Organized by the Bureau of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Economic Affairs, and executed by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), BusinessNext and Interbrand, the survey of the Top Taiwan Global Brands 2007 is presented on July 26. ASUS replaces last year’s champion and ranks first, while HTC ranks 4th.
Taiwan’s top global brands grew strongly in 2007, with the Top 20 brands being 33% more valuable than last year and a total brand value reaching NT$280.546 billion (US$8.444 billion). This follows a strong year of general growth in Taiwanese companies, reflecting improved brand momentum.
The release of the Top Taiwan Global Brands reveals that Taiwan is not only a global leader of ODMs, EMS and in the supply chain, but also has a good opportunity in regional and global branded market. This development conforms to the “Branding Taiwan” initiatives launched by the Bureau of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Economics in collaboration with the private enterprises.
The 2007 top ten winners are ASUS, TRENDMICRO, ACER, HTC, MASTER KONG, D-LINK, ZYXEL, MAXXIS, JOHNSON, and BenQ.
Top eleven to twenty are SYNNEX, GIANT, ADVANTECH, A-DATA, UNI-PRESIDENT, TRANSCEND, GIGABYTE, MERIDA, GENIUS and DEPO.
For the past four years, only the Top 10 Taiwan Global Brands are awarded. However, in light of the brilliant performance of the Taiwan global brands coming from a good variety of industries and stronger brand management, the top 20 brands will be given awards in the Fifth Annual Valuation of Taiwanese Global Brand Values.
Master Kong is the winner of this year’s “Rising Star” special award among the top 20 with an increasing CAGR of 26% since 2004. The “Emerging Brand” special award goes to Global Union, a premium brand of bathroom and kitchen equipment. Global Union has successfully established fast-growing and high-margin brands of GOBO in China, Danze and Gerber with its particular strength in the USA. The Emerging Brands special award is subject to the potential nominated brands outside of the top 20.
All the top 4 Taiwan Global Brands 2007 reached a climax with value exceeding US$1 billion.
The value of the top 4 Taiwan Global Brands 2007 increased with ASUS valued at NT$39.748 billion (US$1.196 billion), TRENDMICRO at NT$37.944 billion (US$1.142 billion), ACER at NT$35.524 billion (US$1.069 billion) and HTC at NT$34.385 billion (US$1.035 billion.)
According to TAITRA President Chao Yung-chuan, the list reflects Taiwan brands as blossoming to their full potential and the competition between the top few ranks is stiff, with ASUS replacing TRENDMICRO this year, which ranked first in the past four years. The total brand value of the top four companies has exceeded NT$140 billion, showing that Taiwan has cultivated many globally competitive enterprises. MASTER KONG, MERIDA and GENIUS enjoy a growth rate of over 70% in brand value, reflecting the momentum of Taiwanese brands.
The abundant and vibrant industry clusters supported by the government and the private enterprises have been very helpful in the development of the Taiwan Global Brands. Enterprises in similar fields like A-DATA and TRANSCEND, U-LEAD and ZYXEL have also made their brands stronger in the international arena while competing with its competitors in Taiwan and abroad. The achievements of the top Taiwan Global Brands bring Taiwan closer to its goal of brand diversity.
The fifth annual league table of Taiwanese global brands is conducted according to Interbrand’s methodology. It has been used to value the World’s 100 most valuable brands (published by BusinessWeek). The brand valuation methodology combines financial analysis, the Role of Branding Index and the Brand Strength Score, providing a concrete indicator for Taiwan brands in the global market.
Top Taiwan Global Brands 2007
Rank
2007(2006) Brand Company Brand Value(Million USD) Brand Value(Million NTD) Growth (2006-2007)
1 (2) ASUS ASUSTek Computer Inc. 1,196 39,748 13%
2 (1) TRANDMICRO Trend Micro Incorporated 1,142 37,944 3%
3 (3) ACER Acer Incorporated 1,069 35,524 25%
4 (- ) HTC High Tech Computer Corp. 1,035 34,385 -
5 (4) MASTERKONG Tingyi ( Cayman Islands ) Holding Corp. 726 24,112 79%
6 (10) D-LINK D-Link Corporation 347 11,531 40%
7 (7) ZYXEL ZyXEL Communications Corporation 321 10,677 25%
8 (6) MAXXIS CHENG SHIN RUBBER IND. CO., LTD. 309 10,271 17%
9 (9) JOHNSON Johnson Health Tech. Co., Ltd. 302 10,035 21%
10 (5) BENQ BenQ Corporation 293 9,749 -27%
11 (11) SYNNEX Synnex Technology International Corporation 269 8,925 16%
12 (8) GIANT Giant Inc. 248 8,238 -1%
13 (12) ADVANTECH Advantech Co. Ltd. 234 7,785 13%
14 (14) A-DATA A-DATA Technology Co., Ltd. 199 6,612 46%
15 (13) UNI-PRESIDENT UNI-PRESIDENT ENTERPRISES Corp. 187 6,213 -9%
16 (15) TRANSCEND Transcend Information, Inc. 184 6,108 43%
17 (16) GIGABYTE GIGA-BYTE TECHNOLOGY Co., Ltd. 111 3,681 5%
18 (18) MERIDA MERIDA INDUSTRY Co., Ltd. 99 3,297 71%
19 (19) GENIUS KYE SYSTEMS Corp. 98 3,269 85%
20 (17) DEPO DEPO AUTO PARTS IND. Co., Ltd. 74 2,442 5%
Rising Star and Emerging Brand 2007
Rising Star MASTERKONG
Emerging Brand DANZE
(GLOBE UNION INDUSTRIAL CORP.)
