What makes a great brand? ... And why are there so few great Asian brands? How do Asian brands compete with global brands? How do you customise a global brand for the Asian market?

Valid submissions are entered into a draw at the end of every quarter for a complimentary signed copy of a book by one of the editors of the Asia Pacific Management Forum, Branding Asia dot Com, or Asia Market Research dot Com. This quarter the book is Branding in Asia by Dr Paul Temporal.

This page is updated every month with your comments however real-time voting results are provided after your vote or can be viewed directly.

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Rank	Monthly Leading Brands Last update April 2002
1	Sony (Japan)
	Innovation from a country that traditionally does not encourage it. Now Sony music and film distribution are some of the world's best known entertainment brand names. | Miniaturization & its core competency in Audio & Video cutting edge technology to bring products to the masses | dynamic Japanese brand for electrical goods. Innovative and expanded beyond Asia to international markets. Identified as being one of the best amongst other brands. | For the absolutely world class product Quality and Innovation
2	Cathay Pacific Airways (Hong Kong SAR, China)
	Their brand strength is consistently good service and a sophistication congruent with the world's greatest city | Ties in with Hong Kong image faultlessly | Association is the jingle you hear at the end of the trip when the plane's landed & the flight attendant's voiceover is telling you how much they've enjoyed having us on board | Superb services (ground to air) | Association is the jingle you hear at the end of the trip when the plane's landed & the flight attendant's voiceover is telling you how much they've enjoyed having us on board | Cathay makes all Asians proud
3	Hello Kitty (Sanrio)
	The kitty doll & its variations appeal to the young (girls) in many asian countries Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, etc. etc.
4	Shangri-La
	Solid, respectable, survivor in a very competitive environment - Brands like Shangri-La have achieved excellence because of their belief in providing service that is second to none; the Shang makes it's customers feel as if they are at HOME - home away from home! | Shangri-la projects an excellent service as it makes its guests like a king.
5	Singapore Airlines
	Sets a great example with a consistent brand image, built over many years. The Singapore Girl is still remembered, and though not actively promoted, is still an active component of the brand | The best of all nominated brands, SIA has built a consistent brand image over a long period that is as relevant, differentiating and elevating today as it was when launched. | It's our national airline and I'm proud of them!
6	San Miguel (Philippines)
	Our own beer, it has continously evolve itself to cater to all people from the farmers and ordinary workers in the country side to the "yuppie" crowd in Makati. It's advertisements continues to uphold Filipino values. | Great beer, local sponsorships, responsible corporate image | San Miguel conquers the global taste as it promotes the Filipino original product. It shows the universal appeal of its brand.
7	Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts
	This company has built a strong brand in under 5 years, and is renowned for its guardianship of the brand, avoiding many offers of alliances that do not fit with its values. The customer experience is its focus.
8	Creative Technologies (Singapore)
	Creative is the world's largest maker of soundcards. Its SoundBlaster card has become the defacto standard for PC audio worldwide
9	Mitsubishi (Japan)
	Consistently reliable product and leading-edge offerings enhances customer loyalty
10	Wipro (India)
	No 1 in market capitalisation in India. It has grown to become one of the best IT solution providers. They have contributed to making India an IT super power.
11	Lee Kum Kee
	Lee Kum Kee condiments, across Asia both product quality and brand consistency, a truly Asian brand with regional success
12	Red Bull (Thailand)
	It has gone from a truck drivers pick-me-up in Thailand to the trendiest new drink in Europe - when served with vodka! | A stalwart pick-me-up drink for workers in South East Asia which has found a niche by repackaging itself and marketing to the club circuit in Europe as a trendy vodka mixer. | "Red Bull" Brand was formulated by an Austrian. There are similar drinks in AP and Red Bull in AP is a different formulation to RB in Europe. It has been a "club" drink in Europe for around five years. | Some readers have suggested that Red Bull is not an Asian brand - Red Bull was initially developed in Thailand, and the rights were bought to market it world-wide excluding Thailand, which continued producing it's own brand. Red Bull in Thailand has a different formulae and marketing plan than the non-Thailand version. (Eds.)
13	Singha Beer (Thailand)
