2016-2017 Global Top Brands Award Ceremony Takes Place

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The 50th International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) kicked off in Las Vegas yesterday, joined by consumer electronics (CE) manufacturers, exhibitors and visitors from across the world. Meanwhile, the 2016-2017 Global Top Brands Award Ceremony, hosted by International Data Group (IDG), was celebrated in the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas today. Nearly 400 top-tier international media and leading enterprises of CE attended the ceremony, during which Mr. Patrick Kenealy, Managing Director of IDG Ventures USA, unveiled a list of Global Top Brands. Awards were presented to TCL, Hisense, Changhong, BOE, Haier, Huawei, GREE, China Great Wall Computer Shenzhen Co., Ltd., Coolpad and other international famous CE manufacturers, together with rising brands like Whaley and ROOBO, showcasing the unique charm of CE products in the age of intelligence to global consumers and adopting technology to reshape the way forward for brands.

In recent years, intelligence, a catchy word for CE, has not only been applied to traditional devices like mobile phones, but also to multiple CE fields like TV sets, kitchen and bathroom wares, VR and even robots. Game rules for the CE industry have been changed accordingly. CE products tend to be more intelligent, inter-linked, comfortable, user-friendly and energy saving. Excellent industrial design, smart operations and brand new CE products have fundamentally changed people's lives as indispensable items now. Therefore, global CE enterprises are confronted with the immediate question of how to make CE products intelligent and Internet-enabled to win recognition from consumers.

Guided by a new generation of IT, CE products, in a new era, will be characterized by being intelligent, internet-enabled, thin and high-speed. As a result, in the age of intelligence, in order to be recognized and well-received by consumers, global CE brands must adopt technology to reshape their brands and carry out product R&D, manufacturing, and marketing based on the Internet. Furthermore, they should make constant innovations regarding to their designs and user experience and unveil brand new CE products to consumers, demonstrate the fresh idea of intelligent and smart life and bring brands closer to consumers so as to realize further breakthroughs for the brands. The accreditation of 2016-2017 Global Top Brands is themed as "Technology Reboots Brands, Intelligence Creates Future." Guided by intelligent application and mobile Internet, it aims to advance the innovation and upgrading of new intelligence for global consumers electronics industry and showcase the vitality and competitiveness of CE brands to global consumers.

The accreditation of Global Top Brands was hosted by IDG and supported by the authoritative research organization IDC. This year marks the 11th anniversary of the Global Top Brands award. The event is designed to showcase global CE brands to global consumers, to enable CE enterprises to achieve a greater say in international markets and to advance the development of the global CE industry. This year's Global Top Brands were in the following categories:

• Global Top 50 CE Brands
• Global TV Brands Top 20
• Global Top 20 Smart Connected Devices Brands
• Global Top 15 Smart Phones Brands
• Top 10 Brands from China

The winners in the Top 10 Brands from China category were:

• Haier
• Hisense
• Changhong
• TCL
• Huawei
• BOE
• ZTE
• Lenovo
• GREE
• Skyworth

Special awards were also given out:

At the Award Ceremony, IDG organized the 2017 International Consumer Electronics Industry Leaders' Summit, presented by representatives from CE enterprises such as Changhong, TCL, Huawei, Coolpad, BOE and Lenovo as well as industrial guests of IDC. Moderated by IDC dialogues, in-depth discussions and analysis shed light on how to combine CE industry and brands with intelligent technology, how CE enterprises can create core competitiveness, enhance their competitive edge, strengthen links with international markets and realize Chinese brands' dream to go global. 

