ASIA'S TOP 1000 BRANDS: Breakfast Briefing in Shanghai

The top 10 brands among Chinese consumers are Apple as the ace brand, along with Nestlé, Chanel, Sony, Samsung, Uni-president, Panasonic, Nike, Canon and Starbucks.

According to Rob Campbell, regional head of strategy at Wieden+Kennedy, Apple has created something that allows people to feel a sense of belonging, which has struck the difference between a great brand and a popular brand." Apple speaks to me like a human being," he said.
"They don't just sell products, they create experiences and a frame of reference for them."

Overall, the top 10 list in China is an "interesting, eclectic bunch of brands, but should not be taken as a blueprint, because some brands in the list may not be well-loved but just well-distributed", he said.

"Starbucks bringing coffee to the land of tea via its distribution network is astounding, but what they really did was to challenge the hearts and minds of tea-drinkers," Campbell said. This is proof that what drives real brand growth is not easy, packaged ads, and is not even latched to distribution or pricing, he said.

Group acceptance is a very important aspect of Chinese culture, but marketers have fallen into the trap of using status to show superiority, Campbell said.

"It's far more than living higher than perceived expectations," he continued. "Trust is the most important word in the marketing landscape in China. People doubt you because they think you may make them look bad if they trust you and you fail to deliver, so don’t treat branding as 'only' advertising. If you want people to start engaging with you against all rationale, you've got to treat them with respect."

This mindset is even more powerful given the current economic slowdown, as people begin to look more consciously for something more meaningful in brands that they want to associate with. "So you need to make people feel, not just spend," Campbell told a room of 74 marketers this morning in Shanghai.

Whoever who can grasp this concept will be a power brand because China lives in "dog years"—a year in China is equivalent to seven years elsewhere, he said.

Developing relational customers instead of transactional ones is the key, agreed Jeff Stewart, managing director of consumer research in Greater China for Nielsen.

He advised Chinese marketers to focus on the following tips for the rest of the year:

• Offer benefits that are unique, different, noticeable.
• Land your message in relevant media for maximum brand awareness.
• Be relevant to consumers' needs and desires by offering credible advantages over the competition.