Region SPOTLIGHT ON
Region SPOTLIGHT ON CHINA ADVERTORIAL Awards Focus on Tech and Innovation Now in their third year, the Product Technical Innovation Awards continue in the quest to raise awareness of the Asian market Jennifer Xu Vice President, IDG Asia International Data Group (IDG), the USbased media, data and marketing services and venture capital organisation – has been organising an awards event honouring excellence in consumer electronics all over the world, since 2014. The IFA Product Technical Innovation Awards are handed out at IFA during intimate ceremonies held at the stands of the winning companies. There is no fixed number of awards – categories are determined by a panel and are based on recognised industry trends. This year 12 companies are honoured. “There are more and more Asian enterprises and technology companies in this sector, and they are playing an increasingly important role in the global industry,” IDG Asia Vice President Jennifer Xu said. “So these awards recognise outstanding technology, but they also exist to raise awareness of what’s happening across Asia and in China.” Contenders for the awards are identified by a panel of experts, including members of IDG-owned research company International Data Corporation (IDC), industry players, research institutes and consumer groups. “Our approach is to focus on technology and innovation,” Xu said. “That helps companies to promote their products from a technological perspective. This is more about technology-oriented awareness, rather than brand awareness.” The panel decides on the winners two months ahead of IFA and winners are notified just before the event. Xu prefers the awards to be handed out at the winners’ stands, rather than at a staged ceremony “because it’s more like real life”, she said. “With different companies there are different cultures and when we hold the ceremonies at their stands we see their culture and their character. I want the ceremonies to be their ceremonies, not ours” AWARD WINNERS a BOE Sabine Florian - Executive Director, German Industry and Commerce Ltd.; Miss IFA; Zhang Yu - Senior VP of BOE; Jennifer Xu - Vice President of IDG Asia (l. to r.) c LeTV Sabine Florian - Executive Director, German Industry and Commerce Ltd.; Miss IFA; Wang Zhi - Chief Designer of LeTV; Jennifer Xu - Vice President of IDG Asia 1 2 b CHANGHONG Darwin Huang - Vice General Manager of Sichuan Changhong Electric Co., Ltd.; Jennifer Xu - Vice President of IDG Asia; Guo Dexuan - Vice General Manager of Sichuan Changhong Electric Co., Ltd.; Miss IFA; Wolfgang Niedermark - Chief Representative of German Industry & Commerce Ltd. (l. to r.) d TCL Sabine Florian - Executive Director, German Industry and Commerce Ltd.; Hu Qiang - CSO & Vice General Manager of TCL Home Appliances(HeFei) Co,. Ltd; Miss IFA; Zhang Shaoyong - General Manager of TCL Multimedia Product Center; Jennifer Xu - Vice President of IDG Asia (l. to r.) 3 4 www.ifa-international.org IFA International • Monday 5 th September 2016 35
Region ADVERTORIAL SPOTLIGHT ON CHINA ZTE Sets Out its Winning Formula Top-selling smartphone wins award for innovation in Berlin Zhang Shumin Senior Vice President, ZTE Corporation CEO EMEA and APAC, ZTE Mobile Devices CONSUMERS WANT GOOD IMAGES AND GOOD AUDIO SO WE FOCUSED ON THOSE TWO THINGS THE AWARD-WINNING AXON 7 • All-metal, perfectly smooth phone body • 5.2-inch Corning Gorilla Glass 4 touch-screen that remains touch-sensitive through cold, windy or rainy weather with wet hands and gloves • Powerful dual-loudspeaker with AK4962 codec and Dolby Atmos for incredible 3D stereo sound • Unique U-Shape Fingerprint Identification, Fingerprint 3.0, with higher accuracy and response • 16m excellent rear camera with HD video recording and 8m front-facing camera to photograph and record favorite sports and music moments ZTE, a leading global mobile device maker headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong, is winner of the 2016 Breakthrough in Smartphone Audio Innovation Award, for its flagship Axon 7 Series of smartphones. At the start of 2016, China’s ZTE Mobile Devices ranked among the top-seven smartphone manufacturers globally. In Q2, the company rose to number six worldwide and number five in Europe. (Counterpoint Technology Market Research). In Q1, 2016, ZTE Mobile Devices mid- and high-end smart devices and LTE devices accounted for up to 40% and 60% respectively. The company’s performance in key markets globally has been outstanding; sports sponsorships in Europe have been a key to the manufacturer’s growing success. A success underlined here at IFA with the 2016 Breakthrough in Smartphone Audio Innovation Award, which ZTE received for its flagship Axon 7 Series of smartphones. It’s one of a number of awards given annually by International Data Group (IDG) and German Industry and Commerce Ltd. General manager of Flagship Device, ZTE Mobile Device Group Lian Zhu received the award from IFA’s senior executive manager Dirk Koslowski at ZTE’s IFA stand on Friday. Speaking to IFA international after the ceremony, Zhang Shumin, Senior Vice President, ZTE Corporation and CEO EMEA and APAC, ZTE Mobile Devices, said the company had been engineering the phone for two years, with design input from BMW's Designworks and audio consulting from Dolby. ZTE collaborated with many industry experts in audio technology as well as the prestigious Golden Ears Conservatory of Music group to develop the AXON 7 series’ audio performance. The Axon 7 and the newly launched Axon 7 mini both feature a dedicated Hi-Fi audio chipset, large front-facing stereo speakers, and Dolby Atmos 7.1 surround sound effects for a movie theatre-like, mobile audio experience. Zhu Lian, General Manager of Flagship Device, ZTE Mobile Device Group (right) with Miss IFA and IFA’s senior Executive Manager Dirk Koslowski “It’s very much consumer-driven,” Zhang Shumin said. “Consumers want good images and good audio to watch movies on their phones, so we focused on those two things.” The result is a 2K Amoled Magiccolour display and stereo surround sound of such high quality that external speakers or headphones are not essential to enjoying a movie. The Axon 7 launched in China and the US at the start of June, across Europe at the end of June and a global rollout is to follow. It is currently sold out in the US, consumers in China have given it a 97% favourability rating on one of the biggest online retail platforms, JD.com, and it has received great reviews from many industry’s top tech media outlets. In 2016, ZTE plans to sell 60 million mobile devices. The company aims to accomplish this goal by continuing to focus on premium devices and global markets. Particular efforts will be made to develop strategic markets including Germany, Spain, Russia, Japan, Thailand and Mexico. Sports sponsorships have played a key role in the company’s marketing strategy. In February 2016 the company announced the signing of a sponsorship deal with Sevilla Football Club to serve as the club’s Official Technology Partner. And ZTE expanded its commitment to Spanish football by sponsoring the final match of the 2016 Copa del Rey (King’s Cup). It continued its European sports marketing with a sponsorship agreement with top German football team Borussia Mönchengladbach in May 2016. Under the agreement, ZTE is now an official co-sponsor and smartphone partner of the Bundesliga stars. The company is seeking more sponsorship opportunities in Europe, planning two or three more sponsorships this year. And it will continue this strategy as it turns increasingly towards emerging markets, where it sees big potential for its products in these countries. It is planning celebrity sponsorships in Japan and Thailand – its key markets in the Asia-Pacific region – and has plans leverage sports marketing in India. So how does ZTE beat the Axon 7? “Next will be something that will surprise all of us,” Zhang Shumin said. “Something that could involve 5G, VR, AR and big data” » Hall 25 / Stand 105 36
