{"id":10474,"date":"2022-06-23T07:30:35","date_gmt":"2022-06-23T07:30:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focus.cbbc.org\/?p=10474"},"modified":"2025-04-23T09:39:47","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T09:39:47","slug":"how-to-create-branding-that-resonates-with-chinese-consumers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focus.cbbc.org\/how-to-create-branding-that-resonates-with-chinese-consumers\/","title":{"rendered":"How to create branding that resonates with Chinese consumers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nescaf\u00e9 and Harbin Beer have shown that brands can stand out in the crowded Chinese market and<\/em> create a message that resonates with Chinese consumers according to\u00a0creative agency Jones Knowles Ritchie<\/strong><\/h2>\n

We now live in a highly digital world where having an e-commerce channel is no longer just an option, but a necessity. This is especially true in China\u2019s sophisticated marketing landscape, where most companies must establish an e-commerce presence and leverage innovative technologies just to stay competitive.<\/p>\n

The Covid-19 pandemic has convinced many businesses to finally embrace e-commerce as many realised that the presence of an online platform could mitigate the impact of physical shop closures. The recent lockdowns<\/a> in many parts of China have caused even more companies to do the same.<\/p>\n

The e-commerce sector<\/a> is now saturated. Consumers are spoilt for choice. It has become incredibly difficult to stand out from the crowd.<\/p>\n

In the past, advertising was one of the primary means of helping a company stand out. But research has shown that unless performed properly, the effectiveness and ROI of advertising is often largely sacrificed<\/span>. In a widely cited study of 143 television ads by the Ehrenberg Bass Institute, only a dismal 16% of advertising was recalled and correctly attributed to a brand. In other words, without brand distinctiveness, 84% of ad spend went down the drain. The WARC Marketer\u2019s Toolkit 2021 also found that two-thirds of survey respondents said that advertising suffered from a lack of distinctiveness during lockdowns.<\/p>\n

But what is brand distinctiveness and how should brands in China leverage it to set themselves apart from the competition?<\/p>\n

\"launchpad<\/a><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t just be different. Be distinctive<\/h4>\n

Brand differentiation and brand distinctiveness might seem like the same thing, but they are most certainly not.<\/p>\n

In a nutshell, brand differentiation is about setting a brand apart from the competition based on a difference. For example, an organic egg can be said to be different from the regular eggs on the shelf because it is organic. But place this organic egg brand among other organic egg brands, and this differentiating factor disappears.<\/p>\n

The crux of brand distinctiveness lies in being true to an identity. Just as no two people are the same, no two brands should be either.<\/p>\n

There are two pillars of brand distinctiveness:<\/p>\n

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  1. Authentic brand purpose and values<\/li>\n
  2. Consistent, impactful brand experiences that reflect this purpose and values.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n