New Zealand healthy-snacking company Rockit has signed Chinese superstar Wang Yibo as its brand ambassador, in what the Hawke’s Bay business describes as one of the most significant brand plays it has made to date.
Beginning this month, Wang — an actor, singer, dancer and professional motorcycle and race-car driver widely regarded as one of China’s most commercially valuable entertainers — will front a high-profile campaign promoting Rockit’s premium New Zealand-grown apples across multiple key channels in China. He has previously partnered with global names including CHANEL and Lacoste, and most recently fronted the 2024 outdoor exploration series Exploring the Unknown with Wang Yibo, produced by Warner Bros Discovery.
For a company from a small market, landing an ambassador of that calibre is a notable coup.
“Partnering with a brand ambassador of Yibo’s calibre provides a powerful way to reach new audiences at scale, encourage first-time purchase, and continue building a broader and more loyal consumer base over time,” says Rockit Global CEO Grant McBeath.
China is central to the play. The country is the world’s largest and most dynamic apple market, and the partnership is a key pillar of Rockit’s global growth strategy, which aims to lift awareness and demand for its apples worldwide.
“This partnership is a significant step forward in our ambition to build a premium, recognisable brand that connects directly with consumers,” says McBeath.
Trial is the metric Rockit is chasing. “When consumers try our apples, they tend to come back, with around 80 percent of consumers going on to repurchase,” he says. “Yibo’s scale and influence provide a powerful platform to expand brand awareness and reach new consumers at pace.”
McBeath says the deal is a huge coup for any brand, “let alone one from a small market like New Zealand”, noting that Wang is highly selective about the brands he partners with and typically aligns with aspirational names.
He frames the fit as a natural one: “Yibo represents everything Rockit stands for — energy, ambition, and a passion for doing things differently.”
The investment also matters to the orchardists who supply Rockit. Among them is Craigmore, one of New Zealand’s largest diversified rural investment companies, which grows Rockit apples on its Hawke’s Bay orchards.
“With high-quality fruit being shipped to global markets, it’s great to see Rockit backing that with a partnership of this scale to help drive demand for our apples,” says Craigmore Chief Executive Che Charteris. “It’s exciting to see our New Zealand fruit reaching such a large and engaged audience in China.
“We put enormous care into every piece of fruit that leaves our orchards, and it’s encouraging to see that matched with a campaign of this scale to build awareness and encourage first purchase in a key market like China. It’s a real positive for growers.”
Rockit began in Hawke’s Bay 20 years ago with the world’s first miniature apple — naturally sweet, crisp and snack-sized — and its apples are now sold in more than 30 territories and grown in eight, making them available year-round. McBeath says the Wang partnership continues the brand’s record of challenging convention, combining bold thinking with long-term investment.
