Local brands up global ken for innovative growth

BEIJING — Chinese brands enjoyed increasing recognition from overseas consumers in 2023 as the former pursued market expansion alongside high-quality growth backed by innovation and localization.

This year, the reputations of Chinese companies "going global" have been bolstered by improvements to product research and development, winning the admiration of foreign consumers by providing products tailored to their needs, said Kantar BrandZ Chinese Global Brand Builders 2023 report.

The report, jointly compiled by international market research firm Kantar and IT giant Google, surveyed consumers from 11 foreign markets on their opinions about Chinese brands. It revealed that at least 70 percent of interviewees were willing to consider more than 90 percent of the 234 Chinese brands participating in the research.

Among the top 50 Chinese global brands named in the report were smartphone maker Xiaomi, home appliance giant Haier and electric vehicle brand BYD. Xinhua News Agency spoke with representatives from the three companies' branding and marketing departments to reveal the stories behind their successful globalization drive.

Innovation

Technology and innovation have served as growth engines powering Chinese brands going global, said Doreen Wang, CEO of Kantar Greater China and global chair of Kantar BrandZ.

Chinese firms have put these considerations on the front burner amid their brand-building processes as they seek to improve brand competitiveness and consumer experience.

"Xiaomi's long-term mission has always been adhering to innovation for everyone in international markets," said Jim Xue, vice-president of brand and marketing at Xiaomi International. The company ranked second among the 2023 Top 50 Chinese Global Brand Builders revealed in the aforementioned report.

Since the start of 2023, a series of technological achievements have demonstrated Xiaomi's efforts and commitment to innovation. At Mobile World Congress 2023, Xiaomi showcased the company's first wireless augmented reality (AR) glasses to utilize distributed computing.

Connecting data from a smartphone to AR glasses with Xiaomi-developed high-speed interconnected modalities, the product is among the first to achieve "retina-level" displays, while also being designed for a more user-friendly experience with a lighter weight and more refined and innovative hand tracking.

In the field of advanced robotics, cutting-edge products, including the bio-inspired quadruped robot CyberDog 2 launched in August last year, have also reinforced Xiaomi's brand image as a leading consumer electronics and smart manufacturing company in the international market.

"In recognition of our efforts and commitment to innovation, the company was ranked among Boston Consulting Group's '50 Most Innovative Companies of 2023' this May," Xue said.

"BYD has put brand building in an important position in the development of the company, and leveraged technologies and qualities to empower products and therefore enhance brand influence," Brian Luo, BYD's assistant general manager of branding and public relations, told Xinhua.

Relying on its innovative capabilities in electric vehicle manufacturing, BYD has also made path-breaking achievements in overseas markets in the past 10 years.

The company has promoted new energy buses and taxis in international markets under its strategy of developing the electrification of urban public transportation, Luo said. So far, the company's electrification strategy has been implemented in more than 400 cities in over 70 countries and regions, he added.

As the company powers ahead in the globalization process, it has grown its presence worldwide with robust sales performances and endorsements.

The company's passenger EVs have entered 59 countries and regions, including Japan, Germany and Australia. By November, it had exported more than 200,000 new energy passenger cars to markets outside China.

Widely recognized by overseas consumers, a popular model of BYD — Atto 3 — has won international awards including the United Kingdom's Best Electric Car 2023 and Brazil's 2023 Best Car to Buy, Luo said.