Brazilian brands have spread internationally by promoting a national cultural narrative, in contrast to China and India where brands tend to hide their cultural origin.
The acronym BRIC captures the new wave of economic dynamism and consumerism in Brazil, Russia, India and China. Each nation is humming along with annual GDP growth well above mature economies.
For the last decade, Asia has been leading the world in terms of growth, with some Asian countries posting remarkable double digit growths. In the backdrop of the Eurozone woes, Asia is managing to hold up and is turning in positive numbers.
Intriguingly, however, this optimism and confidence has not translated to how Asian women view themselves in the area of beauty. In an online study conducted by Added Value Saffron Hill for Allergan (a multi-specialty global health care company with world-leading franchises in medical aesthetics, eye care and neurosciences) Asian women aged 20+ score their looks at around 6 out of 10. Japan stands out as being most critical by scoring themselves only 4.8 out of 10; very much a low vote of confidence in their beauty. Read more…
As markets in Africa start to become key growth areas for global brands, it is necessary to gain insights into what makes the consumers in those markets tick. Doing so, however, is a complex task often fraught with challenges.
Masingita Mazibuko, Associate Director at Added Value South Africa, told Financial Mail, a leading South African weekly business magazine, that the challenges can be overcome if brand owners are flexible enough, and are prepared to accept less traditional approaches from time-to-time. These are excerpts from that interview. Read more…
Brazil is booming. It’s now the sixth largest global economy and is expected to be fifth by 2013. As Western economies continue to wither, brands are increasingly looking to emerging markets like Brazil for growth. Here the ‘middle class’ now represents more than 50% of the 185 million population. That’s a lot of people, with a lot of newfound spending power. But making the most of this opportunity depends on recognising that the ‘middle class’ in Brazil and other emerging markets is not the same as that in developed markets. It’s not even a single cohort. And woe betide any brand that treats it as such. Read more…
India is set to become one of the world’s top three consumer markets for diamonds. We asked Neil Martin, Head of Brand Planning at Forevermark (part of the De Beers groups of companies) to describe the challenges facing De Beers and how working with Added Value has helped prepare the business to capitalise on the market potential. Read more…
Added Value has a wealth of luxury expertise across many sectors and countries. So we were thrilled to be asked to write a chapter for “The Luxury Market in India: Maharajas to Masses” book published by Palgrave Macmillan, released 28th September 2012. Here’s an extract from our chapter, written by Melanie Puddick one of our luxury experts, as a sneak preview.
Brands from Brazil are capturing global attention and allegiance, while their Asian counterparts among the ‘BRIC’ countries, China and India lag behind. The acronym BRIC captures the new wave of economic dynamism and consumerism in Brazil, Russia, India and China. However in terms of leveraging success to create international brands—the acronym is probably best pronounced with a strong B, weak R, and almost silent I and C.
While Brazil’s brands are capturing international attention and allegiance, China and India’s attempts have largely been have incoherent, awkward and exhibitied an unhelpful level of self righteousness. Examples of the momentum Brazil has gained in creating international brands from domestic success include newcomer FB Collection and determined achiever Natura Cosméticos. Read more…
Statistics on the use of digital technology shows, unsurprisingly, that the youth is at the vanguard of the digital revolution. But what about corporate leaders? Those individuals tasked with making the major decisions for brands and businesses? Are they also engaging in this communications revolution?
Added Value Saffron Hill, working with MEC and CNBC, recently undertook a regional study into this highly sought after yet often un-researched niche segment. Read more…
Taking advantage of the surge in Chinese international travelers, Tourism Australia recently launched an online romance serial to bring the Aussie experience to Chinese netizens. The show’s name is translated as “One More Bounce of My Heart,” drawing on the signature movement of the kangaroo, a recognizable symbol of Australia to mainland Chinese.
CIC was the first company specializing in social media research in China and is now part of the Kantar Media group, ‘Tina Hu’ a Senior Director from CIC came to visit Added Value UK to educate and explain the impact of social media in China, how it differs from Western social media and how brands are adapting to fit into the Chinese online culture. Read more…
