‘Value and resonance’: OnePlus on the power of co-creation and community

In the competitive smartphone market, standing out often comes down to who shouts the loudest – or at least who spends the most. Founded in 2013 and still driven by a challenger mindset, OnePlus is aiming to cut through the noise, not by outspending its rivals, but by tapping into what its community wants.

“We didn’t just enter the market to make another phone,” Celina Shi, CMO for OnePlus in Europe, explains. “Our founder, Pete Lau, started this company by asking what consumers actually wanted – not telling them what they should have.”

That mindset, which fuses product innovation with community insight, continues to shape the brand’s product philosophy and marketing approach across Europe.

The smartphone category, after all, is one driven by relentless iteration. New models, new features and yearly refresh cycles make for fierce competition, but also risk consumer fatigue. For OnePlus, the challenge isn’t just to keep pace with its rivals, but to make sure that any innovation it introduces is meaningful.

“It’s not about packing in the most advanced specs,” Shi explains. “It’s about building a product that people genuinely use every day. No gimmicks. Just what matters.”

We don’t want to abandon the base that brought us here. Instead, we let them help us attract new users.

Celina Shi, OnePlus

In a market where most smartphones look and feel similar, design is becoming a renewed differentiator. Just look at Motorola and its focus on colour. OnePlus has made design a priority again, something Shi compares to the cyclical nature of fashion.

“First, it was all about hardware, then UI and software, then back to user experience. Now we’re seeing design re-emerge as a key differentiator,” she says. “With our ‘Made of Metal’ campaign, we highlighted a unique metal body design, not just for looks, but to create a tactile, memorable product experience that consumers associate with our brand.”

Co-creation may have become something of a marketing buzzword, but for OnePlus it’s a core part of the strategy. The brand’s user community – now over 8 million strong globally – is deeply involved in its product development and marketing execution.

“When a new product is still just a concept, we open up forums with our users to understand what matters to them: what they’d like to see, what functionality they’d find useful,” says Shi. “It’s not lip service. We co-create features with them.”

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She points to a specific example.

“We once removed the alert slider on one of our phones to make the design sleeker. The backlash was immediate. Our community told us, very clearly, that it was a feature they loved. So, we brought it back. That feedback loop is essential to how we operate,” Shi explains.

Marketing campaigns are equally collaborative. The ‘Capture the Horizon’ campaign, which saw a OnePlus mobile phone launched into space, was co-developed with users: everything from naming to creative direction.

“They were more involved than some of our internal stakeholders,” Shi says. “It makes them feel part of the journey and, in turn, they help us spread the word.”

Legacy and moving forward

OnePlus is clear about the importance of Gen Z for its future growth. However, it also recognises the challenge of courting new users without alienating existing fans who’ve helped build the brand over the past decade.

“We don’t want to abandon the base that brought us here. Instead, we let them help us attract new users,” she explains. “They’re our middle layer and amplify our story through word of mouth, which remains one of our most powerful growth drivers.”

Offline activations also play a role. In London, OnePlus partnered with Wingstop, a fast food brand popular with Gen Z, for a product launch that included free chicken wings.

“People queued for hours,” she recalls. “It was fun, disruptive and very us.”

Unlike rivals Apple or Samsung, OnePlus doesn’t operate with blockbuster marketing budgets. That forces the brand to be selective and inventive when it comes to which media channels to pursue.

We’re not trying to compete on spend. We compete on value and resonance.

Celina Shi, OnePlus

“Our flagship launches rely heavily on PR and brand stunts to maximise awareness,” Shi explains. “That’s where we focus on big ideas, like sending phones into space or running disruptive launch events.”

For its Nord mid-range series, OnePlus leans more heavily on influencer campaigns, social activations and its growing ambassador programme, which taps into nano and micro-influencers across markets.

“We tailor our media approach to the product,” Shi says. “We’re not trying to compete on spend. We compete on value and resonance.”

That approach plays out differently across European markets. While the Nordics remain strong for traditional retail partnerships, the UK has been more digital-first.

“In the UK, the cost of traditional marketing is extremely high,” says Shi. “So, we focus on ecommerce through our .com and use digital channels to build share.”

While OnePlus began as a smartphone brand, its ambitions now extend across tablets, wearables, earbuds and more. That expansion isn’t just about revenue diversification, it’s about building an ecosystem.

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“The more connected our products are, the more natural it becomes for users to stay within our brand,” she explains. “Someone might start with a pair of earbuds and end up buying a phone. Or vice versa.”

That halo effect is already showing results in Europe.

“Our wearables are performing well and most of those buyers already own a OnePlus phone,” she claims. “In some cases, we’re seeing it work in reverse where someone loves their earbuds and then becomes curious about the phone.”

Shi has been with OnePlus for six years, long enough to see the brand evolve alongside the broader tech industry. One of the biggest shifts, she says, has been the move from performance marketing to brand building.

“When I started, everything was about specs and comparison charts,” she recalls. “Now it’s about emotional connection. A technically perfect product isn’t enough, you have to give people a reason to feel something for your brand.”

While performance marketing still has its place, OnePlus is investing more in storytelling, cultural moments and long-term brand value.

“We want to grow with our consumers,” Shi says. “That means showing up in a way that feels meaningful, not just transactional.”