Yu Wan Mei is a potent symbol of China’s aspirations. The salvage fisheries and polymer injection company has built an international food business offering such treats as Yum-E-Freez Eel Milk and Broiled Shark Gums. It was, says its website, “built on a tireless spirit of community, honour and willingness to continue working despite the loss of prized appendages.”
The company is, of course, entirely fictional. It was made up as part of a recent China special issue by US satirical paper The Onion. But it does serve as a reflection of the way Chinese products are popularly perceived in some markets.
It’s exactly the image Chinese authorities are keen to shed. Later this summer, the Ministry of Commerce is due to launch an international ad campaign on channels such as CNN in an effort to reassure consumers of the quality of Chinese-made products. The creative, handled by DDB, is still a work in progress.
The initiative raises the question of whether a global advertising campaign, however well-executed, is the answer to China’s image problems, which have been exacerbated by product scandals such as the tainted milk affair last year.
One Beijing-based PR says that the ads won’t do any harm, but argues that perceptions will only be changed through the quality of Chinese brands: “China is similar to Japan and Korea in the sense their change in perception came about, not through government activity, but through the brands that the country produces like Samsung and Sony.” He adds that the Government is keen to back national champions, and a few firms, such as Li Ning, Haier and Huawei, may be able to make the leap. But he warns that the problem China faces is that much of its export economy still relies on being cheap, and even the national champions are in some way built on their access to low-cost labour.
“China is always going to come up against the export-focused reality,” the source says. “The actual perceptual problems are deeper than an ad can address. The campaign can be blown up completely by the next product scandal.”
But Ed Tam, director of invention at Mindshare China, says negative images about China as a manufacturer are rooted largely in the West, but this may not be the only target of the campaign. “A lot of the cynicism about China and Chinese made products comes from the West. But China does a lot of trade with less-developed countries like Africa and India. The campaign does not have to overcome a negative image in these countries.”
Scott Kronick, president, Ogilvy Public Relations China, agrees that China should have a good story to tell, and needs to communicate more frequently with the outside world to tell it. “What the world does not know is that some of the most advanced environmental technology solutions are being created in China. China is one of the leading producers of solar technology. There is a budding biotechnology industry and with China’s vision of home-grown innovation, the future for producing advanced technology is bright.”
Kronick argues that “the key to any branding campaign is to understand the audience you are communicating with.” If the campaign is to begin to repair the damage of the last few years, it will need to be careful who it targets and deliver a message that can survive beyond any future scandal.
Got a view?
Email feedback@media.asia
