环球时报 | 何佳讯：Chinese brands can flourish by tapping into culture
2019年4月29日，国家品牌战略研究中心主任何佳讯教授在《Global Times》 (《环球时报》英文版) 经济评论版发表文章（网络版发表于4月28日），提出在文化认同已经来临的新时代，要重视内化在商业品牌中的国家品牌资产来提升中国品牌的附加值。通常，我们可以把代表中国文化的中国元素理解为“国家品牌资产”的重要表现形式。对于西方的全球品牌，则需要很好地理解中国元素的真实内涵，尽力做到刻板印象一致性，使得本土文化元素很好地融入到全球品牌中，才能真正提升消费者态度评价。
上述观点建立在自2014年以来，何佳讯教授和合作者发表在国际和国内重要期刊上多篇学术论文的研究结论的基础上。
Chinese brands can flourish by tapping into culture
He Jiaxun
Traditionally, a country can elevate its soft power by holding a major event, like the Olympic Games, or through exercises in public diplomacy. But an oft-overlooked fact is that soft power sometimes plays out through icons or symbols inherent in a country's leading commercial brands.
These icons can be brand names. The Nordic-sounding name Häagen-Dazs evokes words such as "fresh," "healthy" and "natural," often positively associated with a Scandinavian lifestyle. Likewise, the name Canada Goose suggests a cozy warmth that the down coat and parka maker can deliver during Canada's frigid winter.
Some icons are manifest in product design. Victorinox, a producer of portable cutlery, adorns its pocket knives with a white cross that reminds consumers of its Swiss origins and the world-famous Swiss affection for precision.
There also are marketing ploys that give shape to hidden icons. When Australian beer brand Foster's entered the American market, it launched its "How to Speak Australian" advertising campaign to stress that the brand comes from Down Under.
These cases all suggest that a country needs big events as much as smart commercial branding to lift its profile and so-called "nation brand equity."
Nation brand equity is usually tantamount to cultural assets or elements. Over the years, we've noted an increasing number of Chinese brands leveraging Chinese cultural elements to differentiate themselves from others. This strategy works exceedingly well in some cases, where brand owners make use of and contribute to China's nation brand equity at the same time.
The sportswear maker Li-Ning is one of the first instances that comes to mind. From 1999 onward, the eponymous brand of famed Chinese athlete Li Ning has catapulted itself onto a path toward globalization.
It has done so by blending Chinese elements into its product design. Chinese characters can be seen plastered across Li-Ning's sports vests and jackets. In early 2018, Li-Ning made waves at the New York Fashion Week with a series of offerings themed wu dao, which is taken from the principles of Taoism.
Li-Ning's show was a resounding success. As models wrapped in its apparel sashayed down the runway, they inspired designers by showcasing retro styles from the 1990s, contemporary urban teenagers' pop fashion, and the sportswear of the future - all combined in one glamorous show that drew admiration from the center of world fashion.
Only a minute after the show was over, many of the featured Li-Ning products were sold out on its e-commerce website. An earnings report showed that Li-Ning reported a sales increase of 17.9 percent year-on-year for the first half of 2018, with its net profit surging by an astonishing 42 percent.
Li-Ning's efforts at tapping Chinese culture have paid off. Eyeing its success, Western brands have been trying to integrate Chinese elements in their products to woo Chinese customers. A bevy of Chinese motifs have proliferated, but not all of them delivered; some even backfired.
Global brands courting local consumers should better grasp the true essence of the icons they employ. They need to know what they stand for, what kind of occasion best suits them and whether they are in harmony with brands from another culture. In a word, they must make sure their brand association is positively correlated with local cultural elements.
When Tiffany released an enamel-and-gold pendant in the shape of hongbao, or a red envelope stuffed with gift money, the pendant was seen as a misfit, because the jewelry maker's brand association doesn't resonate with the red envelope's cultural connotations.
By contrast, luxury brand Gucci once debuted a canvas handbag emblazoned with symmetrical red patterns of Chinese dragons. The bag turned out to be a big hit because the dragon as a Chinese totem can be found in a wide array of applications.
If there is a lesson to be learned by foreign businesses operating in China, it is that marketing with chinoiserie alone isn't always effective; it has to be complemented with a keen sensitivity to what works culturally and what might trigger a pushback.
So here are my two cents: Applying local motifs to marketing gimmickry is only the first step toward achieving success in a different market - and the last if it is bungled.
Source: Global Times
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