Last year, adidas sportswear maker personally learned that it is best not to take the Chinese flag kidding.
The German company launched a sports bag in Hong Kong that follows the Chinese national flag . Packed with red and 5 Venus, the largest Venus is printed with the logo of Adidas - Adidas company sincerely hope that this idea of ​​China's interests can win the Chinese people's hearts. Unfortunately, the Chinese do not appreciate: Adidas only got one thing - protest. The Olympic sponsor had to immediately explain that it did not want to create trouble, but wanted to pay tribute to the People's Republic of China. A week later, all this sports bag was removed from the shelves in Hong Kong.
According to Dan Mintz, chief creative officer of DMG Advertising, a Chinese-focused marketplace, this is a typical case of a lack of understanding of the cultural characteristics of the Chinese market. "Self-deprecating is not a Chinese strength," said the American while laughing. Even people who have a little knowledge of Chinese culture must know that it is "absolutely impossible" to juggle the country.
However, the wrong account is clearly more than anyone thought: Nike also caused anger in a country full of possibilities for growth because of a commercial. In the commercial shot by the American company, American NBA player LeBron James and a cartoon kung fu master and multiple dragons fight. Perhaps this also allows the Chinese to endure. But James won the fight, which is too much. The Chinese TV regulator commented that this advertisement has harmed China's national dignity and must be banned.
However, Mintz, China expert, believes that Western companies can completely avoid causing such huge losses to their image in China because of such setbacks. Since his first trip to China in 1993, Mintz has been working hard to understand the Chinese spirit. Learning Mandarin is only the first step and a more sensible approach is to look deeper into the Chinese. "How Chinese people express their ideas is often more important than what they say." But also to study, what can make them happy.
Indeed, China, with a population of 1.3 billion, poses a tremendous challenge to its marketing strategy simply because of its vast territory and diverse folk customs. Due to the huge gap between urban and rural areas in northern and southern China, the analytical tools of Western advertising companies primarily applicable to Western social and economic issues are doomed to fail soon.
Muntz said that unlike the West, "Chinese people's identity is very close to their own tradition even today." Certainly young people in China are also fascinated by the Western world. However, no advertising idea can cause any minor damage to historical ties.