Asian companies bigger brand names in China than European or US

Asian brands are creating greater marketing splash among Chinese consumers compared with European and US brands, said a research report released on Wednesday.

Samsung tops the list of influential foreign brands in Chinese market, followed by Apple, Hyundai Motor Group, Panasonic, LG, Canon, and Toyota, according to the China Brand Influence Research Report.

In general, Korean brands have better market influence than those from other countries and regions, the report said.

Co-released by China Social Responsibility 100 Forum and China Association for Quality Promotion, the report was written and edited by experts from China's leading think tank the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

The research report developed an index measuring brand influence in China, with parameters including consumer recognition and CSR fulfillment.

Zhong Hongwu, director of CSR research at CASS, said companies have rising awareness to build brand power in China. Although they have made great progress, there is still great room for development.

According to the report, about 50 percent of a total of 348 brands surveyed have their brand influence scores lower than 20 points. While 16 percent of brands have their index scored between 40 points and 60 points. Only 4 percent of brands have their influence scores surpassing 60 points.

State-owned enterprises like China Mobile have better brand influence (31.67 points) than private companies (21.27 points) and foreign companies (15.39 points).

On average, companies in the energy industry have bigger brand influence than others, with a score of 49.95 points, followed by banking, automobile, mobile phones, and internet industries.

Among all brands surveyed, China Mobile topped the list with 80.37 points as the most influential brand in China, followed by China Telecom, Samsung, China Unicom, and PetroChina.

"It's worth mentioning that although some companies enjoy high brand recognition among Chinese consumers, their brand reputation fail to make even," Zhong said.

According to Zhong, a total of 42 brands, including Baidu, BMW, and Huawei have relatively high brand recognition but low brand reputation.

Zhong pointed out those brands still need further CSR awareness and actions to build more positive brand reputations, as consumers today not only look at product quality, but also brands' contributions to the society when making purchasing decisions.