Coolbid.com ads receive warm welcome in China

<p>In what is believed to be a first in Chinese media history, Beijing </p><p>Evening News Daily paid tribute to an advertisement which could have </p><p>offended political sensibilities in the mainland. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The ad, created by Euro RSCG Great Ocean Partnership Beijing for client </p><p>Coolbid.com (www.coolbid.com), was developed using symbols which are </p><p>familiar - and potentially sensitive - to consumers in China. One ad </p><p>uses a Cultural Revolution symbol showing a group of people raising </p><p>their arms to chest level, signalling the power that a united group has. </p><p>Another ad (shown above) uses words which, if taken out of context, </p><p>might be politically sensitive - an axe can be used to kill people, but </p><p>in the Coolbid ad, symbolises the efforts of a group of people to cut </p><p>prices. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Coolbid.com was launched last December, and the ad campaign covered </p><p>print, the Internet and outdoor. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The ecommerce site turns the traditional notion of auctions on its head </p><p>by not selling products to the highest bidder; instead, as more and more </p><p>people go online to bid, the prices start falling. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>- See pages 20-28 for the new, expanded Internet section in MEDIA, </p><p>called CReATION. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>