Comments on: Hey Visa: Trashing a neighbourhood with your brand is not good marketing.

By: Gavin Heaton

Gavin Heaton — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 02:07:43 +0000

Saw a TV show on the Hutongs the other night. The things that the Chinese govt do to their own people is a tragedy.

By: Tim Longhurst

Tim Longhurst — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 09:42:23 +0000

@Katie I don’t know if the shopkeepers are victims – I’m raising the possibility that they didn’t get a whole lot of say or remuneration in this project. This is a city where many hutongs have been leveled to make way for developments – and the owners of shops etc not appropriately remunerated. The Govt allow the strongarming smaller players all the time.
And I’m not suggesting for a minute that I know how these shopkeepers ought best market their business, I’m just pointing out that – as you well know – the right marketing move isn’t always the obvious one.

@Gavin There’s a difference between being ‘naive in business dealings’ and not getting paid. But as you point out, maybe there is ROI from having the signs and that payment enough?

By: Gavin Heaton

Gavin Heaton — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 05:41:57 +0000

Payment can come in many forms … and there is certainly a lot of benefit for Chinese to be seen as being aligned with a big Western brand. For example, going to Starbucks in Beijing can add enormously to your personal and family’s prestige.

But make no mistake, the Chinese are anything but naive when it comes to business dealings — no matter whether your are a big brand or a small player, if there is a deal to be done or value to be extracted, it will be done faster than you might imagine.

By: Katie Chatfield

Katie Chatfield — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 05:16:35 +0000

What makes you think that a Chinese shopkeeper is a victim? What makes you think that Chinese people have less of an understanding of how to make money out of their own culture than you?
Which part of the famous neon signage in Hong Kong is not ‘chinese’?

Cultural imperialism isn’t only displayed by big brands Tim…..

By: Tim Longhurst

Tim Longhurst — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 03:11:45 +0000

@wade thanks – I’ll try and stay safe!

@Gavin – “And what we see as charm, the locals see as an opportunity to make money.” Yeah, but did the ‘locals’ actually make money on this one? I don’t know…

@Katie “A westerner’s perception of charm might be a local’s perception of old fashioned…” No doubt that’s true, perhaps the locals haven’t realised the potential in preserving history as a way of attracting those valued foreign $’s?

@Justin Branding is definitely a strong cultural cue, but surely people can be made to feel safe and welcome in a community without 5000 watt credit card advertisements every ten meters.

@Kristen Yeah I hope Visa paid the shopkeeper’s rent for a few months or something equally substantial, but I wonder if this is simply a government enforced gift to a major Olympic sponsor.