Neelkeen designs the future of the Chinese brand Mi
SAO PAULO, Jan. 21, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Xiaomi, the world's third largest manufacturer of smartphones is growing exponentially in Asia, but can't be considered a truly global company yet, despite its exponential growth in recent years. Known for its innovative sales approach and its closeness to its fans, the brand has only recently begun to attain international renown.
Thinking of the internationalization of Xiaomi, the Brazilian creative hotshop Neelkeen has decided to face the challenge of rethinking the branding of the Mi brand internationally used by the Chinese company. Anderson Criativo, co-founder of the agency, explains that the inspiration for the exercise arose after reading an article about the designer Andrew Kim, who in 2012 conducted an experiment of imagining a new Microsoft brand in only three days, and achieved inspiring results. "We decided to follow the same method and challenge ourselves with a creative exercise as exciting as the one done by Kim. We divided the experiment into two parts, with the first, to think up a new positioning for the brand, followed by branding to reflect this," Criativo explains.
Positioning
The exercise took into account the fact that the mobile market exhibits a scenario in which the main brands have a clear role: Apple is the trendsetter, Samsung is the giant and Mi is the challenger.
Since the beginning, the Chinese brand has distinguished itself by its consistent relationship with its fans. This strong attribute was highly valued in the definition of positioning. "We followed this line of thinking and suggested the "You and Mi". "You" represents clients in the first place, and "and mi," their connection to Mi. We believe that a brand that values its relationship so much should establish a positioning that is more human than technological," Criativo underscores.
A new icon called "infinite feedback" represents the dynamics of fans' interactions with the brand. For Daniel Gouw, designer in charge of creation, nothing is more universal than a pictogram that's easily understood in any society or culture. "Beyond internationalization, our idea was to have a symbol that would represent the union between Mi and its fans in a striking fashion," Gouw explains.
Results
Neelkeen has been concerned to maintain the values and essence of Xiaomi, which originated the Mi brand, while suggesting a branding that helps the company to overcome any kind of resistance that consumers may still have with regard to products of Chinese origin. The process of constructing the new brand can be observed at the blog www.youandmi.co.
Contact:
Fabiane Abel
55-11-3039-2631
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SOURCE Neelkeen
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