MUMBAI: Huawei advanced to become the world’s 40th most valuable brand in 2017, up seven places from its position a year ago, according to the “Global 500 2017 world’s most valuable brands” list. In its annual ranking, British brand valuation firm Brand Finance, the world’s leading brand valuation firm, valued the Huawei brand at US$ 25.23 billion, up 28% from the previous year.
Every year, Brand Finance evaluates thousands of global brands to determine its “Brand Finance Global 500” list of today’s most valuable brands. In 2017, Brand Finance used its Royalty Relief methodology to calculate a theoretical brand royalty rate. The rate estimates the theoretical cost of utilizing a brand, based on the assumption that the brand is not already owned. The evaluation also included a thorough analysis of public awareness, brand loyalty, promotional events, marketing investment, employee satisfaction and corporate reputation. Brand Finance also took into account the brand’s future anticipated income.
In 2016, Huawei boosted its worldwide branding efforts through a series of device launches and global marketing campaigns. Thanks to its innovative, premium flagship P and Mate Series smartphones, which represent Huawei’s industry-leading design, Huawei’s brand made significant global gains last year. In 2016, Huawei shipped over 140 million smartphones globally, which made it the world’s third largest vendor, with a market share of 10%, up 29% from a year ago. Figures indicate that Huawei is growing faster than the industry average. Huawei Consumer Business Group revenue for 2016 topped 178 billion RMB, an increase of 42% from 2015, marking the fifth consecutive year of steady growth.
To continue to raise its brand profile worldwide, Huawei focused on implementing world-class global marketing campaigns that included design, fashion, entertainment and sports. According to an IPSOS survey, Huawei’s global brand recognition rose to 81% in 2016, up from 76% in 2015. The success of Huawei’s branding efforts is best reflected by customer sentiment. Overseas customer consideration and preference improved significantly by 66.7% and 100% respectively, compared to 2015.
Brand Finance isn’t the only organization that has recognized Huawei’s significant brand impact. In fact, multiple global agencies have noted Huawei’s rising star, including WPP’s Millward Brown, BrandZ and Interbrand. Published by WPP’s Millward Brown, BrandZ ranked Huawei at No. 50 on the Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands list, while Interbrand named Huawei No. 72 on its 100 Best Global Brands of 2016. Huawei has featured on both lists for consecutive years, demonstrating Huawei’s continued successes in building an exceptional global brand.
