KUALA LUMPUR: The 2024 Golden Flag Award ceremony took place successfully here, where the winners list was officially announced. This year, the awards recognised exceptional achievements across seven categories and 32 submission directions, highlighting global brands’ pursuit of “future growth potential.”
Leading brands like Ford, DHL, PETRONAS, Amazon Ads, Avnet, Aginode, Takeda, Jaguar Land Rover, Nestlé, and Starbucks, alongside other Fortune 500 companies, were celebrated. Noteworthy Chinese brands, including Huawei, CHERY, vivo, Master Kong, Pandora Catering Group, iQIYI, GP Batteries, and Golden Technology, also received recognition.
The Golden Flag Award-winning cases not only set benchmarks in China’s brand communication landscape but also provide valuable insights into emerging industry trends. This year’s submissions revealed six key trends in brand communication strategies, highlighting the growing influence of livestreaming, short videos, and content-driven e-commerce on Chinese consumer behavior, shaping a journey of “inspiration, purchase, and sharing” in online shopping.
The most popular mobile applications include Xiaohongshu, Bilibili, Douyin,and WeChat. Xiaohongshu focuses on lifestyle sharing, Bilibili is a hub for anime and subculture, Douyin and Kuaishou attract users of all ages through short videos, and WeChat is ideal for close social interactions and private domain traffic marketing.
Brands are placing greater emphasis on sustainability and social responsibility, integrating technological innovation with social responsibility. Chinese consumers are increasingly concerned with environmental protection and sustainability, which will become a new focus of brand competition.
Leading companies from various industries, including BMW China, Budweiser China, Bayer China, Roche, Takeda, Yangtze River Pharmaceutical Group, Haleon, GenScript, PETRONAS, Infineon Technologies, DHL, Avnet, Kuaishou, Lee Kum Kee, and Golden Technology, have contributed significant cases in environmental protection, public welfare, corporate social responsibility, and ESG communication.
These cases demonstrate how businesses can simultaneously achieve commercial success and fulfill social responsibilities, particularly in areas such as rare disease advocacy, environmental conservation, and community development. These brands highlight that business growth and societal impact can coexist harmoniously.
International brands are focusing more on localization strategies, creating marketing matrices that integrate online and offline touchpoints to meet the unique characteristics of the Chinese market.
For instance, Nike’s #Dragon Unleashed# campaign, which won the 2024 The Golden Flag Award for Effective Marketing, tapped into the cultural significance of the Chinese Lunar New Year. Through its “Dragon Leaps into the New Year” campaign, Nike connected with Chinese consumers by aligning its products with traditional cultural values.
Artificial Intelligence-Generated Content (AIGC)is becoming a critical tool for enhancing marketing efficiency, creativity,and precision in brand communication.
A notable example is the 2024 Golden Flag Award-winning campaign “Together to Paris” by Yili Group. To celebrate the 100-day countdown to the Paris Olympics, Yili launched an AIGC-themed video and limited-edition packaging, seamlessly combining sportsmanship with product messaging. This innovative approach boosted fan engagement and business growth.
Brands are leveraging public relations to achieve high returns with minimal investment, significantly enhancing corporate reputation.
DHL’s annual executive PR campaign, which won the 2024 Golden Flag Award for Corporate PR, exemplified “zero-budget, high-impact” communication. During a high-profile executive visit to China, DHL implemented a phased PR strategy, securing over 1,300 media reports from top-tier outlets such as Xinhua, People’s Daily, and China Daily. This enhanced DHL’s reputation and influence in the Chinese market, driving both brand and business growth.
As a prestigious award that evaluates contributions to long-term brand value, the Golden Flag Award continues to attract outstanding brands dedicated to building enduring value and accumulating brand equity.
By driving perpetual growth through exceptional brand strength, the Golden Flag Award not only celebrates brands committed to long-term value creation but also empowers them to enhance future brand potential and unlock greater value in the years to come.-pr/BNN
