China and Luxury branding
An insight by Andrew Howie
China has experienced a relentless surge in consumer buying power since the 1990’s. The Chinese consumer has become wealthier and more accepting of western retail formats- with international supermarket chains, department stores and mass retailers paving the way for luxury retailers. Luxury brand companies have been investing in the China market, with Louis Vuitton, Bally, Gucci, Ferragamo among the first wave of retailers in China more then 10 years ago. But now with consumer spending increasing and the loosening of government restrictions, foreign luxury brands face pressure to strengthen the commitment to the mainland or risk loosing ground to the rivals. Read the rest of this entry »
Tips when looking for sponsorship in China
An insight by Michael MacRitchie
You are organizing a big event. It can be an a charity fundraiser or a rock festival or a film project. To organize any event or produce any entertainment you require sponsorship money. And where will the money come from? It comes mostly from brands and corporate who are interested in aligning with the entertainment property.
Importance of sponsorship
- We all know that sponsorship is integral for the launch of any event. In China preparing for a large scale event means that Sponsorship revenue is of paramount importance because there is still a gap between the numbers of people purchasing tickets vs people ‘receiving’ the tickets as a form of gaunxi (relationship building) therefore loosing out on potential profits/additional ticket revenue.
- Without the marketing dollars it is often challenging to get the event off the ground or there is not enough revenue to execute a memorable event.
- Read the rest of this entry »
‘weighing up if a celebrity is right for your brand’ value
An insight by Michael MacRitchie
It is not uncommon to switch on the television and be confronted by celebrity after celebrity propounding the virtues of some brand or other. Celebrity advertising has always been popular and a fast growing economy attracts celebrities by the dozen in this space.
People are easily influenced and impressed by celebrities, and consider it a status symbol to sport brands endorsed by them in an effort to aspire to the same status. (A brand associates itself with a celebrity to enhance its attractiveness to the consumer. But it is important to choose the right celebrity for a product as scandals relating to them can be disastrous in a milieu where attitudes are conservative.)
Here is a quick look at some; Read the rest of this entry »
A Taste for the High Life
An insight by Andrew Howie
Coming from a family of talented actors, it is little surprise that Charlie Sheen has managed to forge such a successful career for himself. Charlie, born Carlos Irwin Estevez in 1965, has Platoon, Wall Street and Major League to his credit as well as several movies of varying success. His most recently Academy Award nomination was for his role in Being John Malkovich in 1999. The award went to American Beauty. On the small screen, in 2000 he was cast to replace Michael J Fox in Spin City and currently is the lead in the hit sit-com Two and a Half Men, which has aired since 2003. He was reportedly earning around $1 million per episode, with the recent contract extension rumoured to be worth $1.88 million (USD) per show.
His father Martin Sheen is well known for his roles in Apocalypse Now and the television series The West Wing, amongst others. His older brother Emilio Estevez has featured in films such as The Breakfast Club and Mighty Ducks. He also played a lead role in Young Guns and its sequel.
Early on, Sheen was expelled from school weeks before he was due to graduate due to poor attendance and poor grades. His troubles were only just beginning. Since then, he has managed to marry and separate or divorce three times. He has also shot his once fiancée Kelly Preston in the arm. As a result she broke up with him and went on to marry John Travolta.
His first marriage broke down when it was revealed he was a frequent visitor to brothels and he then went on to date several porn star actresses. This was revealed in the memoirs of a high profile madam.
He then began to run into trouble with drug and alcohol abuse. He has been to rehab several times for his addictions with varying levels of success.
His marriage to Denise Richards, the mother to three of his children, eventually broke down as a result of his abuse of both her and varying substances.
As recently as October last year, Sheen has had further brushes with the law. He reportedly did more than $7000 damage to a hotel room and admitted to further alcohol and cocaine use. He is also rumoured to have had a bender weekend recently, spending more than $35,000 on high class escorts and various accompaniments.
Sheen has most recently announced a desire to quit the small screen in a bid to head back to making movies. With the track record he has for making great films, both drama and comedy, one can only hope that he delivers another gem.
Sheen and his penchant for partying was the focus of a joke by Ricky Gervais during his recent Golden Globe address. Giving his reputation for partying, perhaps there is a chance for a brand like Revivol to take him on as a spokesperson?
3 Steps for an E-commerce platform in China
Our strategic partner, the Mailman Group offers brands and organizations a way forward in setting up ecommerce platforms in China.
Tackling China’s online eccomerce market can be a daunting experience. It’s our job at Mailman to ensure this transition is smooth and ultimately successful. Our recent experience tells us the immediate opportunities available through major Chinese online malls such as TaoBao have never been more promising.The following outlines a guide as to the Mailman 3 step process for a successful online eccomerce integration. Read the rest of this entry »
Controversial humour from Ricky Gervais @ the Golden Globes
The 68th annual Golden Globes veered into Cluedo territory last night as the event’s host went missing for nearly an hour. Ricky Gervais‘s absence from the stage, following an opening monologue that drew more gasps than laughs, led excited observers to speculate that the British comic may have been collared backstage and fired … or worse.
Gervais opened the live telecast by poking exuberant fun at the likes of Tim Allen, Charlie Sheen, Mel Gibson and Robert Downey Jr. He claimed to have had to help Philip Berk, president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, off the toilet and “put his teeth back in”. He introduced Bruce Willis as “Ashton Kutcher’s dad” and explained that Johnny Depp’s critically panned caper movie The Tourist had only been nominated because the voters of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association “accepted bribes”. Neither Willis nor Depp appeared especially amused. Read the rest of this entry »
Working with international Celebs in China
An insight by Michael MacRitchie
When working with international Celebs in China stick to some basic principals and you will be right on track.
Tip 1
Understand the spokesperson’s point of view: Many clients will mention to me that a celebrity is a fan of their company’s brand or product. So they assume that the celebrity will want to work with them at a discounted rate (or even free!). It’s important to be savvy in the entertainment industry, as these types of assumptions could be perceived as amateur. Targeting talent that has a genuine interest in your product is a great first step, but the talent will expect the partnership to be fully paid for and no discounts will be offered simply because there is a shared interest. Understanding endorsements from the talent perspective and client perspective will help to build smart strategies for securing talent and looking professional. Read the rest of this entry »
Wake up and smell the tea (article from Mailman group)
I picked up this article form the Mailman Group web site by CEO Andrew Collins. The article makes a very simple point, do you have a strategy to connect with the Chinese?
The article can be found here
Whether your a sporting team, a rock star a fortune 500 company, a brand manager or some one just interested in China, read on…
If today you’re not talking to a Chinese consumer seriously, with a dedicated channel push you are simply missing out on the biggest market opportunity since the gold rush. Yes that’s true and it’s time to really pay attention.Chinese represent almost a third of the worlds population, they speak a language more than anyone else and their coming to a city near you; with migration exploding in the past 5 years. Embrace it and they will also embrace you. Read the rest of this entry »
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