Citing recent examples where storylines built around road trips proved successful, Jerry Clode, associate director of cultural insight for Added Value, explains how brands can exploit the emotional impact such stories can generate—particularly in China. Written originally for Campaign Asia.
The adventure and romance of road trips is increasingly capturing consumers in China and India. However the expression in India is more global, suggesting considerable untapped potential for the idea in China. Read more…
23 January 2012: A pioneering study of Chinese domestic life has revealed unique insights into the next wave of growth in the Middle Kingdom. WPP researchers spent time with extended families during the one time when Chinese people relax together for a long period – up to 15-days of New Year celebrations.
Combining ethnographic research and cultural insight from Added Value and data analysis from BrandZ and CNRS-TGI China, the study unlocks year-round brand and retail opportunities for marketers engaged with the Chinese market. Read more…
On the eve of the Chinese New Year, Steve Bale, Oracle Added Value’s Non-executive Chairman, explores what the Year of the Water Dragon will mean for one of the world’s fastest growing markets.
Dragons are notoriously unpredictable beasts. There’s only one thing that can be said with any certainty about them… if you are going to ride one, you’d better hold on tight.
The good news is that this year’s dragon is easily the most civilized of the five that exist in the otherworld of the Chinese zodiac. 
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Is China losing its appetite for the hustle and energy of its New Years celebrations? Or is the holiday still an opportunity to connect with consumers? Nicolas Peden, cultural-insight explorer at Oracle Added Value, delves into Shanghai to find out.
Nothing like a tall cup of coffee to reinvigorate.
I wouldn’t dream of starting my day without two large cups ‘o’ joe (forgive this hopeless New Yorker).
It’s what kept me chugging along the last couple days when trekking through hazy Shanghai to unearth the city’s “Chinese New Year Spirit.” Read more…
People have been calling it “Sweet City” [Tian Cheng] for generations. The name pays tribute to Neijiang’s erstwhile regional importance as a producer of candied fruit [guofu] and grower of sugar cane. Guofu can still be found – if you are prepared to search for it that is. But, as befits the way it is sold in the few surviving local street markets, what’s left of the industry is merely a quaint side-stall on the outer fringe of the fast-developing Neijiang economy.
But that’s not to say that things have turned sour for Neijiang’s 4.3 million people. Read more…
There is no doubt that China is one of the world’s most fascinating markets. And the normal rules of engagement for marketers don’t always apply. For brands to succeed, brand owners need a deep understanding of the cultural complexity of the market and the estimated 1.3bn people it serves.
To answer some of the most pressing marketing questions facing marketers in the Middle Kingdom, we recently held events in Shanghai and Hong Kong that provided participants with compelling insights into this fast-changing marketplace. Read more…
Oracle Added Value today announced the appointments of Matthew Carr as the new Deputy Managing Director of the Hong Kong office and Arthur Tam as Head of Talent Development, Greater China. Carr joins the business effective immediately and will report directly to Katie McClintock, Managing Director, Hong Kong. Tam will formally assume his new role in January 2012.
In his role as Deputy Managing Director of Oracle Added Value, Hong Kong, Carr will head a joint team combining qualitative and quantitative consultants, focusing on delivering strategic business solutions to meet client needs in the region. Read more…
Added Value has announced the appointment of Steve Bale as the new Non-executive chairman for the Greater China region, reporting to Janine Hawkins, Global CEO of Added Value.
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As if marketers needed a reminder of the importance of Chinese consumers, recent news announcing China as the world’s second largest economy once again highlighted the potential of this burgeoning market.
China’s people are increasingly proud of the country’s growing status; and brands are taking notice, looking to form stronger relationships with the country’s consumers. Critically, this means abandoning “talking down” to the Middle Kingdom, and instead developing messages based on respect, partnership and equality with the Chinese people. Read more…
Citing recent examples where storylines built around road trips proved successful, Jerry Clode, associate director of cultural insight for Added Value, explains how brands can exploit the emotional impact such stories can generate—particularly in China. Written originally for Campaign Asia.
