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5 Aug 2011 | 6 Comments
The Unearthing of China’s Copy-Cat Culture
It’s almost like the Tiger Woods scandal, once the fight between Tiger and his wife broke out, all the other details followed suit. The same thing is happening in China. Expat blogger, Bird Abroad, made public to the world a ... -
18 May 2011 | 13 Comments
How American Companies Choose Their Chinese Names
Everyone knows (or at least everyone should know) that when you do business in another country aside from your own, you don’t go in with the same game plan. You adapt to the new market. One of the most obvious ...
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7 Apr 2011 | 15 Comments
Dunkin’ Donuts In China. I love It, But Will China?
Somewhere in between rickshaws barreling down streets, three-wheeled cars, and sidewalk vendors selling boiled lotus roots, I didn’t expect to see that strikingly familiar orange and pink Dunkin’ Donuts sign. As a Massachusetts native, I frequented Dunkin’ Donuts in my school years, ...
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13 Mar 2011 | 4 Comments
Playboy as a Clothes Company in China
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10 Mar 2011 | 17 Comments
How Is McDonald’s In America Different From McDonald’s In China?
Some American companies, namely Best Buy, who closed its branded electronic stores last month, struggle to stay alive in China’s fickle consumer economy. That’s not true for McDonald’s, where Chinese flock everyday for Western-style fast food. I hardly see anyone ...
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5 Aug 2011 | 6 Comments
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Category Archives: Western Brands In China
The Unearthing of China’s Copy-Cat Culture
It’s almost like the Tiger Woods scandal, once the fight between Tiger and his wife broke out, all the other details followed suit. The same thing is happening in China. Expat blogger, Bird Abroad, made public to the world a couple weeks ago, the copy-cat Apple store in Kunming. But this intellectual property infringement isn’t an isolated case. There are many other stores around China purporting themselves to be official Apple stores, and stores that represent themselves as resellers despite having no ties to Apple. But it doesn’t stop with Apple. Ikea, a Swedish furniture maker, who has been rather successful in China, is another target of Chinese-style replication of Western brands and products. There are countless brands like The North Face, Bose, and Microsoft who have had their designs and products duplicated and sold on the Chinese market. It is estimated that about 80% of software and DVDs in China are pirated.
Posted in Marketing/Finance, Western Brands In China
6 Comments
How American Companies Choose Their Chinese Names
Before entering the Chinese market, American brands usually need to change their names. Though, you can see here, Tide still displays their English name prominently on their packaging.
Posted in Marketing/Finance, Western Brands In China
13 Comments
Dunkin’ Donuts In China. I love It, But Will China?
Somewhere in between rickshaws barreling down streets, three-wheeled cars, and sidewalk vendors selling boiled lotus roots, I didn’t expect to see that strikingly familiar orange and pink Dunkin’ Donuts sign. As a Massachusetts native, I frequented Dunkin’ Donuts in my school years, and the logo stuck out like a….well…. Dunkin’ Donuts sign in the middle of third-tier China. But there it was, just a few miles away from my university apartment in Xi’an, China, a brand new Dunkin’ Donuts franchise selling fresh hot coffee, donuts, and munchkins.
Playboy as a Clothes Company in China
Playboy is a popular clothes brand in China, as it is in other parts of Asia as well. Interesting enough, Chinese buy Playboy clothing for its cute bunny logo, and not its sex appeal. In fact, most customers have no idea about the Playboy magazines because they are banned in China. But, Playboy is expanding its business in China by selling merchandise through licensing agreements that allow other companies to use its logo on clothes, or other items such as lighters and stationary. Playboy is hoping that the year of the rabbit (2011 Spring Festival in Asia) will bring increased sales to a company plagued by decreased readership. (In the photo above, a Playboy apparel shop is open for business in Xi'an, China. I thought the logo behind the tree was rather symbolic of a vague understanding as to what Playboy really means in the West).
How Is McDonald’s In America Different From McDonald’s In China?
McDonald's is the second largest fast food chain in China. They have done extremely well by adapting to the local market. In this photo, a youngster in China takes his McDonald's food to go.
