Strong and consistent branding is not just vital for products and services.  It is also important for countries, helping them to attract visitors, businesspeople and new businesses alike to raise their profile and boost their economy.

In FutureBrand’s latest Country Brand Index (CBI), Singapore is the country in Asia whose branding efforts have really paid off this past year.  Moving up an impressive 11 spots, from 24th last year to 13th in this year’s overall rankings, Singapore earned top spot in several of the individual categories, including best country brand for “shopping” and “easiest to do business in”.  It was second only to the United States in the “Ideal for Business” category, and was judged as the third best country brand for conferences.

Other ‘rising stars’ in Asia-Pacific, according to this year’s CBI, include the United Arab Emirates (UAE), China and Vietnam, which were named as the top three likely major tourist destinations in the next five years. India was also a notable mention.

However, we should not neglect to point out that Australia and New Zealand, in third and fourth places respectively overall, were the Asia-Pacific region’s top country brands.  The complete Top 10 is shown below:

1. United States

2. Canada

3. Australia

4. New Zealand

5. France

6. Italy

7. Japan

8. United Kingdom

9. Germany

10. Spain

To learn more about branding market research, please click here.

As reported in this week’s Media, marketers, in their rush to embrace social networking, are neglecting more basic online media formats.  A new Asian survey, conducted by Edelman and Brandtology, indicates that forums and bulletin boards, rather than social networking sites, are key for reaching and interacting with target audiences.

The Digital Brand Index study aimed to identify the most widely talked-about technology brands across Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan.  The study, which will be expanded to Japan and Korea in the coming months, covered a total of 800,000 mentions of 233 major technology brands on 4,348 online channels including forums, blogs, social networking sites and news websites.

Recent phenomenon Twitter was found to be the most commonly used channel in India and Australia, but in other markets, particularly Southeast Asia, technology-related forums emerged as the main platform for discussion - for example, in Singapore, 90% of conversation took place on forums.

Of the technology sector brands discussed online, Google and Microsoft ranked in the top 10 in all markets.  Google was the most widely discussed brand in both India and Malaysia, while Nokia had the highest number of mentions in China.  The brand Intel was popular in a number of geographical markets including Hong Kong, India, Indonesia and Malaysia and Taiwan.

To find out more about the research we conduct in the Technology sector, please visit: http://b2binternational.com/China/b2bsectors/informationtechnology.php 

Alternatively, to learn more about branding studies, please visit: http://b2binternational.com/China/research/cn/branding.php

Google, Nokia, and perhaps a little predictably, Vegemite, emerged as the winners in a recent survey of Australia’s top brands.

The consumer perception study, conducted every three years by George Patterson Y&R, looked at 1,200 brands across 139 different categories.  The online survey sought the views of more than 4,000 Australian consumers.

Google, in taking this year’s top-spot, moves up from its No. 4 placing in the 2006 study.

The Top 10 Brands were found to be:

      1. Google

      2. Nokia

      3. Vegemite

      4. Microsoft

      5. Sony

      6. Bunnings Warehouse

      7. Ikea

      8. Coca-Cola

      9. Tim Tam

      10. Wii

The Bottom 10 Brands were revealed as:

      1. Investra Property

      2. House of Windsor Foods

      3. Australand

      4. Grazia

      5. Fidelity

      6. Hudson

      7. GE Capital

      8. Theos Bottle Shops

      9. Aurora Coffee

      10. GQ

Four of the biggest losers were clothing brands: Mambo, Stussy, Sportsgirl and Quicksilver, with a number of premium luxury brands, among them watches, jewellery and hotels, suffering too – perhaps as a result of recent recessionary belt-tightening.  The brands of BMW, Citroën and Land Rover in the automotive industry also slipped in the rankings.

The study also tracked consumer trust in brands which, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, has actually increased of late – especially in the service and finance sectors.  Interestingly, among the most-trusted brands are a number of medical/pharmaceutical brands that consumers rely on when they’re not feeling great, with Panadol, Band Aid, Neurofen and Herron ranking in the top 15.

