The Great ‘Made in China’ brand revamp

As a global manufacturing hub, China is now trying to break out into new, higher value-added product development. Is “Made in China” ready for a brand facelift? Spire Research and Consulting shared its insights, published on the US Consumer Electronics Association’s blog.

China is emerging as the largest market for tablets and personal computers. Home-grown Chinese brands such as a Lenovo and Huawei have successfully gone global. Some of these Chinese brands are breaking the old ‘Made in China’ image and taking it to a whole new level. What factors bred this success?

Several entrepreneurs have built distinct brand images to achieve global success based upon the founder’s vision of the future. Examples include Jack Ma of Alibaba Group, Robin Li of Baidu and Pony Ma of Tencent. Their zeal for excellence and innovation, as well as their colourful personalities, have helped them gain mindshare among consumers, both local and global.

Many Chinese firms have proven to be experts at vertical and horizontal integration. Take Tencent for example. What began as the launch of a simple, ICQ instant messenger has, over time, led to the addition of a new range of products like QQ Games – the largest online gaming platform in China. As a result, sales revenue increased by 34% during the first three quarters of 2014.

Chinese companies have pioneered interesting new business processes for the middle-income Chinese market and are now taking these processes to other middle-income markets world-wide. For instance, AliExpress – launched by Alibaba in 2010 – allows small Chinese sellers to connect with international consumers. AliExpress was reportedly the most commonly visited e-commerce website in Russia in July 2014.

These market players, and the innovative culture they represent, are ensuring that the “Made in China” label will continue to evolve into something that is more synonymous with innovation and quality, as the “Made in Japan” and “Made in Taiwan” labels did for previous generations of global consumers.

https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/media/the-great-made-in-china-brand-revamp/

Comments

Egyptian-Israeli gas deal to boost bilateral trade

A USD15 billion deal has been announced between Israel and Egypt to export natural gas. Israel’s Delek Group has signed an agreement to supply 64 billion cubic meters of gas in a span of ten years to Egypt’s Dolphinus Holdings. The deal is considered a milestone ever since the 1979 peace accord, bringing Egypt a step closer to becoming a regional energy hub. However, the transportation of natural gas from Israel to Egypt is a challenge given the security risks. Will the Egypt-Israel gas export deal usher in a relationship of bonhomie and economic co-operation? Read more here: https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/egyptian-israeli-gas-deal-to-boost-bilateral-trade/

Prison ankle bracelets are all the rage in Brazil

With about 622,000 inmates, Brazil is home to Latin America’s largest and the world’s fourth largest prison population. Around 32,000 criminals sport one of the many types of ankle bracelets being used. Many others are on a waiting list. The authorities estimate that they can save anywhere from USD12,000 to USD 72,000 a year for every tagged inmate removed from prison. Will ankle bracelets allow more prison inmates to serve their sentences from home? https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/prison-ankle-bracelets-are-all-the-rage-in-brazil/

Pokémon Go – A game changer for marketers?

Have you caught your Pokémon yet? Pokémon Go – the mobile application-based game – is immensely popular. The game uniquely uses Augmented Reality technology. It has succeeded in growing its user base beyond just fans of the Pokémon comic. With the ability to drive foot traffic to stores, the app has created a new and potentially powerful platform for companies . Clocking in 7.5 million downloads since its debut in the U.S. on July 2016 , is the app a marketer’s boon – or is it destined to become just another “has-been” fad? What is Pokémon Go? Taking gamification to the next level, Pokémon Go is a gaming application based on the concept of augmented reality (AR) to deliver a real-life Pokémon experience. Released in July 2016, the game was developed by Niantic Labs and published by the “father” of Pokémon, Japanese company Nintendo. Using Augmented Reality technology similar to Google Maps, players need to find Pokémon characters at random physical locations and captur...

India’s ‘hairy’ exports for Africa

Renowned for its beauty, texture and strength, the Indian hair export market is worth about USD393.5 million. With rising demand in the African subcontinent for extensions and wigs, Indian companies are now keen to invest into the hair business more than ever. The recent announcement of South Africa-based hair extension company Friska Hair being acquired by Godrej Consumer Products India shows that hair export is serious business. One driving factor is Africa’s young and growing population, which helps ensure that consumer spending grows in lockstep with GDP. This is good news for Indian hair exporters. https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/indias-hairy-exports-to-africa/

China's measured reaction to US trade tariffs

The recent US trade tariff announcement will impact Chinese imports worth USD60 billion. Will China’s reaction and the prospect of continuing tit-for-tat tariff hikes cause more panic across global markets? Leon Perera, CEO of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his thoughts in China Daily – Asia Weekly. As the US Treasury explores restrictions on Chinese investment in the country, the value of stocks plunged across Asian markets. Industries that might come under more scrutiny for possible higher trade tariffs include maritime equipment, new materials, automated machine robotics and tools along with new advanced information technology and high-tech shipping to name a few. Voicing concern, Perera pointed out that China’s focus will still be on minimizing an escalation of mutual tariff hikes. China has hugely benefitted from global trade and FDI flows. However, China is clearly prepared to pursue retaliatory tariffs of its own for strategic reasons – it has announced tariff h...

The Knowledge to Decide

Search This Blog