China's Tech Power Brands Choose Outdoor

 
Technology is becoming the order of the day in China, as the 2015 BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Chinese Brands report revealed (Source: Millward Brown). The power of Outdoor advertising is not lost on these tech giants. Outdoor enables these brands to make the leap from screen to reality, empowering them to build relationships with their consumers and leave a lasting impression in the process.
The internet service company Tencent doubled in brand value over the past year to snatch the title of “Most Valuable Brand” from the long-term leader China Mobile, which had held the top spot since 2011. Tencent, showing an understanding of the outdoor audience, recently executed an innovative campaign with JCDecaux to introduce its games in Beijing Metro – an environment with high daily footfall levels. Passengers were treated to a mix of interactive and eye-catching platforms showcasing the games created by China’s largest internet service company. Digital screens were set up for people to try the PK game, while a domination area simulated FIFA gaming scenes. The engaging environment of online games was brought to life and provided entertainment for passengers during their metro journeys
 
Furthermore, an important trend highlighted in the report was the growing presence of Chinese brands in the international advertising arena. Two brands – the electronics company Lenovo and the telecom equipment manufacturer ZTE acquired over half of their revenue from outside China in 2014. Lenovo, like Tencent, made full use of Outdoor’s ability to deliver eye-catching campaigns by working with JCDecaux in a variety of markets from the UK to Algeria.
   
Other notable trends from the report include:

• Increasing dominance of privately-owned brands compared to government-owned ones While all Top 5 brands were state-owned in 2011, three of this year’s Top 5 brands (Tencent, Alibaba and Baidu) are privately owned. These 3 brands represent around half (48%) of the value of the Top 10.
• Convergence of technology and retail To keep up with changes in shopping behaviour, retailers in China are beginning to embrace the growing use of technology by consumers, partnering with technology brands to deliver mobile payment solutions and digitalised products and services. JCDecaux currently operates in 35 cities in China including Hong Kong and Macau, providing the most diversified Outdoor media portfolio via our metro, airport, bus, street furniture and campus offerings. Get in touch with JCDecaux OneWorld to explore your international opportunities in Outdoor that China’s tech giants are already benefiting from!