Top Taiwan Global Brands 2007
Acer
Founded as Multitech in 1976, Acer designed Taiwan’s first mass-produced computer for export in 1980. Acer now ranks as the world’s No. 4 branded PC vendor and was voted Reader’s Digest gold-medal computer Trusted Brand for the ninth consecutive year in 2007. Acer is growing faster than its key competitors and in the first quarter of 2007 achieved its desire to be the #3 global PC brand. The brand is viewed increasingly as a global brand. (http://www.acer.com)
A-DATA
A-DATA is one of the world’s largest memory product and flash peripherals providers. 2007 has been a strong year of growth for A-DATA in a competitive market, with the brand moving up to #4 in global flash memory and retaining its #2 ranking in DRAM. A-DATA successfully distinguishes itself from price-oriented competitors through product and brand development. (http://www.adata.com.tw)
Advantech
Advantech, established in 1983, is a manufacturer of industrial computers and computer peripheral equipment. Their expertise lies in the extensive customization of ePlatform services and the brand remains, in 2007, the global leader in embedded motherboards. Advantech plans to shift from being a product company to a solution provider, which it hopes will increase brand exposure in the future. (http://www.advantech.tw)
ASUS
Launched in 1990, ASUS is a leading provider of computers, communications, and consumer electronics (3C) solutions. As one of the leading notebook brand in innovation and quality, ASUS was named top in quality and service by the Wall Street Journal Asia. The brand has established two successful milestones with its notebooks in recent years: the launch of the leather notebook series and the ASUS-Lamborghini notebook series. The ASUS notebook business is estimated to grow 64% in 2007 and the brand is poised to expand further into the U.S., Japanese, and Korean markets. (http://www.asus.com)
BenQ
BenQ is a well-known regional consumer electronics brand that principally manufactures, develops, and sells computer peripherals and telecommunication products. In 2005, BenQ acquired Siemens AG’s mobile devices to become the world’s sixth largest handset maker. But the acquisition failed after one year. Nevertheless, with its attractive brand image, BenQ has much potential to emerge as a strong industry player. The economic trend of emerging markets, such as China, also bodes well for BenQ, as the need for 3C products is likely to rise. (http://www.benq.com)
Depo
With a history of over 30 thirty years, Depo is a manufacturer and seller of various car accessories. It changed its name in the last few years from a Mandarin one to reflect a more international brand. While U.S. sales and penetration have increased significantly, Depo is moving into the original equipment sales market, where it has won contracts with GM as well as with Daimler Chrysler. (http://www.depo.com.tw)
D-Link
D-Link is a global leader in the design, manufacture, and marketing of advanced networking, broadband, digital, voice, and data communications solutions. The brand has had a brisk year of growth, sustaining its #1 position in networking routers. Future progress looks encouraging for D-Link as it emerges as a strong globally-recognized brand in its market, with promising growth potential in WiMAX, UWB, and Digital homes. (http://www.dlinktw.com.tw)
Genius
Established in 1983, Genius is a leading PC peripherals company, manufacturing, processing, and trading electronic and optical products. Genius is the second largest mouse provider in the world and the brand has a particularly strong presence in Russia, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East, where its market share is more than 30%. Genius has had a good year with strong revenue growth following the success of its wireless mouse products. (http://www.geniusnet.com)
Giant
Developed for the Taiwanese market in 1981 and internationally in 1986, Giant has become one of the world’s best known and biggest bicycle brands, producing bicycles, indoor fitness equipment, exercise machines, and related spare parts. In 2006 Team T-Mobile’s win in the Tour de France on Giant’s bikes helped the brand gain awareness and strengthened its superior image. Giant uses its differentiated products and excellent quality to build its brand. (http://www.giant-bicycles.com)
GIGABYTE
GIGABYTE is a manufacturer of computer hardware products, best known for its motherboards, and graphics accelerators. In recent years, GIGABYTE has invested considerable resources to develop consumer electronics including Notebook PCs, mobile phones and digital home appliances, leveraging its known brand strength in the IT industry. (http://www.gigabyte.com.tw)
HTC
Founded in 1997, High Tech Computer Corp. (HTC) designs, manufactures and markets innovative, feature rich Smartphone and PDA Phone devices.
