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There aren’t too many major-league IT companies that are owned in their entirety by one family, let alone one person, but TP-Link is one of them.
The Shenzhen, China-based networking equipment maker, celebrating its 20th year in business, brought in $2 billion in sales in 2015 as a major world player in the home WiFi router business. Its news Aug. 23 is that it has completed a corporate branding makeover and is investing big time in a campaign to add more market share in the lucrative North American region.
At the moment, TP-Link owns about 40 percent of the global market share for home WiFi routers, according to IDC, with 30 percent of its total in Europe. With about 10 percent of its business in North America, TP-Link sees the United States, Canada and Mexico as its biggest sales challenges in 2016 and beyond.
TP-Link also sells other networking devices, including switches, access points and even power lines. The company markets through multiple sales channels globally, including traditional retailers, online retailers, wholesale distributors, direct market re-sellers, value-added re-sellers and broadband service providers.
Its main competition includes companies such as NetGear, Buffalo, Belkin, Linksys, D-Link and Asus.
TP-Link has evolved beyond wireless technology, offering new products in the smart home, smartphone and smart accessory categories, Owner/Chairman/President Jeffrey Chao told eWEEK. It’s only a matter of time before the company moves into the internet of things-products category.
“Over the past 20 years, TP-Link’s R&D team has consistently evolved to meet the needs of our tens of millions of customers. Now, we’re embarking on a new journey to meet the needs of today’s connected lifestyles,” Chao said. “As our product portfolio continues to grow, it is time for our brand to follow suit. We’re introduce the new TP-Link to the world in the coming months.”
To freshen up its image, TP-Link is making updates to its corporate identity that consumers will be seeing on television and internet ads in the coming months. The company’s new tagline, “Reliably Smart,” emphasizes TP-Link’s move into smart products. The new logo (pictured) features an arrow pointing to the center, indicating the company’s commitment to a customer-centric culture.
Starting Aug. 23, brighter colors and bolder prints will appear on TP-Link.com, social media channels, product packaging and in-store displays, Chao said. The company’s latest products, such as the Talon AD7200 router, will be the first to use the new look.
TP-Link’s new branding will also be showcased for the first time Sept. 2 through 7 at the IFA (Hall 17, Booth 111) electronics conference in Berlin.