As Chinese tech companies like Alibaba, Tencent and Sina’s Weibo expand abroad, Nathan Vanderklippe at The Globe and Mail reports on telecom giant Huawei’s efforts to build a global brand on word of mouth backed by a $300 million marketing budget:
Eager to sell the world more phones, and stung by allegations that its Chinese origins might make it a security threat – allegations it strongly denies – Huawei is attempting to remake itself as a company far beyond its roots in southern China. Its main ambition now is to “build a globally leading brand for smart devices that is loved and trusted by consumers,” Eric Xu, one of its rotating triumvirate of chief executives, said Wednesday at the company’s annual investor conference.
The company just has to figure out how, a challenge that will involve sorting out how to make a Chinese brand appeal to a global audience.
[…] Yet the company, like many in China, faces a difficult path to global hearts and minds. Mr. Xu, for example, said Huawei “will not engage in a significant advertising campaign. Instead, we want to leverage word of mouth to gradually build our brand.” Huawei wants to raise its worldwide brand recognition by 58 per cent this year. But the plans it describes offer few clear details. In detailing its mobile phone strategy, for example, Huawei showed a complex flowchart with goals like “establish accessible premium credentials.” [Source]
Read more about Huawei via CDT.
