Michael Jackson, Louis Vuitton and Branding in the Wild Wild East
Originally posted on November 16, 2009 from Shanghai, China:
Louies Vuitton Tea & Coffee - Shanghai
Over the last few days I’ve been involved in no less than twenty conversations in which Michael Jackson was discussed. It appears that the pop superstar’s shine never diminished after his only visit to mainland China over 22 years ago. As a larger-than-life symbol of western culture to a country that, at the time, was relatively new to open policies and reform, rock and roll and the eccentricities of pop culture, Jackson became the mascot and icon of all things possible.
The movie “This Is It” was the latest impetus for discussion, but the topic frequently shifted to China’s other current obsession, branding. How, everyone here seems to want to know, are superstars created in the west? Madonna and Oprah are fodder for discussion to a lesser extent, but the question is always the same. What type of branding and marketing techniques are most effective? Who does this important work? Where can these elusive branding methods be learned?
Understanding China’s failure, to date, to produce a superstar celebrity of this echelon, may be as difficult as defining the particular blend of charisma, talent, luck and timing that put Michael Jackson’s name on everyone’s lips. True, basketball’s Yao Ming and Hong Kong born Jackie Chan are well known, but not at the rarefied and stratospheric level in question.
Copying other successful ideas and brands was, and to a large extent, still is an acceptable way of making advancements in Chinese business. However, as companies further invest in, and develop their own vulnerable intellectual property, the lax standards of the past are being challenged.
The reason Michael, Oprah and Madonna haven’t been successfully copied here, though not for lack of trying, is that their brands are impenetrable. Anything other than Madonna is simply not Madonna, and people understand this. Unlike the bogus purses and watches, available everywhere and hugely popular here, fake pop stars don’t resonate.
It’s a tall order, but companies are starting to realize that targeting this level of product dominance and consumer loyalty is an achievable and worthy goal. Rather than blatantly copying successful, tried and true brands, they are now taking the more difficult route of developing their own marketing strategies. Though the transition may be gradual, Chinese companies will eventually compete globally with other instantly recognizable brands on store shelves, runways, in showrooms and through media outlets far and wide.
Walking down nearly any street in Shanghai with an eye on signage or storefront advertisements, the challenges that lie ahead for designers and marketers, quickly become apparent. Lookalike logos and quasi-familiar names are plastered everywhere.
What might surprise anyone from the United States or Europe, is the near total lack of recognizable Chinese brand names. Daily news of this country’s rapid growth and economic might would seem to tell a different story, one of eventual dominance in areas currently monopolized by western countries. This may well be the case, and based on my experience here, the companies I’ve met with and their dedication to this outcome, I have absolutely no doubt that it will.
For the time being, however, the world will have to settle for knockoff but “very good price” Rolexes, I-Phones, Hollywood Movie DVDs and Prada bags – also known as shanzhai goods. Cheap copy of “This Is It,” anyone?
Leymo Coffee Beijing, Starbucks logo look-alike
KFC logo look-alike, fried chicken restaurant chain
Clio Coddle clothing chain, Izod logo look-alike
I photographed the above logos in Shanghai and Beijing, but the shops represented are located throughout China. Louies Vuitton [sic] Tea & Coffee is located in Shanghai’s Duolun Lu area.
© Markus Horak, 2010
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