No Indian or Russian brands appear in the top 100. None of the top Brazilian brands have made it into the BrandZ 2015 top 100.īrandZ 2015 provides a separate section on the BRICS in which it is made clear that Russian brands remain relatively weak compared with Chinese competitors, and even Indian brands have struggled to grow internationally. China and its brands also shine brightly here. Only one of the highest-valued Asian brands is not Chinese, and only seven other Asian brands find themselves in the world's most valuable 100, alongside 14 Chinese brands.įurthermore, despite China's recent economic slowdown, its brands contribute eight of the top 10 ranked Asian brands, the other two being Samsung (6th) and Toyota (8th).īrandZ also reports on the growth of brands across emerging nations such as Brazil, Russia, India and China (along with South Africa they make up the BRICS bloc), the four countries often cited as the new engine of global economic growth. Baidu's takeover late last year of Brazilian company Peixe Urbano, the Brazilian equivalent of Groupon, exemplifies its global expansion strategy.Ĭhinese brands are also leading the way compared with other fast-growing regions and countries. European potential partners should be aware of the now global vision at Baidu and many Chinese companies. BrandZ 2015 ranks Baidu as the 21st most valuable brand in the world, up four places on last year, with a 35 percent increase in brand value year-on-year.īaidu's international expansion activities appear to be behind its recent brand value increase. Huawei is the second highest-ranked newcomer, behind Alibaba.Īmong China's now numerous technology companies that have achieved international success recently is Baidu, the Internet search engine, which has been listed on the Nasdaq for several years. Huawei serves 45 of the world's 50 largest telecoms operators. Of particular note to European firms should be Huawei's international expansion strategy, which is based solidly on long-term alliances. In 2012, for example, Huawei overtook Ericsson to become the largest telecoms equipment manufacturer in the world, and now sells products and services in more than 140 countries. In particular, Huawei, a leading multinational networking and telecommunications equipment company whose headquarters are in Shenzhen, has expanded most impressively internationally. Huawei and China Telecom, another two Chinese brands that have entered the top 100 for the first time this year, ranked 70th and 99th, respectively, provide further, demonstrable proof of a sizeable shift toward technology and entrepreneurship across Chinese industry. Tencent, whose many offerings include the social messaging app WeChat and a range of e-commerce services and multiplayer online games, and Alibaba, China's e-commerce behemoth that raised $21.8 billion at its New York initial public offering late last year, are prime examples that typify the new, emerging Chinese economy in which private companies with modern, market-oriented business models are increasingly dominant. Highest-ranked of this year's new entrants is Alibaba, which splashes in at 13th, two places behind Tencent, the highest ranked Chinese brand overall.
The newcomers perhaps exemplify the rapid rise internationally of Chinese brands, as well as the changing nature of the Chinese economy, away from low-cost manufacturing and heavy industry to technology and innovation-focused privately-owned brands. This international expansion is all the more spectacular for the following BrandZ findings: 25 percent of this year's top risers are Chinese brands, and three of this year's seven new entrants are Chinese brands. Ten years ago, only one Chinese brand made the top 100. Specifically, BrandZ 2015 places 14 Chinese brands in the world's top 100 most valuable brands. At the same time, alliances with Chinese brands will enable European brands to penetrate the Chinese market and cash in on the purchasing power of Chinese consumers. The highlights this year are not too dissimilar to those of previous years: The rise of Chinese brands globally and the impressive purchasing power of Chinese consumers.īoth of these represent great news for European brands, with whom increasingly competitive Chinese brands are seeking to form alliances to continue to expand internationally. It is that time of year again, when the annual BrandZ report on the most valuable global brands is published. Domestic firms have gained consumer trust with their competitive goods in world markets