by Myka Isabel D. Basco
Midea, a Chinese word, which means beautiful, has the technology and the style to make Philippine homes romp up the stage with glamour. In its efforts to showcase their jaw-dropping products and to let everyone know that they have the goods for a “satisfaction guarantee” seal, Midea had recently invited the Philippine media to its facilities in the district of Shunde, Guangdong Province in China.
Everyone was impressed with Midea’s sophisticated production line for its various products like their microwave ovens and air conditioners, all made using state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment.
According to the Euromotor Report 2013, Midea is a leading global appliance brand and the Number 1 manufacturer of major home appliances. It is a certified Global 500 company and is a leading consumer appliances and commercial air conditioning systems manufacturer.
It was established in 1968 as a small local workshop. The company, whose main product category was electric fans, grew to become one of the world’s biggest manufacturers of major home appliances. These include popular products such as refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners and small appliances like microwave ovens, kettles, water dispensers and rice cookers. Its annual revenue in 2012 reached a total of US$16.6B while growing its global worker base to more than 150,000.
At present, there is no doubt as to Midea’s global stature as the most complete home appliance manufacturer. It is recognized as the world’s Number 1 producer of microwave ovens with more than 30 million units shipped annually. The company also manufacturers over 25 million rice cookers out of the 50 million units made globally, it is the number 1 maker of electric fans worldwide and produces 1 out of 4 of the world’s spilt-type air conditioners. It is currently exporting its range of household appliances to more than 200 countries and regions around the world.
Midea wants to influence the consumer’s perception of the brand with the following as key messages communicated in the efforts for the brand campaign for Midea. It is a large and top global player in the white home electrical appliances category. It also creates products that enrich the lives of millions of families around the world. With a full range of appliances designed to be both stylish and functional, Midea is a proud addition to every home giving homemakers the confidence to open their doors to family and friends.
“If we have gained the trust of our partners on the business side, meaning we can go into electronic — I think the brand loyalty would have to be in different phases. Phase 1 would be to get our business partner trusting us, right. So when we go there, we’re building our brand in the retail space, we gain our footprints to cover as much as we can,” said Vice President of Corporate Marketing Mr. Arthur Huang.
Mr. Huang further said that in today’s generation, loyalty is an interesting keyword. For him, most people are not that loyal anymore when it comes to brands. The reason would have to be because of the variety of brands or products to choose from. Even if we talk about Apple or Iphone, they also suffer from Samsung or other competitors. Mr. Huang also shared that we have to be so in love in terms of our product to be able to strengthen our USP (Unique Selling Proposition) to make sure that it will be consumer-driven, in what they wanted.
“Midea will have thousands of products, it is now a question of introducing the right ones. And by being able to choose the right ones for the Philippine market, we are ensured that when they try it, they’re going to get the right product,” he added.
Through this venture, Midea aims to reinforce the marketing efforts and build the company’s credibility as a top global brand and elevate brand image through communicating on Midea’s quality, innovative, and stylish products made through its world-class manufacturing facilities/plants. One thing that Midea wants to achieve in this tour is to create a positive impression and confidence to the China-made brand among its target market.