95% of Estée Lauder lovers prefer “雅诗兰黛” as an Official Chinese Name (II)

The excerpt above portrays the impact official Chinese brand names have on Chinese consumers. There is a stronger tendency for Chinese consumers to develop brand loyalty and great interest when “brand representation” is made accessible. This accessibility can be facilitated by “name recall” in Chinese which is a lot easier for Chinese native speakers, as opposed to “name recall” in French or English. For instance, if a brand is represented by its Chinese name –雅诗兰黛, rather than its French name – Estée Lauder, the brand’s presence not only becomes more salient but also makes information about it more accessible to the target audience.

In figure 1, it is shown that Estée Lauder’s official Chinese name (雅诗兰黛) generally results in more searches on the search engine than Gucci’s original name. This outcome can also be attributed to the branding efforts of Estée Lauder as its official Chinese is frequently and effectively conveyed to the target audience. In short, this effect could be replicated for Gucci searches only if its Chinese official name resonated more with the target audience. In Figure 2, this resonance plays a contributing factor in determining consumer preference in terms of product popularity and preference. Going back to the comparison between Estée Lauder and Gucci, it is not surprising that the former would rank higher than the latter. Although the overall searches for Estée Lauder and Gucci does not have a huge difference – 95% as opposed to 63% in Figure 1, Figure 2 magnifies and reflects the power of breaking down language barriers. Therefore, effective branding plays a vital role in the competitive Chinese market.

	Original	Non-official	Official
Estée Lauder	5%	0%	95% (雅诗兰黛)
Gucci	63%	29% (古奇/古琦)	8% (古驰)

*Figure 1

 

Rank	Brand	Official
1	Audi	奧迪
2	BMW	宝马
3	Chanel	香奈儿
4	Estée Lauder	雅诗兰黛
5	Louis Vuitton	路易威登
6	Lexus	雷克萨斯
7	Mercedes Benz	梅赛德斯 奔驰
8	Dior	迪奧
9	Porsche	保时捷
10	Lamborghini	兰博基尼
11	Lancôme	兰蔻
12	Gucci	古驰
13	Hermès	爱马仕
14	Volvo	沃尔沃
15	Land Rover	路虎

 

*Figure 2

 

Although today’s discussion focuses on the luxury brand market, effective branding remains a powerful tool in making your business competitive and appealing to the target audience, regardless of the product or service type. This article basically aims to draw correlations between language barriers and consumer psychology.  According to Figure 1, having a brand name that resonates with the target audience goes a long way in strengthening brand awareness which in turn, results in growing popularity and revenue for firms, as exhibited in Figure 2. We hope today’s article has given you insights on the power of localizing your brand image; which often begins with finding the right name. If you wish to venture into the Chinese market or expand your pool of Chinese clientele, please do not hesitate to log on to scribers.com.sg for more information on localization services!

source:

http://www.businessinsider.com/presentation-on-china-and-luxury-brands-2013-7?op=1

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Why You Should Have A Chinese Name For Your Brand? (I)

Many Chinese luxury brand consumers today are shifting their perspectives and finding new ways to flaunt wealth in style. Established brands such as Gucci and Louis Vuitton are fast becoming a trendy thing of the past while smaller niche brands like Chanel are gaining momentum in the luxury brand market. Chinese consumers are no longer satisfied with hogging brands that namesake one another; they now see luxury brands as reflecting one’s personal taste and sophistication.

While this cultural sophistication is indicative of a growing cultural proximity between Chinese and Western consumers, this is just the tip of the iceberg. The purchasing inclinations of the Chinese consumers exhibit unique preferences that differ from their Western counterparts. This spells new business opportunities and growth for brands that desire to build rapport with Chinese consumers. However, it is critical to understand consumer psychology in order to bolster brand awareness. Businesses can start strategizing by ensuring that their brand name create a lasting imprint on the target audience.

Studies have shown that language barrier is a significant factor in branding and this phenomenon is reflected in how Chinese consumers check out luxury brands on search engines:

“Language barriers continue to create complexities between Chinese consumers and Western luxury brands. Almost 40% of searches are for either non-official or original brand names, whilst the remaining searches are for their official Chinese name.”

Echo Zhiyue Zhou (周之悅)

China Digital Strategist, Digital Luxury Group

(To be continued)

Pic source: deliciouschinese.wordpress.com

Do you really know what your customers’ needs?

When you browse in Amazon.com, hundreds of thousand business management books advise you on boosting your business in sales, market share and profitability. Then you start to develop a new product  or service which you expect to rock the business by selling them. But here is the question: Does your customers really need this latest, coolest and best product? While you are eager to promote the latest product or service to prevail your competitors, you might put yourself in danger  or even be out of the market.

The giant white brand

Haier, consumer electronics and home appliance manufacturer, ranked the top spot of global major appliance brands in 2012 for the fourth consecutive year (Euromonitor). But this giant brand, which controls the majority market share in China, was in trouble in the past when they promoted the first washing machine in rural areas in China.  Guess what? Customers bought washing machine with a different purpose –washing vegetables. Put in detail, the occupation of these customers who lived in rural areas are farmers; thus, using the washing machine to wash vegetables did bring great convenience.  Now, this smart brand has a good understanding of their customers’ needs, they launch a new “vegetable washing machine” to satisfy their lovely customers.

How to nail the “next best offer”?

Four steps are recommended before building your NBO strategy (Harvard Business Review).

1.      Defining Objectives

Make a clear road map and specific goal, such as increasing market share and revenue. Be ready to face changing circumstances.

2.      Gathering Data

Be serious in collecting detailed data (demographic and psycho-graphics; purchasing history; social and location information) which helps you to have a better understanding of your customers.

3.      Analyzing and Executing

Use statistical analysis to match your customers and keep your eyes on the circumstances.

4.      Learning and Evolving

Collect customers’ responses in follow-on offers. Take this as a consideration in designing new offers.

<<Takeaway>>

Build or sharpen your NBO strategy through these four steps. Understand your customers better before they do. Be ready to rock your business!

Scribers, an ISO 9001 Certified Translation Company and a leading provider of high value localisation and translation services, creates and manages an extensive repertoire of services.

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