Chinese consumers respond to the same human, emotional cues as
consumers anywhere else, according to a new piece of research (see
analysis, p14).
They like advertising which is creative, humorous and metaphorical. They
dislike advertising which is obvious, over-factual and cliched.
Pretty obvious stuff, but it needs saying, because judging from their
ads, a lot of advertisers are ignoring it. Any country's advertising is
always going to have its own distinctive tone of voice. That doesn't
mean China's has to be second-rate. If advertisers treat sophisticated
Chinese consumers with condescension and contempt, they'll vote with
their wallets.
