Creating an effective and penetrating brand icon and identity which
young people can identify with is the key for a successful youth
marketing campaign in China.
J. Walter Thompson Shanghai associate account director Rodney Cao said
the Chinese youth market was a distinct consumer group compared with
other young people elsewhere in the world.
On the one hand, young Chinese people have a strong self-identity and
strive for individualism which is similar to youngsters the world
over.
On the other hand, however, they are loyal to their families and
communities.
The crux of a successful youth marketing campaign centres on the
creation of a communication message that touches on the common points
between the brand and the distinct mindset of the Chinese youth, Mr Cao
told delegates of the MEDIA-organised China Brand Seminar which was held
in Shanghai recently.
He added that market research formed an indispensable part of
formulating youth marketing campaigns in China as different brands and
categories need to identify what appeals to young people and how they
can become an accepted part of the youngsters' day-to-day lifestyle.
International appeal may not necessarily be a selling point for young
people.
It seemed, Mr Cao said, that they would rather prefer a brand that can
convey the feeling and imagery of what is "cool" in China.
Multinational advertisers such as Pepsi and Nike have zeroed on the
"China cool" concept in the their campaigns.
In building up a successful youth brand in China, marketers, therefore,
need to leverage and capitalise on the cool elements of the Chinese
culture.
This is how to get and keep young people's attention and interest as
well as create relevancy, Mr Cao said.
He added that advertisers should avoid using the "Great American pride"
concept in campaigns, and that the brand must create a real emotion to
bond with the consumers through the use of local culture, imagery and
icons.
For instance, celebrity-driven campaigns have been successful in
building brands in the minds of Chinese consumers, however, Mr Cao
stressed that the tactical use of celebrities was of far greater
importance.
The celebrity's character must reflect the characteristics of the
brand.
In addition, the character must represent the brand rather than the
brand representing the celebrity.