Following our last blog post – a sector update on the Chinese automotive industry – we spotted an interesting article in last week’s AdAgeChina entitled “Great Wall is China’s Turtle in the Race to Build Global Car Brands” by Yang Jian of Automotive News China.

Great Wall Motor Co. is a small Chinese automaker. But its recent achievements provide some food for thought for its domestic peers who may be seeking to enter new or more developed markets such as Western Europe and America.

Between 2005 and 2007, a number of own-brand Chinese passenger vehicle brands – including Chery Automobile Co. and Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., Hebei Zhongxing Automobile Co. and Changfeng Motor Co. – displayed their vehicles at overseas auto shows.  In addition to participating in foreign auto shows, Shengyang Brilliance Jinbei Automotive Co. sent its vehicles for crash tests in Europe in 2006 and 2008, but the ratings received were very low.

After recognising the difficulties of meeting the stringent safety and emission standards of the European and American markets, most of these Chinese companies had, by late 2008, given up on any immediate-term plans to introduce their cars into these markets.  Some have this year looked into the possibility of merger and acquisition opportunities, which would effectively be a ‘short-cut’ to enter these new markets but, to date, no meaningful progress has been made in this area.

Great Wall, however, has adopted a different approach and strategy – one which can be summarised as more low key but more persistent – hence the article’s reference to ‘the hare and the tortoise’ fable.

Great Wall sold about 125,000 vehicles in 2008, with around half being exported to other developing markets.  It has yet to send its products to exhibitions in developed countries.

Instead, the company has been focusing its efforts on building, improving and upgrading its vehicles so they will meet the standards of these developed automotive markets.

In June of this year it began exporting three vehicles to Australia after certifying them for the market there.  In September it has managed to certify four of its models for the European Union – and with it has become the first domestic Chinese auto manufacturer to clear all the regulatory hurdles necessary to launch its vehicles within this market.  Great Wall has also, this year, begun preparations to design cars in line with U.S. safety and emission standards, with the aim of certifying them for the American market.

While its vehicles may be certified for the European market, Great Wall must still focus on building a suitable distribution network and put much effort into marketing before it can sell its products there.  But few would deny that with the slow, steady and solid progress it has been making of late, the company seems to be well ahead of its contemporaries in the race to crack Western auto markets.

For more information on our research experience in the automotive industry, please visit: http://www.b2binternational.com/China/b2bsectors/automotive.php

According to recent reports in Ad Age China, the global recession has turned cash-hungry Western companies into takeover targets for Chinese marketers.  Foreign countries have also become increasingly tempting new markets for a number of Chinese brands.

Chinese companies haven’t been hit by the economic crisis to the same extent as those in many other countries and, thanks to a huge domestic stimulus package, China’s GDP rose 7.9% in the second quarter of 2009 (compared to a year earlier).  Economists are optimistic that the growth will continue, with Credit Suisse, for example, forecasting economic growth of 8% this year and 9% in 2010.

A number of Chinese organizations have been taking advantage of the recession to take over other firms at a bargain price.  What’s more, instead of merely looking overseas for resources and cheaper manufacturing sites, Chinese companies are now looking further afield from more of a marketing (rather that production) perspective – i.e. to build their brands and retail operations.

Computer company Lenovo Group was one of the first privately owned Chinese firms to expand overseas, although its original plans were affected somewhat by the recession.  However, the world’s fourth-largest PC manufacturer is now refocusing its efforts on consumers rather than corporations and, over the summer, opened a ‘concept store’ in Malaysia which allows consumers to test and experience its full product range.

Similarly, Li Ning Co., a well established and respected sportswear and sporting goods company within China, is making efforts to build its brand overseas, recently opening a flagship store in Singapore.  The store, which is dedicated to badminton – very popular in Southeast Asian markets – lets shoppers try out first-hand technology-inspired badminton sportswear and rackets.

Meanwhile Haier Group, China’s largest appliance maker, has bought a stake in a New Zealand competitor in order to get a foothold for its own brand products in the New Zealand and Australian markets.

