment, technology without visual symbols can easily be overwhelmed.

4. Introducing external trust

TCL uses Olympic IP and design partners, Hisense connects FIFA, Dolby and Devialet, and Acer introduces ecosystem partners such as Microsoft.

External endorsements can reduce the cost of understanding new technologies and new brands, but only if there is a real correlation between the partner and the value of the product.

5. Connect Attention to Commercial Conversion.

Dreame emphasized its European retail and service network, Roborock announced product pricing and launch schedules, and Acer clearly specified regional pricing and channel availability in its launch materials.

The truly complete exhibition marketing cannot end where "the scene is very lively", but let consumers know when and where the products can be bought, and whether the brand can provide long-term services.

11. From the perspective of MCN at sea: What brands need is not a list of talents, but a content supply chain

Creator marketing is moving from an ancillary tactic in social media to an independent media channel.

IAB data shows that American creators 'advertising spending will reach approximately US$37 billion in 2025, a year-on-year increase of 26%;48% of advertising buyers already regard creators as a "must-buy" channel. The goals of brand use creators are no longer limited to exposure, but also include gaining new audiences, building trust and driving sales transformation.

In this context, when technology brands participate in IFA, they can no longer understand overseas celebrity marketing as "inviting a group of talented people to check in at the booth."

A mature trade-show content supply chain must perform at least six key functions.

First, determine the communication theme based on the market and population, rather than directly translate headquarters press releases.

Second, split content forms based on the characteristics of platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram.

Third, hierarchical the functions of talents: head creators are responsible for sound volume, mid-waist creators are responsible for professional interpretation, and vertical and long-tail creators are responsible for local community penetration.

Fourth, prepare scenes, interview objects and presentation processes for creators that can be truly experienced, rather than prescribing every expression.

Fifth, clarify the material use rights, advertising authorization, editing rights and cross-channel reuse methods before cooperation.

Sixth, connect organic content, global PR, paid advertising, e-commerce pages, and retail channels so that a strong piece of content can be repurposed repeatedly.

For overseas marketing agencies such as MakeWonder, which specializes in global influencer marketing while integrating brand strategy, global PR, and PUGC content-production capabilities, the real value of its services should extend beyond simply providing creator resources. It should also serve as the organizational hub for pre-show strategy, on-site content coordination, and post-show growth amplification.

Before the event, brands can build search interest through trend-driven content, creator teasers, and product suspense. During the event, booth tours, hands-on tests, interviews, and livestreams can generate a concentrated burst of content. Afterward, high-quality assets can be repurposed for paid advertising, e-commerce product pages, brand websites, and promotional campaigns tied to key marketing moments.

Only through this approach can an IFA appearance lasting just a few days be transformed into a global content asset that continues to generate value for months.

12. How Should Overseas Brands Plan Their Content Cadence for Major Technology Trade Shows?

Pre-show: Establish topics instead of announcing all answers in advance

Brands can start layout four to eight weeks before the exhibition.

This stage is suitable for releasing industry insights, user pain points, concept previews and creator suspense content, and completing talent screening, product delivery, content training and shooting arrangements in advance.

The goal of pre-show communication is not to complete all the new product information, but to let the target audience know what problems the brand will solve at IFA.

During the exhibition: Establishing a content command system

Trade shows generate an extremely high volume of information. Without centralized coordination, creators may arrive at the booth at the same time, produce highly similar content, and miss the most valuable interviews and product demonstrations.

Brands need to schedule different time slots based on country, language, platform, and content focus, while ensuring access to technical experts, product managers, user scenarios, and supporting backstage materials.

Content should extend beyond repetitive “I’m here at the brand’s booth” posts to include first impressions, in-depth hands-on experiences, founder interviews, product comparisons, behind-the-scenes stories, livestreams, and street interviews.

Post-Show: Transform Content into Long-Term Assets

The end of the exhibition does not mean the end of communication.

Brands can filter the best performing content based on viewing duration, interaction quality, comment keywords, search growth, official website visits, sales leads and actual conversions.

Some of them are used for paid delivery, some go to the product details page and official website, some support media public relations and channel sales, and the other part can be re-edited for subsequent nodes such as Black Friday, Christmas season and new product launches.

The final result of exhibition celebrity marketing should not be just a posting link, but a global library of creative materials that has been verified and continuously reused.

Conclusion: IFA 2025 is not competing for booth traffic, but for global narrative rights

IFA 2025 demonstrates that major technology trade shows have not lost their value in the age of online launches and social media.

On the contrary, as product information becomes increasingly accessible, the role of physical exhibitions is shifting from providing information to creating authentic experiences and credible content.

Samsung used AI Home to compete for the power to define the industry narrative; LG transformed its smart ecosystem into tangible lifestyle experiences; TCL and Hisense connected the emotional appeal of sports with display technology; Dreame broke out of its core category through engineering spectacles; Roborock used a unified theme to explain its category expansion; Midea reorganized its technology around local lifestyle needs; and Acer improved media-coverage efficiency through a diversified content matrix.

Together, these cases prove two principles:

The more complex the technology, the simpler the communication must be. The more global the brand, the more localized the content must become.

In the future, what brands really compete at global exhibitions such as IFA, CES and MWC is not just whether their products are leading, nor who has a bigger booth.

More importantly, who can transform a complex technology into an easy-to-understand sentence, a picture worth shooting, a set of content that is consistent with local culture, and a complete growth link extending from cognition, trust to purchase?

When exhibitions become content factories, overseas celebrity marketing is no longer just traffic purchasing.

It is becoming an important infrastructure for technology brands to establish global narrative rights.

Data description: The exhibition scale, brand release and product information are mainly based on IFA and official public information of each brand; the advertising data of industry creators comes from IAB. When it comes to brand promotion caliber and technical data, they are all expressed in accordance with brand public information. The relevant introduction of Whale Eating Technology is based on the information provided by the company.