The rise and rise of TECNO

DELHI,
INDIA – African Media Agency – 18 August 2021 – In cities like Lagos, Nairobi
and Addis Ababa, busy streets are awash with the bright blue shopfronts of
Transsion’s flagship brand, TECNO. The company might still be a new brand
globally, however, the company took a different path to success from other top
Chinese smartphone makers or international mobile brands. TECNO built its
business in Africa and is focused on its growth in global emerging markets. And
it has no plans to change tact now.

Stephen Ha, General Manager, TECNO

 

For TECNO,
future growth is set to come from building its business outside Africa by
tapping into other developing regions like the Middle East, East Europe, and Southeast
Asia, but with Africa still a key focus.

 

A
recent Counterpoint research reveals that TECNO was responsible for 18% of the
total smartphone shipments in Africa in 2020. The research firm attributes
TECNO’s rise to a strong second half of the year and its affordable smartphone
portfolio. The brand has made a dent to some of the bigger smartphone names,
making TECNO a challenger brand to watch out for.

 

Glocal
approach

 

TECNO’s
ethos is rooted in a business strategy called “glocalisation,” the creation of
products that will sell universally but can be customised to specific markets
or regions. This strategy signifies TECNO’s growth from an Africa-focused brand
to a newcomer in the mid-to-high-end smartphone segment in global emerging
markets.

 

In
Ethiopia for example, TECNO became the first major phone brand in the country
to offer a keyboard in Amharic, the country’s native script. This unlocked an
entirely new customer base. Swahili and Hausa keyboards have also been added
since then.

 

“This
has helped TECNO grow into one of the most admired smartphone brands in Africa,
as well as an expert in providing industrial-leading technology and innovative
devices designed for global users in emerging markets,” explains Stephen Ha,
General Manager at TECNO.

 

Today,
TECNO’s product line is greatly enriched by its quad core smartphone product
lines and a diverse AIoT products, providing consumers with high-quality middle
and high-end smart devices.

 

“We
offer a very competitive price, enabling our customers to always stay connected
to the world and enjoy a fashionable way of life. Unlike many international
brands, TECNO focus on users in emerging markets and creatively combines global
technology with the actual needs of local consumers, bringing them cutting-edge
technology with localised innovation and differentiated features. This kind of
innovation is in our DNA,” adds Ha.

 

In
2021, TECNO plans to leap further forward with the hope of stabilising its
foothold on more emerging markets. “To further expand our brand popularity, we
aim to play a more significant role in the mid-to-high end market segment. We
will do this by actively combining international-level partnerships to create
our global brand image, while also utilising diverse and innovative branding
activities to serve a growing number of young consumers.”

Joining
the premium smartphone space

 

TECNO’s
brand mission is to become the most admired tech brand in the global emerging
markets by continually making breakthroughs in product innovation.

 

With
PHANTOM X, TECNO intends to redefine the premium flagship phone trend and
evolve it to new dimensions that exemplifies premium design, industry flagship
camera technology, and seamless customer experience punctuated by a
differentiated service.  “We are
confident that we have figured out a right strategy in terms of many aspects
like elegant design language, camera technology, and total user experience,”
says Ha.

 

But
PHANTOM X is just the beginning. As TECNO continues to play a more significant
role in the mid-to-high end market segment, it will cultivate its market
position by bringing with it premium smart devices and services-based offering
and lead with a customer-oriented innovation mindset.

 

“The
mid-to-high-end smartphone market has become more mature today, and market
demand has spread rapidly to global emerging markets. We are eager to push the
competition into new boundaries to make flagship technology and innovation
available to consumers in global emerging markets sooner,” adds Ha.

 

TECNO plays a crucial role post-pandemic

 

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges
both for industry and society, however, TECNO knows that every challenge brings
with it an opportunity. “During the period, we kept the communication lines
with our global partners. We stood alongside our consumers to help them
overcome challenges. We’ve always been the brand that pushes past limitations,”
says Ha.

 

TECNO gave back to communities. They implemented
fast-response measures to support local communities in time of outburst events
such as COVID19. “Last year, we rolled out a range of initiatives to provide
prevention measures, materials and educational and economical support that aims
to help local communities to maintain their safety and wellbeing for everyday
life.”

 

TECNO partnered with governments in countries such as
Nigeria, Thailand, Myanmar, and India, to provide medical support to local
communities. Prior to the pandemic, they partnered with UNHCR to support its
global education project, Educate A Child, to help improve the educational
conditions of refugee children and enable them to get more opportunities for
education.

 

But more than taking its social responsibility to heart,
TECNO is all about knowing what the customer needs, and this philosophy is at
the very center of everything they do. “We are at the forefront of meeting
neglected market demand by developing elegantly designed smart tech devices and
services for our consumers across more than 70 global emerging markets. We want
to provide consumers with a comprehensive range of high-quality products and
services at competitive prices, from smartphones, tablets, smart wearables to
AIoT devices,” says Ha.

 

As TECNO readies itself to take on the world by storm, the
brand recognises the role that it plays in society.

 

“We are investing more around digitalisation to drive
positive impact on business ecosystem, consumers as well as social development.
For example, we held the first global AR launch event for the CAMON
16 series in 2020; we witnessed the rise of short-video social trend and
launched the very first documentary looking at the “rise of selfie“, calling out for the public
to employ devices in a positive way. We are also investing more in e-commerce
to bring better convenience to consumers,” concludes Ha.

 

One can clearly see why TECNO is on the up and up. 

 

It is no surprise therefore that in 2020 it has outpaced
its competitors in Africa and was named one of the top ten “most admired brands
in Africa”, a recognition bestowed upon it by its industry peers and consumers.