The table below cites
new advertising campaigns of U.S. companies and new products entering
the China market. We will also cite noteworthy advertisements from long
established companies. All locations are in Beijing unless noted otherwise.
The dates are only approximate and may have started much earlier than
the listed date.
| 04/04/2007 |
Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co |
Menu Foods Recall |
For anyone following the Menu Foods pet food recall, both Purina and Mars (Pedigree) sell a range of Cat and Dog foods in China but there has been nothing in the local news about a recall. Here is the home page of the Chinese company involved, Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co: http://www.xzay.com/english/ArticleShow.asp?ArticleID=89
Located north in JiangSu Province, north of Shanghai.
|
| 04/02/2007 |
Coke goes native |
Store Shelf |
Coke has revamped the labels of their bottles and cans and removed the English logo – except for a very small one. Now only the Chinese logo is shown (KeKouKeLe). |
| 03/05/2007 |
sport fishing |
Television |
Sport fishing has come to Chinese TV. Not sure who is behind it but they likely wish to create a market in this area. This is not an easy task as currently the only people sport fishing are old men; read uncool. The best strategy would be to distance the sport as far as possibly from them by using expensive boats, exotic locations, etc. |
| 03/05/2007 |
obstacle course shows |
Television |
American Idol type shows have reached a saturation point and a new import is gaining ground: the obstacle course contest. There is one similar to American Gladiator and a French one where they wear silly costumes while navigating the course. Not surprisingly a big sponsor was MengNiu Yoghurt, these were the same guys who did the first American Idol type show in China. |
| 01/30/2007 |
James Bond Casino Royale |
Street level billboard |
Casino Royale will be the first Bond film to screen in China. Daniel Craig was in Beijing for the premiere. China only allows 20 foreign films per year in. There are ways around this though without national distribution; the 2 week Italian Film Festival is just finishing up in Beijing and Shanghai. |
| 01/28/2007 |
McDonalds |
Store Front |
McDonald's has opened its first Beijing drive-through at a Sinopec gas station in Changping, a suburb of Beijing. China currently has very few drive-through restaurant where car culture is just catching on. Expect more openings at Sinopecs all around China whom McDonalds has a joint venture agreement with. Drive-through banking won’t be far behind. |
| 01/28/2007 |
7-Eleven |
Store Front |
7-Eleven is blurring the lines between conveniences store and fast food. Each noon and evening people line up for its take-out food; popular Chinese dishes, Japanese style snacks, or microwave snacks. The average meal costing only $1, half the cost of a KFC or McDonalds meal. They could probably do even more business if they could find a way to increase throughput. |
| 01/25/2007 |
Papa John's |
Store Front |
Papa John’s pizza is now available in Beijing. They join a slew of international pizza brands currently operating in China. Hard to imagine that only 5 years ago, finding a good pizza was a difficult task. Pizza Hut, one of the first to enter China, still enjoys great popularity and often has lines on the weekends (in China most people will just go to another restaurant if there is a wait). |
| 01/19/2007 |
Howard Johnson Hotel |
English Business Magazine |
Howard Johnson heads East to join other mid-range hotels Comfort Inn and Super 8. This is a new market entry. The ad was for Shanghai but expect to see them in Beijing soon - they wouldn't want to miss the Olympics in 2008. |
| 01/14/2007 |
BMW |
Art Exhibit |
BMW has an exhibit at Beijing’s art enclave, “798 Art District”, called “Art in Motion”. The artists Alexander Calder, Mulazo Kayama, David Hockney and Jenny Holzer have put their brush to some BMW cars. This exhibit has been touring other Chinese cities as well, often alongside famous Chinese contemporary artists. One has to ask, “is this art or advertisement?” Stockholders tend to frown on any activity, especially costly activities, that don’t build the bottom line. This is not only an ad, it is a brilliant ad; the viewers don’t know they are viewing an ad and can link the BMW brand with art. A master stroke for BMW in China’s hot market for luxury vehicles. |
| 12/21/2006 |
Microsoft |
office building display |
No US web company can be said to be doing great in China; they all trail a domestic leader. MSN Messenger has had some success and Microsoft is trying to leverage that to other areas at cn.msn.com. In China, many office buildings allow companies to set up ad displays in the lobby. Clearly Microsoft is targeting white collar workers. |
| 12/20/2006 |
Seiko, Citizen, Rossini, Mido, Accord, Ernest Borel, Gruen, Tag Heuer |
Subway |
Watch ads seem to have reached maximum saturation. Perhaps in hopes they’ll make the perfect Christmas gift? Gift giving at Christmas time has not caught on in China. |
| 12/17/2006 |
Amway |
Billboard/Subway ads |
The Artistry line is being promoted. Amway has been in China since before 2000. Their original selling scheme was categorized as a pyramid scheme and outlawed. Strong Chinese entrepreneurial spirit means personal selling of Amway is still popular anyway. |
| 12/17/2006 |
Unicef |
Shopping Center Display |
The trademark Unicef Christmas cards were available for purchase allowing one to make a donation to a good cause. Though China is embracing all things Christmas; that it is also the time for being generous is not widely known. A better strategy might be to use LeiFeng day, the original all-around good guy already universally know in China. |
| 12/10/2006 |
Levi's, Lux |
TV/Billboards |
Levi's and Lux both have ads showing a foreign guy with a local girl. For girls, may give the intended effect of being modern and exotic. For guys will push the wrong buttons. |
| 12/10/2006 |
Puma |
Television |
The ad has 3 bad guys storming a home and the lone girl using Kungfu to fight them off, with the trade-mark acrobatics and flying typical of Kungfu movies. Bad guys and girl are wearing Pumas. All good with one big flaw; the home is Japanese style. This flaw could backfire the whole ad due to lingering bad feelings from the war. |
| 12/04/2006 |
HP,Kodak,Creative,TCL |
Television Event |
HP Photosmart, Kodak V570, Creative Zen Vision, TCL DV009 are some of the products featured in the CCTV2 "Innovation and Design Awards". This two day, prime time award show gives great exposure to those companies lucky enough to compete. |
| 12/04/2006 |
Sponge Bob |
Television |
Viacom International Inc. and Nickelodeon’s Sponge Bob is speaking Chinese. Sponge Bob joins the increasing ranks of Children’s programming entering China. Children’s programming stands the best chance of clearing China’s strict rating requirements which are more strict than American television standards in all but one category; violence – make it as violent as you want. |
| 11/18/2006 |
BP |
Television |
British petroleum is stressing its environment friendly methods in a bid to distinguish itself from Sinopec, one of the richest companies in China. |
| 11/18/2006 |
Hennessy |
Nightclub Party |
International DJ’s come a dime a dozen in Beijing but this is the first time a liquor brand has sponsored the whole event which was named “Hennessy Artistry”. Adding a new twist, they even brought in pop singer Hu Yanbin for a mini-concert. Why didn’t anyone think of this before? Can probably expect a flood of such brand name parties to follow. Score one for Hennessy in catching up with the leaders Chivas Regal and Johnnie Walker as whiskeys continue to enjoy in vogue status. |
