2024 Golden Flag Award Winners Announced in Kuala Lumpur: Unveiling Six Key Trends in China's Brand Communication Strategies

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Dec. 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On November 28, 2024, according to 17PR reports, The 2024 Golden Flag Award ceremony was successfully held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with the official release of the 2024 Golden Flag Award winners list.

The 2024 Golden Flag Award has unveiled awards across seven major categories and 32 submission directions, highlighting the remarkable achievements of global brands in their pursuit of "future growth potential."

The winning cases featured leading brands such as Ford, DHL, PETRONAS, Amazon Ads, Avnet, Aginode, Takeda, Jaguar Land Rover, Nestlé, Starbucks, and other Fortune 500 companies. Additionally, renowned Chinese brands such as Huawei, CHERY, vivo, Master Kong, Pandora Catering Group, iQIYI, GP Batteries, Golden Technology, Zoetis, XISHI, Qiaqia Food, Galaxy Entertainment Group, Studio City, Haili, Wumart, Yili, China Mobile, Tmall, and iFlytek were also recognized.

Each year, The Golden Flag Award-winning cases not only set the standard in China's brand communication field but also offer deep insights into future industry trends. These cases reflect the latest market dynamics and pioneering branding concepts,providing valuable lessons for professionals across various industries.

The cases submitted in 2024 reveal six key trends in China's brand communication strategies:

Livestreaming, short videos, and content-driven e-commerce are increasingly influencing Chinese consumer behavior, forming a path of "inspiration, purchase, and sharing" in online shopping.

The most popular mobile applications include Xiaohongshu,Bilibili,Douyin,and WeChat.Xiaohongshu focuses on lifestyle sharing,Bilibili is a hub for anime and subculture,Douyin and Kuaishou attract users of all ages through short videos,and WeChat is ideal for close social interactions and private domain traffic marketing.

Brands are placing greater emphasis on sustainability and social responsibility,integrating technological innovation with social responsibility.Chinese consumers are increasingly concerned with environmental protection and sustainability,which will become a new focus of brand competition.

Leading companies from various industries, including BMW China, Budweiser China, Bayer China, Roche, Takeda, Yangtze River Pharmaceutical Group, Haleon, GenScript, PETRONAS, Infineon Technologies, DHL, Avnet, Kuaishou, Lee Kum Kee, and Golden Technology, have contributed significant cases in environmental protection, public welfare, corporate social responsibility, and ESG communication.

These cases demonstrate how businesses can simultaneously achieve commercial success and fulfill social responsibilities, particularly in areas such as rare disease advocacy, environmental conservation, and community development. These brands highlight that business growth and societal impact can coexist harmoniously.

International brands are focusing more on localization strategies,creating marketing matrices that integrate online and offline touchpoints to meet the unique characteristics of the Chinese market.

For instance, Nike's #Dragon Unleashed# campaign, which won the 2024 The Golden Flag Award for Effective Marketing, tapped into the cultural significance of the Chinese Lunar New Year. Through its "Dragon Leaps into the New Year" campaign, Nike connected with Chinese consumers by aligning its products with traditional cultural values.

Artificial Intelligence-Generated Content(AIGC)is becoming a critical tool for enhancing marketing efficiency,creativity,and precision in brand communication.

A notable example is the 2024 The Golden Flag Award-winning campaign "Together to Paris" by Yili Group. To celebrate the 100-day countdown to the Paris Olympics, Yili launched an AIGC-themed video and limited-edition packaging, seamlessly combining sportsmanship with product messaging. This innovative approach boosted fan engagement and business growth.

Brands are leveraging public relations to achieve high returns with minimal investment,significantly enhancing corporate reputation.

For example, DHL's annual executive PR campaign, which won the 2024 Golden Flag Award for Corporate PR, exemplified "zero-budget, high-impact" communication. During a high-profile executive visit to China, DHL implemented a phased PR strategy, securing over 1,300 media reports from top-tier outlets such as Xinhua, People's Daily, and China Daily. This enhanced DHL's reputation and influence in the Chinese market, driving both brand and business growth.

