Samsung leads brand charts in Asia

HONG KONG: Samsung, Sony and Nestlé are among the brands that consumers in Asia value the most highly, according to a new survey.

Campaign Asia, the trade title, and Nielsen, the insights provider, polled 4,800 shoppers in 12 markets – including Australia, China, India and Japan – to identify their 1,000 favourite brands.

Samsung, the South Korean electronics group, took the top spot, having claimed second place last year. Figures from Nielsen suggest the company spent $866m on ads in Asia Pacific in 2011.

"Samsung has a product almost everywhere you look, from mobile to appliances to cameras," said Zayn Khan, CEO Asia-Pacific of FutureBrand, the brand consultancy. "They spend heavily on media, which helps the brand be even more pervasive."

Apple, the US manufacturer of the iPad and iPod, rose from sixth to second spot year on year, while Sony, the Japanese electronics firm, was third, after claiming first place some 12 months ago.

Nestlé, the food group, took fourth. Panasonic was fifth, while Canon and LG also made the top ten, confirming the dominance of electronics manufacturers among the preeminent players.

"This is a reflection of the high involvement level consumers have with these product categories, especially handheld devices and entertainment electronics, in an increasingly connected world," Therese Glennon, Nielsen's managing director, consumer insights and innovation, APMEA, said.

Apple led in China, ahead of Nestlé and Chanel, the luxury label. Sony, Samsung and Uni-president, another food specialist, came next. Panasonic, sports brand Nike, Canon, and coffee chain Starbucks completed the local top ten.

While last year eight of the Chinese top 20 were indigenous players this year there were only three: Tong Ren Tang, the pharma expert; Master Kong, a food and beverage maker; and Haier, the electronics manufacturer.

In Asia as a whole, no Chinese brand made the top 100. Lenovo, the IT group, ranked 131st, was the best-performer.

"The fact that there are no home-grown Chinese brands in the Top 100 ... reiterates the challenges Chinese brands are facing to gain consumer recognition beyond their home markets," said Jolene Otremba, reports editor for Campaign Asia-Pacific.

Similarly, Amul, the dairy group, was the leading asset headquartered in India, but only stood in 133rd position at the regional level.

Data sourced from Campaign Asia; additional content by Warc staff, 6 July 2012

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