China Unicom has always been one of the Chinese brands I admire. It has helped pioneer the transformation of many state-owned enterprises, from Government-backed to market-driven, and as a brand it sets out to be a challenger. This website is one of the company's marketing tactics to promote its CDMA business, also known as Unicom Horizon. It has set the goal of building Unicom Horizon as a youthful, intelligent and innovative brand.
Unicom Horizon was a key advertiser during World Cup 2002. When you logged onto its site, a small window popped up announcing a lucky draw promotion tied in with the event. It also featured an illustration of Brazilian hero, Ronaldo. The entire site is brutally simple. There's none of the technological jargon that you come across in many other brands' communication materials. Instead, it simply concentrates on its customer service and promotional offers.
The site is, naturally, user-friendly. I assume this is a core value that the brand is working to establish with consumers, both online and offline.
Overall, this is an excellent case study of how leading Chinese brands are evolving from brand building to relationship building. To become a successful challenger brand, China Unicom should take a bolder approach in pushing creativity to the edge, just as Pepsi and Virgin Airlines have done.
