In March, smartphone maker Xiaomi registered the biggest boost in word-of-mouth exposure in Hong Kong, according to YouGov BrandIndex.

Xiaomi registered the biggest boost in word-of-mouth (WOM) exposure in Hong Kong for the month of March of all the brands we track in the market.

Data from YouGov BrandIndex, which tracks consumer perceptions toward brands on a daily basis worldwide, shows that the proportion of people who are talking about the smartphone maker saw an uplift of six percentage points during the four-week period.

On March 12, Xiaomi announced that it would be starting deliveries of its first electric vehicles (EVs) that month, pitting it against established EV makers BYD and Tesla, as the company seeks to diversify its business.

Separately, Xiaomi also held a “Fan Festival” sale from late March to early April, which offered special discounts on selected products for customers who purchase them during the campaign period.

According to data from YouGov BrandIndex, Xiaomi’s WOM exposure score rose from 10.7 on 3rd March to 16.7 by 31st March. WOM exposure is a BrandIndex metric that measures the percentage of people who have spoken with their family or friends about a particular brand in the previous two weeks.

Additionally, luxury fashion brand Chanel recorded a six-point spike in WOM exposure from 13.0 on 14th March to 18.7 by 31st March, while online travel agency Trip.com saw its WOM exposure climb 5.7 points from 12.9 on 4th March to 18.3 by 31st March.

Methodology

YouGov BrandIndex collects data on thousands of brands every day. A brand’s WOM exposure score is based on the question: “Which of the following brands have you talked about with friends and family in the past two weeks (whether in person, online or through social media)?” (% Yes). Data from surveys of adults aged 18 years and above residing in Hong Kong from 1st–31st March, 2024. WOM exposure scores are based on a four-week moving average, with the change in scores for each brand calculated by taking the difference between the highest and lowest scoring days within the period.