Both brands increase engagement by 20%+ in last three months 

• Nike, Coca-Cola and Yili make up the top five, all soon to leverage Olympics 

Beijing, May 2012 – According to research by R3, two brands in China have significantly increased their Engagement through the first three months of 2012, 

by more impactful and memorable marketing and building brand loyalty.

Greg Paull, Principal, R3 

“Apple’s Index has risen 23% in just three month and China Mobile likewise had had more than a 20% growth” said Greg Paull, Principal for R3. “This was an 

important time for Apple with the new iPad global launch and the iPhone 4S in full China distribution – they truly leveraged paid, own and earned media better than anyone else in China” he added. 

Also improving from smaller bases this month were three companies closely associated with the upcoming London Olympics – Nike, Coca-Cola and Yili. 

“Chinese consumers still have fond memories of Beijing 2008 and all three of these brands are using athletes to enhance their perceptions and brand connections” added Mr Paull. 

R3’s En-Spire study is a proprietary consumer research covering 1,500 consumers every three months in China’s top ten cities. The project aims to look at Brand Engagement on three levels 

  • Brand Love – which brands consumers spontaneously mention as their favorite brands 
  • Brand Recall – based on the most recalled brands online, and connected to TV and celebrity assets 
  • Brand Values – the intrinsic ingredients of each brand 

“Chinese react to brands on multiple levels – while China Mobile performs the strongest by far amongst telecom operators, Apple over-delivers on Brand Values –” people clearly identify with the brand and its purpose on multiple levels” added Mr 

Paull. 

BAIDU, SINA WEIBO MOVE AHEAD OF TAOBAO TO BE CHINA’S MOST ENGAGING DIGITAL BRANDS 

The study also measures consumer engagement with more than 800 media assets , including TV programs and online brands. In this wave, both Baidu and Sina Weibo excelled on all attributes – “Sina Weibo also grew its score by more than 20% this wave, and more than 56% in the last six months – on this trajectory, it will replace Baidu within three months at the top of all digital players” said Mr 

Paull. “Access points for Weibo are also changing significantly, as China goes more mobile – people are now , for the first time, more likely to access Weibo using their smartphone (65%) , ahead of their laptop or PC (62% each) – and already 23% are accessing Weibo using a tablet” he added. 

UNLIKE IN THE WEST, MOST MICRO BLOGGERS HAVE MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS 

While Sina leads all other Weibo brands for recall, Tencent remains a close second, reflecting the nature of consumers using multiple accounts. Of those using Weibo, 70% are using both Tencent and Sina. “Since early 2011, both companies have been fighting for more and more celebrity accounts, so we’re going to see this 

multiple usage for the foreseeable future” said Mr Paull. “Tencent have also been very active to leverage their Weibo through promotion on other assets including Q-Zone and WeChat” he added. 

COCA-COLA, NIKE LEAD WEIBO FOLLOWER RECALL 

The study also asks consumers to recall the brands they most passionately interact with and follow on Weibo. Here, Coca-Cola and Nike lead the way in recall. 

“Coke have used Weibo from the very beginning for promotions, games, regards and news – in short , they have led the way in driving engagement, and it plays out in consumer feedback” says Mr Paull.

“All three leading sports brands also make the Top Ten, reflecting their strong pull and desirability in their brands” he added.

About R3 

R3 is a global marketing consultancy with our heart in Asia. We focus on improving the effectiveness and efficiency of marketers and their agencies. Founded in 2002, it works with eight of the world’s top twenty global marketers. For more information , visit www.rthree.com, write to [email protected] or call 

+8610 5900 4733