Page 59 - BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands 2014

Section 03 | The Categories
Technology | Technology

Having anticipated the Chinese brand leaders
Tencent strengthened its mobile payment Twitter, LinkedIn and
Insight
Insight
ability and developed online gaming, with
future, Apple tries to its popular mobile messaging app, global competition
Along with Google, Facebook and Apple, WeChat, which has about 355 active
catch it
Amazon also created an ecosystem of
products and services that have become monthly users. Facebook’s WhatsApp The Western and Chinese technology
The valuable brands With high mobile The decline in Apple’s brand value fundamental to how people live their claims about 450 million users. Both brands, which have for the most part
Tencent and Alibaba introduced mobile developed separately, are about to face
attempt to solve big penetration,
relects softening of the share price lives. (Please see Amazon in the retail payment and inancial services options each other competitively. This
because of investor concern about category on page 72). And at the same that compete with traditional banks.
development is best symbolized by the
human problems
Asia is the future the future of the company after time these Western brands developed,
founder Steve Jobs, and the recent a separate group of brands served the pending IPO of Alibaba, which is 24
of the market
lack of breakthrough products that enormous Chinese market of 1.3 percent owned by Yahoo!. In addition,
Some companies/brands create LinkedIn, the professional social
products to sell to people; others differentiate Apple.
billion people.
networking site, introduced a Chinese
try to solve consumers’ problems Asia is now the center of gravity language version of its website.
of the mobile market, and its That said, Apple’s share price Some of the market dynamics mirrored Insight
or big problems that people face. future. Around 60 percent of the performance over time suggests that those in the West as various Chinese
For example, Google announced world’s consumers live in Asia, conidence remains strong in a brands initially occupied particular LinkedIn currently has four million
that it wants to explore ways to members in China. The Chinese language
slow aging, something cosmetics and half of all new connections technology brand that makes products, market niches: Baidu in search, similar to site is part of the brand’s stated strategic
companies have been trying to globally now come from
retails them around the world, provides Google; and Tencent in social media like mission to become a global network Consumers treat
do for years. Facebook is creating Asia. The fact that a Chinese content and is renowned for combining Facebook. As in the West, those initially creating economic opportunity for a
company now owns Motorola
technology prowess, design and service. discrete designations converged. Driven tech brands like
a global community through is an interesting sign of the way In BrandZM research, consumers rate the by consumer interaction and worldwide workforce of three billion friends, up to a point
allowing people to connect. If things are changing. I expect Apple brand extremely high on being determination to secure a competitive people. The integration with leading
you look at how Google and Chinese portals, including Tencent and
Facebook operate, they start with Asian companies, whether different, innovative and meaningful. edge, the brands developed ecosystems Sina, into its Chinese language platform You take a technology that fulills
a digital platform and then build
Chinese, Japanese, South This may be the year that Apple of products and services.
enables users to access their contacts.
a basic human need, you build
Korean, or Indian, to prosper by introduces another major innovation –
a business around consumers’ understanding Asian consumers iPhone 6 or Apple TV. The company Baidu strengthened its mobile presence an ecosystem around it, and that
needs and interactions.
best and being more responsive entered talks with Comcast, the largest through acquisitions and other activities, LinkedIn intends to map all workers, becomes the environment where
companies and available jobs and also the brand is built, where the
Obi Ike
to them.
cable company in the US.
including expanding in China’s rapid establish a digital presence for the money is made. Our relationship
growth gaming business. It purchased 91 institutions that offer the education and with the brand grows into
Vice President, ecommerce Rockish Andrew Curry
To drive volume, Apple introduced a new Wireless, a mobile app store and it
obi.ike@rockishinteractive.com
Director
line of more popularly priced phones and acquired Nuomi, a location-based group skills necessary for career success. something like friendship and
The Futures Company it signed an agreement with China buying service. Baidu’s revenue increased LinkedIn currently has almost 280 million we have loyalty enough to see
andrew.curry@thefuturescompany.com
members, about two-thirds located them through the occasional hard
Mobile, the world’s largest telecom 43 percent in 2013.
outside of the US.
time. However, with a brand, if
provider with over 750 million customers. something fundamentally better
Like a luxury brand, Apple faces the Tencent, with just over 800 million Founded in 2006, Twitter launched a comes along we don’t feel guilty
dilemma of balancing exclusivity to monthly active users (MAUs) on its social
protect the brand and command a price network at the end of 2013, is somewhat successful IPO in late 2013. The funds are about moving on. That said, our
premium, while expanding to mass to smaller as a social network than intended to accelerate the growth of the loyalty, or at least our inertia, may
site, which describes itself as the only increase with age.
gain volume at the risk of brand dilution.
Facebook, which reported 1.2 billion online platform that’s both public and
MAUs. With its messaging app, WeChat, real time, democratizing content creation Gabe Dorosz
Samsung challenged Apple with its included in the member count, Tencent
Galaxy smartphones. Operating on the had been larger overall until Facebook and distribution.
VP, Strategy
Android platform, the phones have a acquired WhatsApp.
Blast Radius
It regularly receives attention as the Gabe.Dorosz@blastradius.com
larger screen than the iPhone and other venue for global conversations that take
features that Samsung successfully Like Facebook, Tencent is adding place around political events in text
promotes. The company preempted members and looking ahead for the next
Apple with the launch of wearable opportunity. Tencent purchased a stake bursts of 140 characters. The brand is
technology, the Samsung Galaxy Gear in JD.com, China’s second largest working to improve the organization of
the conversations, making Twitter more
smartwatch that coordinates with ecommerce mall, which positions it to useful by organizing conversations
Samsung phones and tablets.
compete with Alibaba, the ecommerce topically and not simply chronologically.
giant. Its strategic partnership with the
search engine Sogou puts Tencent
head-to-head with Baidu.

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