BrandZ launches Top 30 Chinese Global Brand Builders 2017 Ranking

10 Jan 2017

• Lenovo named as the most powerful Chinese global brand builder
• The time is now for Chinese brands to build their brand globally
• Established brands dominate but Internet driven brands have the potential to drive future economic growth

BEIJING — The first “BrandZ™ Top 30 Chinese Global Brand Builders” ranking and report has been released today by WPP and Kantar Millward Brown in collaboration with Google. The 2017 ranking lists the Chinese brands that have most successfully established a presence in overseas markets. The report presents pioneering research gauging overseas consumers’ attitudes towards Chinese brands, which indicates that China has the world’s attention. The circumstances are favourable for brands that move now to build strength in global markets by delivering and communicating quality and relevance, and the report provides insights and recommendations to help them conquer the challenges and seize the opportunities in their path.

To produce the ranking, Kantar Millward Brown calculated the Brand Power (the BrandZ™ measure of consumer predisposition to choose a particular brand) of Chinese brands outside of China across seven countries, supported by Google’s Consumer Surveys. The evaluation is based upon a list of 167 Chinese brands with the medium Brand Power score of 85, a sum of seven countries’ score

Lenovo, a global leader in personal computer and mobile technology, leads the charge as the most powerful Chinese export brand with a Brand Power score of 1,682. It is followed by the innovative international brands Huawei (1,256), in the consumer electronics category and the ecommerce market place giant Alibaba (1,047). Consumer electronics brands represent 40% of the ranking’s total Brand Power, and dominate the Top 5 – Lenovo (no. 1), Huawei (no. 2) and Xiaomi (no. 5) – an indication of the strength of Chinese consumer electronics brands overseas.

The study shows that internationally the notion of Brand China is shifting. While established brands (in categories like consumer electronics and airlines) currently have an edge over the emerging internet-driven brands (mobile gaming and e-commerce), with 57% of the total Brand Power in the ranking, digital brands are the real winner. Combined, consumer electronics and mobile gaming lead the ranking, both in terms of the number of brands in the ranking (17) and combined Brand Power (59%). This composition reflects the transformation of Brand China, which consumers abroad increasingly associate with innovative digital devices and services.

One challenge facing Chinese brands is that international consumers are generally less aware of, and less likely to consider purchasing, a Chinese brand than a local or globally recognised one. However, the research shows that awareness and consideration gaps vary, with consumers in France, Germany and Spain more aware of and likely to consider Chinese brands than consumers in Japan, Britain or America.

David Roth, CEO EMEA & Asia, The Store WPP commented: “The study shows that the movement of ideas and product leadership has expanded globally, with consumers increasingly looking to China as a potential source for the newest and most innovative products and brands. This is the opportune time for Chinese brands to expand abroad, despite the many obstacles and this is why in collaboration with Google we have produced the ground-breaking “BrandZ™ Top 30 Chinese Global Brand Builders 2017” report. By analysing consumer perceptions of Chinese and non-Chinese brands, we have been able to identify gaps in Chinese brand performance and provide recommendations for brand building strength.”

BrandZ™ Top 10 Chinese Global Brand Builders 2017
Ranking	Brand	Category	Total Score in Brand Power
1	Lenovo	Consumer Electronics	1,682
2	Huawei	Consumer Electronics	1,256
3	Alibaba	Ecommerce	1,047
4	Elex Tech	Mobile Gaming	923
5	Xiaomi	Consumer Electronics	716
6	Air China	Airlines	709
7	Haier	Home Appliances	572
8	Anker	Consumer Electronics	501
9	Cheetah Mobile	Mobile Gaming/Internet Services	498
10	Hisense	Home Appliances	482

Key highlights of the BrandZ™ Top 30 Chinese Global Brand Builders 2017 study include:

