Source: Oglivy
Author: Chris Reitermann, Chief Executive, Asia & Greater China Oglivy
Published: October 2020
This piece was part of the BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable
Chinese Brands report. Access the full report here.
“It’s China’s World” claimed
Fortune magazine on the release of its eponymous list of the top 500 companies
for 2019. For the first time in the 29-year history of the Fortune Global 500,
Chinese companies surpassed their American counterparts, accounting for 129 of
the world’s 500 largest corporations by revenue.
Chinese consumers’ appetite
for new technology, combined with a fierce entrepreneurial spirit and low
barriers to digitization have propelled Chinese tech and e-commerce companies
to the forefront of their industries and helped them gain a strong foothold on
the global stage.
The shift in economic power
is undeniable. But in terms of brand power, the imbalance between China and its
foreign peers remains; Chinese brands still punch far below their weight on the
global stage. Of the 24 Chinese companies ranked in the Fortune 100, only six
made it into the 2019 BrandZ™ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands ranking. One
major factor for this lag in performance is limited exposure to the
fundamentals of branding among Chinese CEOs and CMOs. For decades, Chinese
companies have put short-term tactics with a focus on boosting the bottom-line
at the core of their strategic agendas. This exclusively sales-oriented mindset
is no longer sustainable, especially at a time where Chinese companies are
relying on overseas expansion for growth.
What’s holding Chinese
brands back on the global scene? What will it take for Chinese brands to become
true household names in the next decade? To succeed abroad, Chinese brands need
to overcome three urgent challenges: trust, talent, and cultural differences.
Establishing trust
Establishing trust is now
more than ever a major stumbling block on Chinese companies’ global expansion
journey. Research we conducted in late 2019 among 40 high-profile Chinese
companies confirms this: 46 percent of surveyed CMOs identified local policy and
navigating local regulations as the number one challenge in achieving their
global ambitions. In an economic climate underpinned by growing protectionism,
fragile trade alliances and slowing growth, concerns surrounding Chinese brands
and their rapid cross-border expansion are only intensifying. Add to that some
deeply-rooted negative perceptions and skepticism towards “China Inc.” Chinese
brands are required to redouble their efforts to be viewed overseas as reliable
manufacturers, business partners, or even employers.
There needs to be a
fundamental shift in the way Chinese companies perceive branding; more than a
set of marketing tactics, branding should be the driving force behind the
company’s overall business strategy, affecting everything from the company
purpose (why are we in business and why is it good for the world and the
consumers who buy our products?) all the way to product innovation (how is this
product delivering on the overall company purpose?). A strong brand can lay the
foundation for a successful overseas expansion, it can drive familiarity and
with it trust that resonates with key stakeholders. Successful brands today all
have one thing in common: they meet the needs of all their stakeholders, from
investors and governments to media and consumers. The essence of a brand needs
to be universal, but the delivery needs to consider local cultures.
Finding multi-talented
people
People are the linchpin to
business performance and competitiveness in any market. But with global
expansion
comes the need for a new breed of talent, and more specifically employees that
master multiple languages, boast extensive industry knowledge and possess
strong cross-cultural management skills. Among our China CMO survey
participants, 43 percent highlighted “attracting talent” as one of their
biggest challenges when expanding overseas.
Finding the right talent at
the right time in the right place can already prove difficult for brands in
their domestic market. How can they solve the talent equation at a global scale?
At Ogilvy, we believe this all boils down to establishing and nurturing a
strong employer brand. The ROI on employer brand building can be tremendous: a
strong employer brand, supported by a well-articulated vision, results in
increased staff motivation, engagement, and retention, all contributing to a
better overall image for the brand at a macro level.
Impact of cultural
differences
There is no shortcut to
global success— brands that believe they can simply replicate their domestic
success in foreign markets often learn the hard way. On their quest for clout
overseas, Chinese firms often underestimate the impact of cultural differences
on their interactions with key stakeholders, including:
Employees: The results from our China
CMO Study showed that cultural differences were the number one challenge
(identified by 57 percent of respondents) faced by globalizing Chinese
companies as part of their talent strategy. Chinese brands must acknowledge any
discrepancies in working hours, communication styles and approaches to
hierarchy when expanding into new markets. Compare for example the quirky perks
that have turned internet giants in Silicon Valley into iconic employers to the
grueling 996 work schedule prevalent in the Chinese tech industry. Without transcending
the “Chinese way” of thinking and acting, Chinese brands’ global ventures will
be doomed from the outset.
Business and institutional
partners: The
most successful global brands are the ones that are committed to understanding
the divergence in decision-making patterns, business etiquette and
administrative protocols between their country of origin and the country they
are expanding to. Understanding these differences is a prerequisite to
establish trust with trade partners, suppliers, government agencies and to
preserve the brand’s reputational health on the long term.
Consumers: Chinese brands need to
strike the right balance between maintaining their unique identity and
localizing their communications and marketing campaigns to their target audiences.
Brands need to be culturally relevant and reframe their message to foster an
emotional connection with their potential customers. The idiosyncratic nature
of the Chinese digital and social media ecosystem also means that brands need
to familiarize themselves with an entirely new set of platforms and apps to get
their message across.
Every globalization journey
is unique, and there isn’t a one-size-fits-all strategy that can guarantee
success for all aspiring global Chinese brands. As we enter a new decade and
despite the economic ebb and flow, Chinese brands’ ambition to outclass their
foreign competitors is still intact, if not stronger than before. Our study—
Globalizing in a New Economic Reality: Making Chinese Brands Matter
Globally—confirms what we firmly believe. China can reshape the global brand
landscape in a record time. But it depends on fusing time-tested best branding
practices to earn trust, attract to talent, and surmount cultural differences
with Chinese companies’ entrepreneurial mindset and stellar innovation
capabilities.
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For questions regarding the article, kindly contact Chris
Reitermann (Chris.Reitermann@ogilvy.com)