Brands are leveraging the visibility of major sports events and endorsements by prominent Chinese athletes to rapidly establish recognition in the Chinese market.

Events such as the Olympics, UEFA European Championship, tennis, winter sports, and motorsports serve as effective platforms. Simultaneously, Chinese companies are using global events to build their international reputation. For example, CHERY utilized the 2024 Paris Olympics to enhance its brand recognition in Europe and globally, significantly boosting its international presence.

Exemplifying Brand Resilience Amid Uncertainty. The 2024 Golden Flag Award-winning cases also included many examples of achieving high impact with low investment. These cases reflect the ingenuity of brands in navigating uncertain market environments through innovative strategies.

It is particularly encouraging to see more companies returning to their brand essence by incorporating sustainability into their core values. These efforts highlight the importance of corporate social responsibility, demonstrating how brands can create long-term societal value.

It is evident that whether through a focus on sustainability or a commitment to long-term brand value, companies are increasingly prioritizing the cultivation of future growth potential in today's environment, laying a solid foundation for sustainable development.

As a prestigious award that evaluates contributions to long-term brand value, the Golden Flag Award continues to attract outstanding brands dedicated to building enduring value and accumulating brand equity. By driving perpetual growth through exceptional brand strength, the Golden Flag Award not only celebrates brands committed to long-term value creation but also empowers them to enhance future brand potential and unlock greater value in the years to come.

About Golden Flag Award

The Golden Flag Award, established in 2010, is a brand communication award that evaluates contributions based on long-term value. It is the first brand communication award in China with intellectual property rights for its evaluation process and the first to have its case studies included in international business school curricula.

Over 14 years of development, the Golden Flag Award has become a key benchmark for assessing brand performance in the Chinese market. The award highlights outstanding cases in marketing and communication that demonstrate brand influence and sustainable growth value.

In 2022, the Golden Flag Award published China's first English version case study collection, Public Relations Case Studies. This book has been adopted as a reference by 115 renowned business schools in the United States, Europe, and Asia, including 44 schools in Asia, 23 in Europe, 38 in North America, 9 in Oceania, and 1 in South America. This milestone fosters interaction between Chinese and international communication experts and serves as a valuable resource for studying brand communication in the Chinese market.

The Golden Flag Award has focused on corporate social value creation since its inception. "Mentors to Campus" non-profit program, a CSR initiative launched by the Golden Flag Award Organizing Committee in 2022, promotes industry-academia collaboration for talent development. Since its launch, mentors from 46 companies, including McDonald's, Mondelez, Mars, Budweiser China, Thermo Fisher, Haleon China, Golden Technology, Jumpcan Pharmaceutical, Ogilvy, DentsuCreative, The Hoffman Agency, Publicis, Edelman, Ruder Finn, MSL, Alison, and NETOPS, have delivered lectures at 11 top Chinese universities, including Fudan University, Zhejiang University, and South China University of Technology. This initiative not only empowers the next generation of brand professionals but also enhances companies' and brands' positive influence among the young audiences.

Since its inception, the Golden Flag Award has attracted participation from nearly 1,000 globally renowned brands. This success stems not only from the honor and professional recognition it provides to winning brands and teams but also from its efforts to create lasting brand value. This is achieved through initiatives such as publishing bilingual case study collections, incorporating cases into academic curricula, connecting brands with universities, and executing in-depth content campaigns to support long-term brand equity.

In 2018, the Golden Flag Award went global to build a platform for global brand leaders to communicate and cooperate, providing valuable reference for communication strategies and practices in the Chinese market.  

The International Brand Conference, organized by the Golden Flag Award Committee, serves as a platform for global brand managers to exchange ideas and share experiences. It fosters mutual learning among professionals from different countries and promotes cross-cultural communication in the field of brand management.

Our vision | Better Brand Leads to a Better World

Our values | Responsible, Professional, Innovative

Our mission | Cultivating talent by combining academia with business, empowering personal growth and career development, and facilitating communication among global brand professionals.

SOURCE 17PR