• Negative perceptions of Chinese products are declining. Consumers recognise that product quality has improved, and they increasingly choose brands based on benefits and relevance rather than fame. As the number of Chinese brands going global rise, so will consumers’ receptivity – facilitating further expansion. Now is the time for Chinese brands to expand abroad.
• Technology brands are closing the ‘awareness gap’. Chinese brands are still less well known than global or local market brands, and consumers are less likely to buy them. Technology brands are changing this by showing they can improve consumers’ lives by applying digital technology and establishing ecosystems that combine e-commerce and mobile payment apps with other services. They must now leverage their success, while brands in other categories should learn from them – closing the ‘gap’ by telling powerful brand stories that clearly communicate their quality and relevance.
• There is great potential for internet-driven brands. Established brands enjoy high Brand Power but lack differentiation which is increasingly important in the digital age. In contrast, newer, internet-driven brands have had less time to meet consumer needs but are seen as distinctive due to their product and innovation.
• Chinese brands tend to operate faster than Western brands. While speed is definitely an advantage, a certain level of systemisation can simplify decisions and add useful knowledge.

Doreen Wang, Head of BrandZ™, Kantar Millward Brown added: “The rules are changing for brands. Whereas established brands have grown internationally slowly over time – sometimes growing through mergers and acquisitions – the newer internet-driven brands are typically growing organically. Brands today are able to use the internet to give them global reach, leveraging their brand equity as a global identity and passport. The expansion of a brand is now no longer defined by the limits of their category, but by the possibilities of technology. So there is no longer a need to wait to be a domestic giant before going global. Start your brand intending to go global, and anticipate the necessary business infrastructure.”

As global consumers increasingly look to China for the newest products and brands, Chinese brands need new powerful strategies to realise their full potential in developed markets. In order to provide insights and recommendations, BrandZ™ analytics capabilities have been used to analyse 270,000 global consumers’ perceptions toward over 560 Chinese and non-Chinese brands across seven countries (US, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Japan) and nine product categories (Consumer Electronics, Home Appliances, Airlines, Ecommerce, Mobile Gaming, Internet Services, Smart Devices, Cars, Online Fast Fashion).

The Chinese brands that are able to champion these trends in the competitive, developed markets are likely to enjoy not only global commercial success but an additional return on their investments at home, with the endorsement from an international audience seen as a guarantee of quality.

The BrandZ™ Top 30 Chinese Global Brand Builders 2017 report, charts and video are available here. The mobile app can be downloaded via www.brandz.com/mobile or search for BrandZ in the iTunes or Google Play app stores.


NOTES TO EDITORS

Background and methodology
Produced by WPP and Kantar Millward Brown in collaboration with Google, the BrandZ™ Top 30 Chinese Global Brand Builders report identifies and ranks Chinese brands based on the strength of their brand overseas. It also reveals challenges and opportunities, and provides vital insights and recommendations for Chinese brands going global. Brands across nine product categories are ranked based on their Brand Power Scores in seven developed markets, including France, Germany, Spain, the UK, the US, Australia, and Japan.

Brand Power is the BrandZ™ metric of brand equity, the consumer predisposition to choose a particular brand. Three ingredients comprise Brand Power: Meaningful (meeting functional and emotional needs in relevant ways); Different (being distinctive or trend setting); and Salient (coming easily to mind in a buying situation). Meaningful and Different scores of each brand were computed based on Google Survey answers. Each brand’s Salience was computed based on the survey answers and the brand’s indexed search volume.  

About WPP
WPP is the world’s largest communications services group with billings of US$73 billion and revenues of US$19 billion. Through its operating companies, the Group provides a comprehensive range of advertising and marketing services including advertising & media investment management; data investment management; public relations & public affairs; branding & identity; healthcare communications; direct, digital, promotion & relationship marketing and specialist communications. The company employs over 200,000 people (including associates and investments) in over 3,000 offices across 113 countries. For more information, visit www.wpp.com.

WPP was named Holding Company of the Year at the 2016 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity for the sixth year running. WPP was also named, for the fifth consecutive year, the World's Most Effective Holding Company in the 2016 Effie Effectiveness Index, which recognizes the effectiveness of marketing communications. In 2016 WPP was recognised by Warc 100 as the World’s Top Holding Company (second year running).       

About Kantar Millward Brown
Kantar Millward Brown is a leading global research agency specialising in advertising effectiveness, strategic communication, media and digital, and brand equity research. The company helps clients grow great brands through comprehensive research-based qualitative and quantitative solutions. Kantar Millward Brown operates in more than 55 countries and is part of WPP’s Kantar group, one of the world’s leading data, insight and consultancy companies. Learn more at www.millwardbrown.com.

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