	Makes people proud to be Thai, and drink the stuff though the product needs improvement!
14	National Panasonic (Japan)
	clear and consistent management and product philosophy earned her a world-wide recognition for its realibility and durability of its product.
15	TATA Corporate (India)
	One of the few Indian corporates that are loved respected and admired for never compromising on their ethics and values irrespective of success or failure | The Originator of Information Technology in India and is responsible for India's recognition in IT capability and world market penetration. Is still by far a software leader in India and a major threat to Big Four if it ever goes public
16	CPF Singapore
	It's a 40 something institution known to all working Singaporeans who associate it with their retirement. It's a solid bedrock organisation.
17	Thai Airways
	Good service and outstanding network | As Thaksin says - Thai Airways sucks! Not even world-class branding and nice cabin service in all classes can save Thai from an incompetent board, shabby maintenance and poor security.
18	Sampoerna A Mild (Indonesia)
	The Best Known and Best Selling Low Tar Low Nicotine Cigarette in SE Asia.
19	Hindustan Lever Limited (India)
	Unmatched distribution strength in second most populated country in the world like India. Brands Like Rin, Lux & Pepsodent that figured in the top 20 Indian brands. Innovative and market leaders with a strong customer pull.
20	Pil Chi Kit's Poh Chai Yin
	This is the oriental version of the panadol. Comes in a bottle of 50 or so small tablets (to consume all!) It's been a favourite for many generations. Usually found in chinese medicine shops, this can now be purchased at the western pharmacies as well.
21	GMA Network (Channel 7 Phils.)
	GMA Network captivates the spirit of its audience that truly reflects it's sentiments and aspirations. The sense of belonging is felt.
22	Singapore Port Authority
	It's the number one port!
23	Sei Ro Gan
	Brands which are successful are easily identified with their country or culture of origin, yet they always capture something common in all cultures.
24	Honda
	A Human face of sportiness and functionality
Pend	Royal Selangor Pewter (Malaysia)
	Products representative of asian values
Pend	Vestal (Turkey)
	I think Turkish brands should be considered as asian brands and Vestel is a good tech brand
Pend	Maggi
	It's synonymous with instant noodle. Regardless of the brand, consumer refer to instant noodles in general as Maggi Mee. In Indonesia - It's Indo Mee (another Brand)
Pend	Amoy Food Ltd.
	The Dimsum is excellent, especially the Cheong Fun
Pend	Bir Bintang (Indonesia)
	The most known beer brand in Indonesia, and probably also in the region. Something you cannot miss when visiting the country.
Pend	Nintendo (Japan)
	does one have to tell??? it's a shame it's not up there...
Pend	SingTel/SingNet (Singapore)
	Full government support coupled with ground-breaking mergers and acquisitions (even international efforts) make SingTel a great case study for world-class telecomms/Internet joint services
Pend	Inq7.net (Philippines)
	Balanced News, Fearless Views so goes its masthead. Philippine Daily Inquirer is one of the major local newspapers which has successfully forged its way online, and together with GMA 7, it has now provided live video feeds besides static contents. hot1oo.com places it on par with Time, Asiaweek, etc. in ratings and page hits.
Pend	G2000
	One of the most recognizable apparel brands in Asia today, synonymous with style, quality, and value. One of the rare few stores with clothing that flatter the Asian physique. Friendly customer service, even a recently-launched website for loyal customers overseas!
Pend	Colgate India
	The most known and common plus reliable Brand in India is Colgate, not only because of their presence from years but because of their reach in the most rural parts of this Country as well.
Pend	TDT Medicine Enterprises (People's Republic of China)
	The company is dedicated to market Health Supplements of BEIJING UNIVERSITY, particularly the herbal kidney tonic "Yu Cong Rong". It adopts effective marketing strategies to target niche market both in Hong Kong and China, and results in high market penetration.
Pend	ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation (Philippines)
	ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation is entitled as ASIA'S MOST ADMIRED MEDIA COMPANY FOR 9 consecutive years by Asia Business News and a consistent top business leader by the Far Eastern Economic Review. The Philippines No1 network for 55 years in the service of the Filipino.
Pend	Samsung (Korea)
	Samsung has been chosen by Business Week of Aug. 8th as one of most powerful brands in the world. Samsung has been known a company specialized in semi conductor, especially memory chip. However, it has vigorously been expanding its business into consumer product such as mobile phone, digital tv and digital music device etc.
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