d**n
发帖数: 3172 | 1 What the Chinese Want
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405270230336050457740849
.html?mod=WSJ_article_comments#articleTabs%3Darticle
By TOM DOCTOROFF
Apple has taken China by storm. A Starbucks can be found on practically
every major street corner in coastal cities and beyond. From Nike to
Buick
to Siemens, Chinese consumers actively prefer Western brands over their
domestic competitors. The rise of microbloggers, the popularity of rock
bands with names like Hutong Fist and Catcher in the Rye, and even the
newfound popularity of Christmas all seem to point toward a growing
Westernization.
As Western retailers bet on China to drive profits, some of the biggest
mistakes are made because brands don't understand the Chinese consumer.
The
WSJ's Deborah Kan speaks to Tom Doctoroff, author of the book "What
Chinese
Want: Culture, Communism & The Modern Chinese Consumer."
But don't be deceived by appearances. Consumers in China aren't becoming
"
Western." They are increasingly modern and international, but they remain
distinctly Chinese. If I've learned anything from my 20 years working as
an
advertising executive in China, it is that successful Western brands
craft
their message here to be "global," not "foreign"—so that they can become
vessels of Chinese culture.
Understanding China's consumer culture is a good starting point for
understanding the nation itself, as it races toward superpower status.
Though the country's economy and society are evolving rapidly, the
underlying cultural blueprint has remained more or less constant for
thousands of years. China is a Confucian society, a quixotic combination
of
top-down patriarchy and bottom-up social mobility. Citizens are driven by
an
ever-present conflict between standing out and fitting in, between
ambition
and regimentation. In Chinese society, individuals have no identity
apart
from obligations to, and acknowledgment by, others. The clan and nation
are
the eternal pillars of identity. Western individualism—the idea of
defining
oneself independent of society—doesn't exist.
Sean McCabe
Even beer must do something— like reinforce trust or promote financial
gain
. In the West, letting the good times roll is enough.
From the Archives
Hugo Boss Dresses Up Its China Efforts May 18, 2012
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The Ferrari With the Dragon Tattoo May 5, 2012
Various youth subtribes intermittently bubble to the surface—see the
recent
rise of "vegetable males" (Chinese metrosexuals) and "Taobao maniacs" (
aficionados of the auction website Taobao). But self-expression is
generally
frowned upon, and societal acknowledgment is still tantamount to
success.
Liberal arts majors are considered inferior to graduates with engineering
or
accounting degrees. Few dare to see a psychologist for fear of losing
"face
"—the respect or deference of others—or being branded sick. Failure to
have a child is a grave disappointment.
The speed with which China's citizens have embraced all things digital is
one sign that things are in motion in the country. But e-commerce, which
has
changed the balance of power between retailers and consumers, didn't
take
off until the Chinese need for reassurance was satisfied. Even when
transactions are arranged online, most purchases are completed in person,
with shoppers examining the product and handing over their cash offline.
Photos: Chinese Consumer Culture
View Slideshow
Getty Images
Brands like Starbucks, Prada and Porsche have made deep in roads
Consumers
in China aren't becoming "Western." They are increasingly modern and
international, but they remain distinctly Chinese.
Even digital self-expression needs to be safe, cloaked in anonymity.
Social
networking sites such as Sina Weibo (a Chinese version of Twitter),
Renren
and Kaixing Wang (Chinese versions of Facebook) have exploded. But users
hide behind avatars and pseudonyms. A survey conducted by the advertising
firm JWT, where I work, and IAC, the Internet holding company, found that
less than a third of young Americans agreed with the statement "I feel
free
to do and say things [online] I wouldn't do or say offline," and 41%
disagreed. Among Chinese respondents, 73% agreed, and just 9% disagreed.
Chinese at all socioeconomic levels try to "win"—that is, climb the
ladder
of success—while working within the system, not against it. In Chinese
consumer culture, there is a constant tension between self-protection and
displaying status. This struggle explains the existence of two seemingly
conflicting lines of development. On the one hand, we see stratospheric
savings rates, extreme price sensitivity and aversion to credit-card
interest payments. On the other, there is the Chinese fixation with
luxury
goods and a willingness to pay as much as 120% of one's yearly income for
a
car.
Every day, the Chinese confront shredded social safety nets, a lack of
institutions that protect individual wealth, contaminated food products
and
myriad other risks to home and health. The instinct of consumers to
project
status through material display is counterbalanced by conservative buying
behavior. Protective benefits are the primary consideration for
consumers.
Even high-end paints must establish their lack of toxicity before touting
the virtues of colorful self-expression. Safety is a big concern for all
car
buyers, at either end of the price spectrum.
The Saturday Essay
Under Attack (5/12/12)
Renting Prosperity (5/5/12)
The Trust Molecule (4/28/12)
Rethinking the War on Drugs (4/21/12)
Why Airport Security Is Broken—And How To Fix It (4/14/12)
How I Stopped Drowning in Drink (3/17/12)
To win a following among Chinese buyers, brands have to follow three
rules.
First and most important, products that are consumed in public, directly
or
indirectly, command huge price premiums relative to goods used in
private.