Since its establishment, HTC has developed strong R&D capabilities, pioneered many new designs and product innovations, and launched state-of-the-art PDA Phones and Smartphones for mobile operators and distributors in Europe, the US, and Asia. These machines are available as HTC devices and as products individually customized for operator and device partners. (http://www.htc.com)
Johnson
Johnson specializes in the designing and production of fitness and rehabilitative medical equipment. The Johnson brand has grown strongly, at an estimated 40% a year, and has been winning a number of leading health awards, particularly for its treadmills. Although its operations commenced in 1976, Johnson products have been marketed actively only since 1995. (http://www.johnsonfitness.com)
Master Kong
Master Kong is the renowned instant noodle brand of Tingyi Holding Corp and has become a household name in China since its launch in 1992. Master Kong enjoys high brand recognition, supported by a strong manufacturing base and logistics network. In addition, an AC Nielson study in 2006 showed that the brand has been China’s instant noodle market leader for the past ten years. The past year saw Master Kong experience sales and margin improvements, and strong performance of both its high-end noodle bowls and green tea in an expanding market. (http://www.masterkong.com.tw)
Maxxis
Maxxis of Cheng Shin Rubber Co. manufactures high quality tires used in motorcycles, bicycles, and lawn and garden machines, among other devices. Ranked #12 in the global tire market and the Taiwan market leader, Maxxis has had a strong year, with growing market share and a sustained price premium. The brand maintains its exposure through international sponsorship deals; its adoption by General Motors as a major supplier also strengthens its brand reputation. Further, Maxxis has plans to set up hundreds of “Centres of Excellence” service centres in the UK to boost its brand image. (http://www.maxxis.com)
Merida
2007 is looking to be a strong year of growth and brand image improvements for Merida, as shown by its rising profit margins and strong financial outlook. The bike manufacturing company has moved forward in the past three years and is recognized as one of the top global bicycle brands. (http://www.merida.tw)
Synnex
Synnex Corporation is a global IT supply chain services company, with strengths in IT distribution, contract assembly, and logistics services. Synnex is Taiwan’s largest hi-tech product distribution and service provider, and the corporation has made consistent brand investment in the past few years. A rising sales contribution from China and the newly added handset distribution business in 2007 has also helped drive Synnex’s sales and profit growth. (http://www.synnex.com.tw)
Transcend
Since its founding in 1988, Transcend has focused on building its own brand, and recently revitalized its corporate identity in 2007. Specializing in computer memory modules, and various multimedia products and accessories, Transcend broke record with its sale of 5 million memory cards and USB flash drives in March 2007. Such success is the result of its successful marketing campaigns and stronger brand perceptions. Transcend has always sought to create trends by developing daring new peripherals to suit the modern lifestyle in order to capture market share. (http://www.transcend.com.tw)
Trend Micro
Trend Micro Incorporated is a global leader in network antivirus and internet content security software and services. The brand has been the global leader in the internet gateway protection for the last seven years. Trend Micro has seen a solid year of growth in the increasingly competitive global market of 2007. (http://www.trendmicro.com)
Uni-President
Founded in 1967, Uni-President is Taiwan’s largest food company and one of its largest conglomerates, exporting everything from food products to animal feeds through its companies and affiliates. Within Asia, the brand is a strong leader in beverages and gains a distinct advantage through diversification and channel ownership. Its upcoming sponsorship of the 2008 Olympics is likely to strengthen the Uni-President brand and challenge Master Kong’s market share. (http://www.uni-president.com.tw)
ZyXEL
ZyXEL, launched in 1989, is primarily a provider of complete broadband access and networking solutions for service providers, businesses, and home users. The brand focuses on simple modern design to differentiate itself from competitors and this has contributed to its positive brand image and the high regard it receives from the broadband SME market. In 2007, ZyXEL sustained its #1 position in wireless gateways and has grown its wireless router share through strong design focus and improved marketing. (http://www.zyxel.com)
Rising Star Brand
Master Kong
Master Kong is winning the noodle war in China, gaining substantial market share from its major competitor and other smaller brands in the market. The brand has developed a substantial price premium over its competitors through its focus on launching innovative, higher-end products, such as noodle bowls and cups.
Tingyi’s consistency in its communications of the Master Brand through its chef icon has ensured unrivalled recognition of Master Kong amongst China’s instant noodle and ready-to-drink tea brands, contributing to substantial brand strength improvements, from 47 in 2005 to 53 this year. Master Kong has increased its brand value by 101% in the past three years (a CAGR of 26% since 2004). (http://www.masterkong.com.tw)
Emerging Brand
Danze
Although Danze was established by Global Union as recently as 2000, it has developed a strong position as a premium, high-margin brand of bathroom and kitchen equipment. Danze is the company’s fastest-growing and highest-margin brand, with particular strength in the U.S. (http://www.globeunion.com)
