Hisense’s quiet rise: how a challenger brand is reshaping the middle

There’s no growth in Australia’s consumer electronics market. For brands like Hisense, that leaves one option: take share.

That reality is shaping the company’s strategy across Australia and New Zealand, where the challenger brand is doubling down on culture, creativity and full-funnel marketing to shift perception and move earlier in the consumer journey.

Hisense has built strong momentum in the region over the past five to six years, but its go-to-market approach is now evolving. Under general manager of marketing ANZ Michelle Wee, the focus is moving beyond its traditional strength in retail execution toward influencing consideration before customers reach the store.

“We’re really good at closing at the end,” Wee said. “When you go into stores, we will convert you 100%. And then after you’ve bought from us, we’ll convert you again to come back to us.”

The challenge now sits further up the funnel.

“What we’re not good at is that front piece, which is, ‘I have a problem, I need to buy a product, I’m trying to do my research, and I want a short list’,” Wee said.

“We’re going to really nail that this year.”

That shift is driving increased investment in social, creators and broader brand activity, alongside a more integrated approach across media and performance.

“The best way to describe social media is that they are really good at the front of that consumer journey,” Wee said.

A challenger in a flat market

The urgency is clear. Australia and New Zealand remain mature markets with limited population growth and subdued category demand.

“The reality is the market is soft,” Wee said.

“There’s no new growth. We’re simply stealing market share.”

That dynamic has positioned Hisense squarely between premium incumbents and lower-cost competitors, targeting what Wee describes as an underdeveloped middle ground.

“There’s a big piece in the middle that no one’s really trying to carve out at the moment… that’s where we play,” she said.

The strategy centres on delivering high-end technology at more accessible price points, while actively reshaping brand perception.

“We are no longer cheap and cheerful,” Wee said.

“As a brand, we need to close the gap.”

Beyond sport: expanding the brand playbook

Sport has long been a cornerstone of Hisense’s global marketing strategy, particularly through partnerships like FIFA. But in Australia, the mix is broadening.

“Sport is a big part of who we are… but it really only connects to half the business,” Wee said.

That has led to new partnerships in areas such as fashion, as the brand looks to better reflect its full product portfolio and reach new audiences.

“We’re actually partnering with the Australian Fashion Festival… which is very exciting,” Wee said. “Fashion may not be sexy to you, but it’s sexy to 50% of the other population.”

The shift reflects a broader move toward lifestyle-led marketing and more culturally relevant activations, particularly as the brand targets younger consumers.

“It’s being selective and making sure we align ourselves with the right things,” Wee said. “If everything’s important, nothing’s important.”

Local market as global benchmark

Despite its relatively small size, the ANZ market plays an outsized role within Hisense’s global operations.

“The Australian market is the benchmark for the global Hisense business,” Wee said.

That influence extends across retail execution, campaigns and broader brand strategy, but also comes with a need for careful localisation.

“We can’t just take what overseas is doing and force it down consumers’ throats here,” she said.

Instead, the focus is on adapting global platforms to local behaviours, particularly as consumer expectations shift.

“Consumers are changing. Their buying behaviour is very different,” Wee said. “Online sales are growing, even in a category that’s traditionally been very much about going in-store.”

Internally, the shift has also required a reset across the agency ecosystem, with new partners brought in to support a more integrated, performance-led approach.

“Last year was literally re-engineering and restructuring,” Wee said.

“All the agencies that are now working with us are people that I’ve trusted and worked with over the last two or three decades.”

That reset reflects a broader cultural shift within the business, one Wee describes as unusually open for a global brand of its scale.

“We’re quite bold. We’re not afraid to try things,” she said.

“If it doesn’t work, we just don’t do it again.”

Growth mindset

Despite broader market headwinds, Hisense continues to post strong results locally, with consistent double-digit growth over the past five to six years.

That momentum, combined with a renewed focus on brand, culture and full-funnel marketing, positions the company as an increasingly serious challenger in the category.

“The opportunity for me was being able to influence a lot of this change,” Wee said.

“To bring in new channels, new ideas… and really shape what the future looks like.”