Wanda's savvy acquisitions need name

By MIKE BASTIN (China Daily) Updated: 2014-12-29 09:41

Existing commitments include plans in London, Madrid, Chicago and Los Angeles, but recent rhetoric from Wang suggests that an even broader international base will be established and very soon.

Once again beneath these apparently over-ambitious aims lies an extremely well thought-out strategy. Wang maintains that the growing number of wealthy Chinese with an eye for investment and property overseas in the most fashionable European and US cities lies at the heart of Wanda's international expansion plans. What better than a Chinese property company to ensure that wealthy Chinese buyers receive the most suitable deal and service across international markets?

At a time when the Chinese economy continues to slow down, overseas expansion makes a lot of sense, but even more so when the most fashionable global cities are concerned. Wang is committed to establishing Wanda in each of the 10 largest cities in the world over the next decade.

In order to finance this breathtaking expansion, Wang now has plans to raise a proposed $3.9 billion from an initial public offering of shares of Dalian Wanda Commercial Properties Co Ltd.

Further support for Wang and Wanda's expansion plans came recently from credit ratings firm Fitch Ratings. In November, Fitch reported that they were "positive to Wanda" in the longer term.

One of the reasons for Fitch's vote of confidence in Wanda's long-term future is the meticulous preparation the company carries out when evaluating and then implementing an overseas expansion project.

Furthermore, the Wanda management has on numerous occasions made it abundantly clear that they do not show any favoritism toward possible partner organizations from China.

Instead, a rigorous examination of each potential collaborator's competitive situation and suitability is conducted, leading to an unbiased and informed decision.

Wang has also professed a certain humility by making it clear that key to Wanda's overseas success is their ability to learn and learn quickly and adapt to each, often very different, international city.

But Wang and Wanda seem to not have paid much attention to any brand building strategy.

The conglomerate's vast array of business interests could be grouped into the following categories: real estate, tourism, hotels and entertainment (cinemas). But what we have not seen is any attempt at brand building within or even across these broad categories.

While each scheme and project naturally has its own name and, therefore, some sort of brand identity, it is also extremely important for Wanda to provide some additional "brand stamp" that serves to enhance the offering and build trust and credibility generally.

Simply rubber-stamping each individual project with the name Dalian Wanda will probably not be the best way forward. The current corporate name is both too long and incompatible as a second brand name where such diversity exists across product categories.