The leading mobile phone brands are international. The leading household
appliance brands, by contrast, are cheaply priced domestic makers such as
TCL, Changhong and Little Swan. According to a study by the U.K.-based
retailer B&Q, the average middle-class Chinese spends only $15,000 to fit
out a completely bare 1,000-square-foot apartment.
Luxury items are desired more as status investments than for their
inherent
beauty or craftsmanship. The Chinese are now the world's most avid luxury
shoppers, at least if trips abroad to cities like Hong Kong and Paris are
taken into account. According to Global Refund, a company specializing in
tax-free shopping for tourists, the Chinese account for 15% of all luxury
items purchased in France but less than 2% of its visitors.
Public display is also a critical consideration in how global brands are
repositioning themselves to attract Chinese consumers. Despite China's
tea
culture, Starbucks successfully established itself as a public venue in
which professional tribes gather to proclaim their affiliation with the
new-
generation elite. Both Pizza Hut and Häagen Dazs have built mega-
franchises in China rooted in out-of-home consumption. (The $5 carton of
vanilla to be eaten at home is a tough sell in China.)
The second rule is that the benefits of a product should be external, not
internal. Even for luxury goods, celebrating individualism—with familiar
Western notions like "what I want" and "how I feel"—doesn't work in
China.
Automobiles need to make a statement about a man on his way up. BMW, for
example, has successfully fused its global slogan of the "ultimate
driving
machine" with a Chinese-style declaration of ambition.
Sometimes the difference between internal versus external payoffs can be
quite subtle. Spas and resorts do better when they promise not only
relaxation but also recharged batteries. Infant formulas must promote
intelligence, not happiness. Kids aren't taken to Pizza Hut so that they
can
enjoy pizza; they are rewarded with academic "triumph feasts." Beauty
products must help a woman "move forward." Even beer must do something.
In
Western countries, letting the good times roll is enough; in China,
pilsner
must bring people together, reinforce trust and promote mutual financial
gain.
Emotional payoffs must be practical, even in matters of the heart.
Valentine
's Day is almost as dear to the Chinese as the Lunar New Year, but they
view
it primarily as an opportunity for men to demonstrate their worthiness
and
commitment. In the U.S., De Beers's slogan, "A Diamond is Forever,"
glorifies eternal romance. In China, the same tagline connotes
obligation, a
familial covenant—rock solid, like the stone itself.
The last rule for positioning a brand in China is that products must
address
the need to navigate the crosscurrents of ambition and regimentation, of
standing out while fitting in. Men want to succeed without violating the
rules of the game, which is why wealthier individuals prefer Audis or
BMWs
over flashy Maseratis.
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Luxury buyers want to demonstrate mastery of the system while remaining
understated, hence the appeal of Mont Blanc's six-point logo or Bottega
Veneta's signature cross weave—both conspicuously discreet. Young
consumers
want both stylishness and acceptance, so they opt for more
conventionally
hip fashion brands like Converse and Uniqlo.
Chinese parents are drawn to brands promising "stealthy learning" for
their
children: intellectual development masked as fun. Disney will succeed
more
as an educational franchise—its English learning centers are going
gangbusters—than as a theme park. McDonald's restaurants, temples of
childhood delight in the West, have morphed into scholastic playgrounds
in
China: Happy Meals include collectible Snoopy figurines wearing costumes
from around the world, while the McDonald's website, hosted by Professor
Ronald, offers Happy Courses for multiplication. Skippy peanut butter
combines "delicious peanut taste" and "intelligent sandwich preparation."
Even China's love affair with Christmas—with big holiday sales and
ubiquitous seasonal music, even in Communist Party buildings—advances a
distinctly Chinese agenda. Santa is a symbol of progress; he represents
the
country's growing comfort with a new global order, one into which it is
determined to assimilate, without sacrificing the national interest. The
holiday has become a way to project status in a culture in which
individual
identity is inextricably linked to external validation.
The American dream—wealth that culminates in freedom—is intoxicating for
the Chinese. But whereas Americans dream of "independence," Chinese crave
"
control" of their own destiny and command over the vagaries of daily
life.
Material similarities between Chinese and Americans mask fundamentally
different emotional impulses. If Western brands can learn to meet China's
worldview on its own terms, perhaps the West as a whole can too.
—Mr. Doctoroff is the author of "What Chinese Want: Culture, Communism
and
China's Modern Consumer" and is the North Asia director and Greater China
CEO for J. Walter Thompson, whose clients include Starbucks, De Beers and
Renren. | l******0
发帖数: 1362 | | e***z
发帖数: 7126 | 3 co 求
【在 l******0 的大作中提到】
: 太长，求仨吗瑞
| Z*****l
发帖数: 14069 | 4 就是说在中国做生意要抓住国人对名利两个字的追求。
【在 e***z 的大作中提到】
: co 求
| a******o
发帖数: 16625 | 5 人性没什么不同只是表现形式有明有暗而已，东西方都一样。
【在 Z*****l 的大作中提到】
: 就是说在中国做生意要抓住国人对名利两个字的追求。
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