Technology branding, down to the ingredient level, is paramount for businesses and consumers. It establishes a distinct identity for businesses, fostering trust and recognition in a crowded market. Clear branding communicates reliability, innovation, and quality, which is vital in attracting investors and partners. It demystifies complex technologies for consumers, instilling confidence and loyalty by associating familiar brands with superior performance and user experience. Moreover, branded ingredients signify transparency and accountability, empowering consumers to make informed choices aligned with their values and needs. Technology branding cultivates enduring relationships and drives meaningful engagement in this interconnected digital age, where choices abound, benefiting both sides of the market equation.
Outside the walls of the technology industry, most people don’t fully appreciate that Snapdragon chips power over 3 billion smartphones, PCs, XR gadgets, connected cars, and more. That stunning statistic underscores consumers’ desire for Snapdragon-powered premium mobile experiences. Simply put, Snapdragon defines premium experiences across device categories in the era of generative AI.
Today, many people appreciate Snapdragon’s value in delivering experiences across devices. Yet a few years ago, few would have considered their device’s core technology.
The company is investing substantially in Snapdragon brand affinity as technology and decision-making have become more critical. Qualcomm has pointed out that this investment has paid off, as awareness is two times greater than the competitive average and continues to rise. Another interesting data point: the company points out that Snapdragon has 85% brand recognition in China.
In an era where technology branding often takes a back seat to engineering and product development from a budgeting standpoint, the company is pushing beyond exposure and recognition to drive affinity along the brand funnel and convert awareness into advocacy as it endeavors to craft Snapdragon as a global consumer brand. To this end, Qualcomm’s goal is clear: convince consumers to demand Snapdragon when buying new devices.
Qualcomm’s optimism around achieving this ambitious target given the data it has collected about Android smartphone user experiences:
Consumers value Snapdragon 9X more than competitors.
- Smartphone owners recommend Snapdragon 10X more than competitors.
- Smartphones with Snapdragon have 3X higher purchase intent than competitors
- Consumers are willing to pay 16% more for Snapdragon-powered devices.
- Consumers rate Snapdragon as the top Android CPU in all price ranges, up 12% from last year.
The collective consequence is that Qualcomm hopes to create a halo effect from its smartphone brand value that will complement and spread to other device categories. Since Qualcomm likes to message that consumers familiar with Snapdragon in smartphones are 2X more likely to choose Snapdragon-powered gadgets in different categories, including linked autos, that halo effect is well within the company’s endeavors. While many well-known partners and consumers value the Snapdragon brand, there is no better illustrative partner to point to than Samsung, who utilizes the Snapdragon Fireball and Snapdragon Sonic in the S24 Ultra TV ad. In the auto category, General Motors utilizes Snapdragon in the 2025 Cadillac ESCALADE IQ. Going a step further, Qualcomm believes that popular usage models like photography, music, gaming, and sports influence its brand partner strategy. The company believes that its technology enables people to bring their special moments to life because passion often has the catalyst for uniting people.
Qualcomm’s announced marketing activities will expand in two areas in 2024: brand alliances and community. Qualcomm has renewed its relationship with the legendary Manchester United soccer team for a second season with team jersey branding in the partnership expansion area. This objective is not trivial from a branding recognition standpoint, given the brand loyalty among the one billion avowed soccer fans. Qualcomm says that Manchester United fans can name their shirt partner 96% of the time, so the branding opportunity is considerable. Qualcomm is not stopping there. The company’s brand partnership with Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 began in 2024. The company quickly established its alliance using Snapdragon innovation and built the first VR fan experience, VIP Garage Tour, a few months later. Qualcomm has also opened the usually private Formula One garages to Mercedes fans and racegoers. Like the popular NFL Experience accompanying the Super Bowl, Qualcomm supports several highly complementary race experiences (including behind-the-scenes car access) that will surely be big hits with fans.
Cross-pollinating our partnerships and communities to drive more results is another colossal branding opportunity for Qualcomm. For example, its Snapdragon Insiders interact with Manchester United and Mercedes F1 fans in person and online. These communities share Shot on Snapdragon moments from Old Trafford, Snapdragon Stadium, the F1 circuit, and daily life. While Qualcomm is an unabashedly B2B company, it has invested a lot in the Snapdragon brand. The company likes to communicate that brand value directly affects business value. This commitment to the Snapgragon brand is refreshing and can be a strategic game-changer for Qualcomm. These branding activities enhance brand visibility and credibility and nurture deeper consumer trust and loyalty.
By prominently showcasing its branded ingredients or components, Qualcomm can differentiate itself in the market, highlighting its commitment to compelling usage models, quality, and innovation. This approach benefits businesses by strengthening their brand equity and empowers consumers with valuable insights into the technology powering the products they rely on. Ultimately, Qualcomm branding operates as a powerful tool for driving brand recognition, enhancing consumer perception, and cultivating lasting relationships in the dynamic landscape of technology. The ROI for the company should be enormous.
Mark Vena is the CEO and Principal Analyst at SmartTech Research based in Silicon Valley. As a technology industry veteran for over 25 years, Mark covers many consumer tech topics, including PCs, smartphones, smart home, connected health, security, PC and console gaming, and streaming entertainment solutions. Mark has held senior marketing and business leadership positions at Compaq, Dell, Alienware, Synaptics, Sling Media and Neato Robotics. Mark has appeared on CNBC, NBC News, ABC News, Business Today, The Discovery Channel and other media outlets. Mark’s analysis and commentary have appeared on Forbes.com and other well-known business news and research sites. His comments about the consumer tech space have repeatedly appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, TechNewsWorld and other news publications.
SmartTech Research, like all research and tech industry analyst firms, provides or has provided paid services to technology companies. These services include research, analysis, advising, consulting, benchmarking, acquisition or speaking sponsorships. Companies mentioned in this article may have utilized these services.
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