Mr. Patrick Kenealy, Managing Director of IDG Ventures USA, expressed: "Over the years, the speed of CE's innovation and R&D has been very fast. Meanwhile, diversified consumer demands have emerged. Back to a few years ago, no one showed any interest in the so-called Black Tech such as wearable equipment, 4K high-resolution devices, intelligent home appliances and UAVs. However, now the CE industry has begun a transformation, driven by innovation technology. Exhibited products at these years' CES have shown that CE products are getting more and more intelligent. Meanwhile, consumers also pay more attention to human-computer interaction. Therefore, on the occasion of 11th Global Top Brands Awards, we adopt the theme of 'Technology Reshapes Brand and Technology Creates Future' and show CE manufacturers' innovation on technology, design, interaction and user experience to global consumers. We also hope that this annual accreditation will further enhance the competitiveness of the global CE industry and help CE enterprises to create a bright future."

TCL remarked: "TCL is honored to win a Top 10 CE Brands from China award, a Global Top 50 CE Brands award, and a Global TV Brands Top 20 award at the 11th anniversary of Global Top Brands. Our QLED TV and Xess also won two special awards. In the age of intelligence, the only way out for CE enterprises is to make further explorations on technology such as intelligent technology, which will improve industrial capacity and significantly and enhance corporate value. TCL has adopted Internet thinking to build the industrial structure of 'Intelligence + Internet' for quite a long time. 'Product + Service' are applied to build a new business model in the age of the Internet. These two strategies help us to offer the best experience of intelligent products and services and create a new intelligent life for users."

Huang Dawen, Vice General Manager of Changhong, said: "Changhong is so honored to win a Top 10 CE Brands from China award, a Global Top 50 CE Brands award, another Global TV Brands Top 20 award and two special awards. In recent years, Changhong has focused on three major strategies, namely, intelligence, internet-based technology and coordination, to seek further progress. Our efforts have been acknowledged by Global Top Brands, which proves the achievement of Changhong's three strategies. In the future, Changhong will continue to create more functions for TV sets, refrigerators and air conditioners based on new thinking and strategies and realize widespread interconnection and intelligent coordination among various devices so as to live up to the slogan of 'Make Your Imagination Fly'."

As expressed by Hisense Group: "Hisense not only won the Top 10 CE Brands from China award but also won a Global Top 50 CE Brands award, a Global TV Brands Top 20 award and the Global Display Tech Gold Award of the Year. I would like to thank IDG and the global CE industry for recognizing our efforts. As a leading enterprise of China's CE industry, Hisense has put into place an intelligent strategy for quite a long time. Now consumers around the world have explosive demand towards intelligent home appliances, and Hisense will continue to highlight intelligence and applied technology to reshape our brand. Intelligence and Internet technology will be brought to multiple branches of home appliances and unleash fresh competitiveness through new technology."

Zhang Yu, Vice Chairman of BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd., said: "In this modern world, we obtain information from nothing more than our cellphones, PCs, tablets and TVs, almost all through the screens. Ranking among the Top 10 Brands from China in Consumer Electronics four years in a row and winning the prize for innovative application in display products this year has shown that BOE has become a front-runner, or even a leader in the global display industry. In the new context of the industry, BOE will stick to independent innovation and the conception of 'taking the technological lead, being the first in the world and creating our value together' to further promote technological R&D and innovation in display applications. On enhancing our globally leading advantage in display device products, we will accelerate the development of smart systems and healthcare systems to provide consumers with more quality innovative products and services."

Zhou Gengshen, Senior Vice President of China Great Wall Computer Shenzhen Co., Ltd., remarked: "I would like to extend my gratitude to IDG, which, in the 'Global Top Brands' campaign, granted another trophy to China Great Wall Computer Shenzhen Co., Ltd. as one of Top 10 Brands from China in Consumer Electronics and the 2016 Leading Cyber Security and Information Brand from China. In recent years, consumer electronics products are increasingly connected and integrated with application of high and new technologies including cloud computing, the Internet of Things, mobile Internet and intelligent Internet. In the brand new age of intelligent Internet, great changes have taken place in consumer electronics products. Consequently, China Great Wall Computer Shenzhen Co., Ltd. has expanded its business scope to cover multiple fields of cloud computing and data storage, information security systems and service, new energy equipment and systems, in which China Great Wall Computer Shenzhen Co., Ltd. consistently takes its value of 'making independent innovation, being autonomous and making things controllable, mastering key technologies' as the key to development, and is constantly quickening its pace to move forward to comprehensively enhance the core competitiveness of China Great Wall Computer Shenzhen Co., Ltd. in the smart age."