Chinese companies are a growing presence on the world stage, with 37 appearing in Fortune’s annual ranking of 500 top global companies this year – up from 28 last year and just eight a decade ago.

Asia Research (http://www.asiaresearch.com.sg/), Asia’s Market Research & Market Intelligence Journal, has reported in its latest issue some of the findings of a survey it conducted earlier this year.  The online survey of more than 250 agency-side market researchers gives us insight into the changing face of the market research industry in light of the global economic difficulties. Some of the survey’s main findings are shared with you here.

2009 has been a challenging year for the market research industry in Asia – as in the rest of the world.  In the main, clients’ budgets are lower in 2009 than they were in 2008 – typically 30% lower (although, of course, there have been some clients who have increased their market research spend).

One of the main ways in which many market research companies have been affected has been in their personnel.  Particularly hard hit have been the regional hubs of Singapore and Hong Kong – as well as in India, which has been one of the fastest growing research markets in recent years.  Interestingly, though, only 17% of senior managers interviewed stated that they have a recruitment freeze and 58% say they will hire full-time staff – at all management levels – in the next six months.

More common than redundancies have been caps placed on remuneration – including pay freezes (39%) and removal of bonuses (32%).  Other cost-cutting measures implemented have included less capital expenditure (27%), less corporate travel for business development purposes (24%), a freeze on expansion (24%), and less advertising (19%).

Those working in Australia and Indonesian market research agencies have felt less affected than many others by the recession; unsurprising given that these markets have generally been less impacted by the global economic slowdown.

2009 can be classified as a hirers’ market, with a number of high quality market researchers currently unemployed as a result of companies’ retrenchment.  In fact, only 8% of those currently in employment feel their jobs are at risk in the coming six months (although 22% of senior managers expect to have to make further redundancies in the same period).

In spite the gloom, many of the market researchers surveyed are optimistic about next year.  Only 5% think that the prospects for the market research industry in 2010 will be worse (1% say ‘much worse’ and 4% say ‘somewhat worse’).  By contrast, 67% are feeling positive (42% saying ‘somewhat better’ and 25% saying ‘much better’).  The remaining 27% think things will be about the same or aren’t sure.

The sectors that will offer the best growth opportunities in 2010, in the views of 114 senior managers, are:

·          Healthcare/Pharmaceutical (46%)

        ·          FMCG/Consumer (39%) 

·          IT/Telecommunications (37%)

        ·          Banking & Finance (37%) 

·          Government (24%)

        ·          Media (17%) 

·          Travel & Tourism (16%)

·          Manufacturing/Industrial (14%).

An additional 69 clients – or market research buyers – were also asked a number of questions.  29% of these expect their budgets to increase next year, versus 11% who believe they will decrease. Of those expecting an increase, they think their budgets will rise by, on average, around 20%.

B2B International, like other market research agencies, has had to adapt its services and offerings to meet changing client demands.  What does remain, however, is our promise to work out the best way to meet your research objectives at a competitive price, adding value and insight wherever we can.

Media magazine (www.media.asia) recently published the results of its ‘Asia’s Top 1,000 Brands’ survey.

Covering Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand, the survey looked to rank the best and most trusted Asian brands across 11 major product and service categories, including: automotive, financial services, food & beverage, and media & telecommunications.

Many of those featuring highly in the list will be familiar names to both Eastern and Western markets and consumers alike.  Some strong brands which are less well recognised outside of Asia include: Lotte at no.21 (Sweets & candy); Meiji at no.29 (Food & drink); and Shiseido at no.41 (Cosmetics).

The Full Top 10 list is:

1.     Sony (Consumer Electronics)

2.     Samsung (Electronics/White goods)

3.     Canon (Camera/Office equipment)

4.     LG (Electronics/White goods)

5.     Panasonic(Consumer Electronics)

6.     Hewlett-Packard (Computers)

7.     Nokia (Mobile phone)

8.     Apple (Consumer Electronics)

9.     Google (Search engine)

10.   Coca-Cola (Soft drinks)