In early June this year, when Stefan Figueiredo Pereira from the Hong Kong Representative Football Team (HKRT) converted a penalty to secure a 1–0 victory over India, a record-breaking crowd of more than 40,000 erupted in joy. The sea of red jerseys roared as one, waving flags and chanting until their voices cracked.
Long after the final whistle, the passion lingered. As fans streamed out of Kai Tak Sports Park, one detail stood out. Alongside face paint and team flags, many carried power banks printed with the images of their football heroes. To outsiders, they might have looked like simple charging devices. But for fans, they were souvenirs of history, badges of loyalty, and symbols of identity.
That moment outside Kai Tak wasn’t an isolated scene. It points to a broader trend: everyday objects are turning into cultural symbols. Nowhere is this more evident than in the rise of intellectual property (IP), which is driving what might be called functional fandom. They’re becoming canvases for self-expression and brand identity.
For marketers, it’s a signal: the next brand platform isn’t confined to screens or shelves, but in what people carry, charge with, and hold close.
The rise of functional fandom
Behind this shift lies the unstoppable rise of intellectual property (IP). Across Asia, the IP economy is booming. The gross merchandise value (GMV) of IP-themed goods jumped nearly fivefold in the past year, with sales and order volumes more than doubling. Characters like LABUBU, with its mischievous grin, or Japan’s fluffy Chiikawa, have grown from niche icons into mass-market phenomena.
Today’s fans expect more than shelf-bound collectibles. They seek products that blend form and function — items they can use daily yet also signal belonging. A product that is both practical and personal has become a social marker. For brands, that creates a high-frequency, high-visibility channel that lives in pockets, not feeds.
Also Read: Labubu made it viral but Fuzozo made it strategy: Inside the AI toy wave
Data backs this up. According to the inaugural Powered Up Index 2025 by CHARGESPOT, Asia’s largest shared power bank provider, over a third of IP-themed rentals came from new users, and nearly one in ten kept devices as collectibles. A humble utility had become a platform for self-expression.
Functional devices have always carried cultural meaning, and power banks are becoming the latest canvas for that expression. At recent events such as ComplexCon Hong Kong, collaborations between artists, designers, and utility providers drew long queues, suggesting that people increasingly treat everyday tools as extensions of personal identity rather than purely practical items.
Similar experiments in Taipei, where familiar character designs were applied to limited-run devices and even retired units were repurposed as part of an installation, highlight a broader shift: the boundary between technology, culture, and self-expression is blurring. What was once a purely functional object is now part of how individuals signal taste, belonging, and affiliation.
The shift isn’t unprecedented. Pagers once were clipped to belts, cell phones were adorned with jewel cases, and headphones were worn like fashion accessories. Functional utilities have always found ways to signal identity. Power banks are simply the latest to join the club, but in an era of rising device dependence, their role is amplified, offering marketers a rare opportunity to move from sponsored moments to sustained presence — living not just around people, but with them, in their pockets, hands, and daily rituals.
Portable passion: The next wave of brand engagement
If fandom explains why people want these objects, dependence explains why they need them. And in Hong Kong — a city where a low battery can strand you financially and socially — that dependence transforms power banks into powerful tools for brand engagement. According to the Powered Up Index 2025, most Hongkongers feel battery anxiety once their charge dips below 30 per cent. That’s not just a stat; it’s a clear opening for marketers to turn need into connection.
The Hong Kong Representative Football Team offers a useful illustration of how everyday utilities can become carriers of cultural meaning. In 2024, CHARGESPOT released limited-edition power banks to commemorate milestones from HKRT’s debut at Kai Tak Stadium to goalkeeper Yapp Hung Fai’s 100th cap. Ahead of the upcoming Asian Cup qualifiers, another series featuring new player imagery has already attracted attention, signalling how fans treat these items as more than simple accessories.
What stands out is how quickly these objects moved beyond the confines of match days. They appeared on public transport, in casual photos, and in the daily routines of supporters, effectively turning a sporting activation into a mobile narrative that travelled across the city. With the devices reaching other Asian hubs such as Singapore, Tokyo and Taipei, a local story began circulating regionally, showing how functional items can quietly extend the cultural footprint of a team long after the final whistle.
Also Read: From following to fandom: Why startups should invest in building engaged online communities
In a world where digital ads are skipped and branded content is buried in feeds, power banks offer something different: in-hand storytelling that meets fans where they are, literally. For marketers, it’s a chance to reimagine media not as something we push, but something people carry, use, and share.
Rental stations as IP activation hubs
It’s not only the devices themselves that matter. The places where people borrow and return them — thousands of stations embedded in the city’s fabric — are becoming just as important. These aren’t just charging points; they’re evolving into programmable, brandable media surfaces. From compact kiosks in cafés to large-format screens in shopping centres, every surface can be reimagined: broadcasting trailers, unlocking digital rewards, or distributing collectibles.
An upcoming collaboration with The Football Association of Hong Kong, China (HKFA) illustrates how this can take shape. Power bank stations across the city were re-skinned with visuals tied to the Hong Kong Representative Team’s match against Bangladesh in the AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers. Hundreds of screens lit up with fan chants and team imagery, echoing the public excitement building around the tournament.
Rather than serving as straightforward functional infrastructure, these stations became part of a wider fan journey where identity, utility, and engagement converged. Similar activations with well-known entertainment IP across Hong Kong have shown how city infrastructure can double as narrative and cultural touchpoints. For marketers, this signals an emerging programmable media network that turns everyday rental stations into urban canvases, integrated seamlessly into the rhythm of daily life.
From everyday matches to everyday lives
The lesson for marketers is simple: the future of branding won’t just be streamed or displayed. It will be carried, pocketed, and recharged. A power bank isn’t just a backup device; it’s a mobile billboard, a badge of fandom, and a shared social signal.
Whether it carries the face of a football player, the grin of LABUBU, or the magic of Disney, these limited-edition power banks don’t end up in drawers. They travel across transit lines, coffee shops, and borders, becoming part of the stories people carry.
In a world where attention is fleeting, the most surprising marketing platform may be the one that fits in your hand and keeps you powered through it all.
—
Editor’s note: e27 aims to foster thought leadership by publishing views from the community. Share your opinion by submitting an article, video, podcast, or infographic.
Enjoyed this read? Don’t miss out on the next insight. Join our WhatsApp channel for real-time drops.
Image courtesy of the author.
The post The power of functional fandom: How brands are turning utilities into cultural symbols appeared first on e27.