As indicated by Huawei Technologies, Co., Ltd.: "We are delighted that our efforts in the past years have been recognized consistently by the CE industry and our consumers. This year again, Huawei is on the four lists of Global Top 50 CE Brands of the Year, Global Top 15 Smart Phones Brands of the Year, Global Top 20 Smart Connected Devices Brands and Top 10 Brands from China, which indicates that our development strategies have been recognized by the market and clients. Driven by 5G and artificial intelligence technologies, the intelligent terminal industry is expected to have a major change by 2020. Huawei will make full use of its expertise in 5G technology in the field of information and communication technology, to consolidate its status as an industry leader, and thus build a better world that is fully connected, with joint efforts of consumers and the CE industry."

Haier Group remarked: "With the rapid development of intelligent technology, consumer electronics products like TV sets have transformed from traditional products to smart ones to make themselves household multimedia terminals or mobile multimedia terminals. Once again this year, Haier is selected as one of the Top 10 Brands from China, Global Top 50 CE Brands of the Year and Global TV Brands Top 20 of the Year, which Haier takes as recognition by the global CE industry. As a company with experience of over thirty years in producing hardware house appliances, Haier has an obvious advantage in the smart home field. Now, Haier's U+ Smart life platform is able to make complete products and scene plans within the close environment of a smart home, based on the household demands of our clients. Taking a smart home and intelligent housing as its strategy, Haier will drive the industry with its vision on mission and to advance the industry with its consistent efforts."

Lenovo Group cited: "It is a pleasure to stand here again this year on this stage to receive the IDG prize for global leading brands. Today, the speedy development of smart connect technology around the globe has not only brought changes in communication products, but also made it more and more universal for household appliances to become smart and connected. Lenovo believes that communication in the future will become the core of intelligent terminals of all kinds. We have launched a global communication strategy named 'the Intelligent Internet', which will be dedicated to connecting global operators, devices, value-adding services and life service resources by utilizing shared economic laws, so as to build a smart Internet of a new type and to propel the development of the global smart Internet and lead us to the intelligence explosion in the future world!"

As a representative of rising brands, Mr. Li Huaiyu, co-founder and CEO of Whaley Technologies Co., Ltd, and ROBOO said: "We are happy that Whaley has won this special award. Today, the revolution in smart hardware and household networks has just begun. We will be consistently committed to making a leading integrated ecological system that combines intelligent robot systems, products and service. We will keep designing, developing and planning novel and interesting intelligent robots and other hardware products to provide consumers with a package of reliable and practical hardware and software experience and service to enable access to household internet that connects people and service."

Jennifer Xu, VP of IDG Asia remarked: "Stepping into the intelligent age, the peak for replacement of consumers' smart household appliances and terminals has come, pushing the global CE industry into a key period of transformation and upgrading. With the new opportunity for development, CE enterprises around the world will have a leap in their development, be it in product R&D or technological innovation. Releasing the list of 2016-2017 Global Top Brands plays a role to lead and push the global CE industry from all aspects, to enable global CE enterprises and brands to follow the tendency of future development. In this way, they will boost their brands with technologies, usher in the future with wisdom and move on to create new glories."

This year's CES fair, recognized by consumers, seller-producers all over the world and the industry as "the first fair in global consumer electronics", has attracted CE manufacturers and consumers from countries and regions over the five continents. All companies awarded as "2016-2017 Global Leading Brands" will be vigorously spread to the world on CES DAILY and in the TWICE CES Special Issue as well as being reported by world top media in an all-round manner. Furthermore, assisted by CES fair, these enterprises will have the chance to negotiate with internationally well-known CE brand manufacturers for cooperation, and thus ascend to the top platform on the planet to boost sustainable development of the brand.

SOURCE IDG China