Chinese Brand: Management Edition

Author: Zeng Zhaohui
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-08-01
Features: Following the eras of advertising power and marketing power, the Chinese market has now fully entered the era of brand power. From [making products] to [building brands], from [Made in China] to [Created in China]! In China, the vast majority of enterprises have products but no brands. Chinese enterprises must wield this modern marketing weapon—branding—to build their own strong brands, revitalize national industry, and achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
Zeng Zhaohui's Practical Theories:
Necklace Theory: Individual advertising, promotion, PR, and sponsorship activities for a brand, if not tied together by a unified theme, are at best just pearls. Only by threading all communication efforts with a single thread can a dazzling necklace be formed. The value of the pearls is incomparable.
Fruit Tree Theory: If a consumer tastes a sweet fruit from one branch of a brand tree, they will believe that other fruits on that tree are also sweet. Therefore, enterprises must focus on building their brands. Once the brand succeeds, new products can be launched—just label them with the brand name, and it's done.
Water Flow Theory: As the saying goes, "A camp is unshakable, but soldiers come and go." Here, the "unshakable camp" refers to the brand, and the "coming and going soldiers" refer to the products. Products must constantly flow for the brand to remain vibrant.
Personified Brand Theory: A brand is a person, and a person is a brand. Treating a brand as a person is the simplest way to understand it. People have personalities, brands have character; people have personalities, brands have individuality; people have thoughts, brands have depth; people have faces, brands have appearances; people get sick, brands face crises, and they also need regular check-ups.
Button Theory: Conducting diagnostics and research for a brand is like buttoning a shirt—button one wrong, and the rest will follow.