Bottom line: Baidu’s approach of targeting developing markets like Brazil and now the Middle East looks smart due to similarities with China and fewer rivals, while Tencent’s focus on the US looks dubious due to stiff competition.
Having become some of the world’s most valuable online companies over the last few years, China’s big Internet names are now looking globally to maintain the kind of growth they’ll need to justify their sky-high valuations. All are trying a number of strategies, but 2 broadly defined camps are emerging: one targeting developing markets like the BRICS, which are less lucrative and more fragmented, but also less competitive; and the other targeting developed markets like the US and Japan that can be very rewarding but are also extremely competitive.
Search leader Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU) is squarely in the developing market camp, with search operations in Brazil and Thailand, and now new signs it is targeting the Middle East for its next overseas expansion. Tencent (HKEx: 700) appears to be the latter camp, following a high profile entry for its WeChat service into the US last year that now appears to have ended as a very expensive flop. Alibaba (NYSE: BABA) appears to be trying both options, though we have yet to hear of any major spending on any campaigns besides a few small overseas acquisitions. Read Full Post…
