Tencent, Alibaba and China Construction Bank Remain in Top 3 While Five New Brands Enter Top 50 Ranking

Shanghai, China, May 30, 2019 – Interbrand, the world’s leading brand consultancy, today released its 2019 Best China Brands report. Tencent, Alibaba and China Construction Bank were listed as the top three most valuable brands for the third year in a row, and five brands including Xiaomi (14th), Meituan (25th), SF Express (30th), Geely Automobile (36th) and Suning (50th) made the top 50 for the first time ever.

Compared to last year, the valuation of Chinese brands rose significantly. The total value of the top 50 brands increased by 15%. Alibaba, Tencent and Haier (23rd) saw the highest growth of 48%, 39% and 38% respectively. Tencent and Alibaba not only operated their own brands but also further built platforms to guide the growth of other brands, ultimately upgrading the equity of their own brands. Because of their new roles in the Chinese brand ecosystem, their Brand Strength and Role of Brand were effectively improved, which was clearly reflected in their brand value.

Furthermore, 2019 proves to be a fruitful year for Chinese white spirit brands. Moutai (12th), Wuliangye (19th) and Luzhou Laojiao (35th) have sped up brand management structure in recent years – and three brands all performed well on this year’s list.

With Xiaomi, Meituan and SF Express going public last year, the market remains confident in their performance and potential. Within a year, the brand valuation of these three brands rose quickly – enabling them to enter the top 50 ranking and significantly influence the 2019 list.

Nikki Lin, Managing Director of Interbrand Greater China, said, “As China’s economy continues to transform from ‘Made in China’ to ‘Intelligent Manufacturing in China’, and from high-speed development to high-quality development, brand building is being upgraded on a strategically national level. Under the guiding principles of rejuvenating the country through manufacturing and making the country powerful through brand building, we have witnessed astonishing growth in the value of Chinese brands. We can see the brands’ enthusiasm to forge ahead in the fierce market competition and their determination to make China known for having strong brands.”

Cecilia Yu, Sr. Director, Strategy, Interbrand Greater China, shared four general trends that the most valuable Chinese brands showcase: shifting consumer expectations, forcing internal commitment to change, daring to think and act, and generating extraordinary results.

Yu said, “Alibaba’s HeMa adopts a new retail business model and emphasizes home delivery within 30 minutes after ordering, which has changed consumers’ expectation about convenience and fast delivery. Haier has transformed from focusing on low-priced products and sales to creating brands and high-quality products. It has made significant adjustments to its organizational structure and established project teams with entrepreneurial spirit and full control. It has also created a proactive and agile internal corporate culture and effectively enhanced internal enthusiasm for change. Huawei, ranked 11^th in this year’s list, has gradually expanded globally from a local Chinese enterprise. It is actively investing in 5G and IoT R&D. With impressive brand operation and excellent foresight, it surpassed Apple in global sales for the first time in 2019. It is one of the best examples of a brand that dares to dream big and is able to make their dreams come true.”

“In the past year, Tencent not only made our day-to-day life more intelligent with social networking innovation but also: as a digital assistant, expanding its technology capabilities in AI and cloud services as well as healthcare and transportation. Tencent has also utilized its technological creative capabilities in traditional cultural spaces such as its work on the Palace Museum and with Dunhuang Academy. It has created phenomenal cultural innovation services and helped promote cultural inheritance.”

“Even though gaming is their biggest source of income, Tencent has actively launched the anti-addiction system (a rare feature in today’s day and age), helping parents effectively manage teenagers’ playtime. It’s the combination of new technology, neo-cultural creativity and social responsibility that has corroborated its new mission of ‘Tech for Social Good’ – proving that a brand philosophy can achieve extraordinary results – financially and socially. I encourage all Chinese brands to take more active, bolder actions and gain higher brand value by capturing opportunities.”

For the complete Top 50 rankings, Historical Rankings, and an Interactive Chart of this year’s Best China brands, please click here.