Western Faces in Chinese Advertising Part 2

   Western Faces in Chinese Advertising

                                                              Part 2

My examination of the concept of western faces in Chinese advertising was 

deepened over the course of a month when I chose to emphasize a number of different 

notions, especially during my time visiting Beijing for one week. As I compared the 

advertising and other forms of media during my stay, I also contemplated the messaging 

in the facet of the fashion industry, as well as the overall attitude of the chinese people 

towards the American lifestyle that makes sense of this advertising trend.

During my visit to Beijing, I was able to examine my topic outside of Shanghai, 

and this proved to be very beneficial. I spoke with Daniel Galvez, a young businessman 

working for The Beijing Axis, what his thoughts were on the abundance of western faces 

in Chinese advertising. He said. “In the eyes of the average Chinese consumer, a 

foreign brand or a Chinese brand that is able to establish a link abroad is of higher 

quality vis-à-vis purely domestic Chinese brands. With consumers steadily gaining more 

purchasing power and the availability of foreign brands, I think Chinese brands are 

simply trying to elevate their perceived quality (and thus prices), in a relatively 

short period, by using foreign faces. If you get to travel to China’s less-regulated second 

and third-tier cities, the phenomena of using celebrity endorsements unofficially or 

officially is even more widespread and random.” Overall, I did not find Beijing to be a 

city of great flashing advertisements as Shanghai can be. Their heavy emphasis on 

culture leaves little room for the grandeur that this form of media provides. When I 

returned, I chose to examine the concept of international fashion’s influence on the 

Chinese people. Notable brands like Louis Vuitton, Versace, and Dolce & Gabbana 

have matriculated into China’s urban areas. Huge window displays cover various streets 

in Shanghai, streets that seem to be cluttered with young individuals on the cutting edge 

of the fashion industry’s latest and greatest. This served as thought provoking because 

only in very recent years has China been considered a mecca for fashion, and I can not 

help but wonder if this is partially due to influence from the west. I spoke with a young 

western man by the name of Andrew whom I met while having lunch at Wagas, he 

weighed in, “In recent years, there have been more and more stories of Chinese brands 

investing in foreign brands in sectors ranging from cars to clothes in an effort to elevate 

their perceived quality at home. Here are some links to relevant news I have read 

recently in the baby formula market, apparel market, and Chinese companies investing 

in foreign brands to better target Chinese consumers.One of the biggest surprises I 

have seen over the years has been the ability of Chinese footwear brands to sign official 

endorsement deals with top-notch professional athletes abroad, especially in the NBA, 

to boost domestic sales. To me, these brands seemingly came out of nowhere. Whether 

or not this strategy is actually working, I think the jury is still out as they continue to 

struggle with sales domestically, and have not been able to crack markets abroad.

 What I find most interesting is to me it seems that the most successful Chinese brands 

thus far are the ones who have been able to leverage and keep true to their “made-in-

China” roots. I think one lesson Chinese brands still have to make/are making is that it 

takes years, if not decades, to build a favorable brand image and there are few 

shortcuts.” This valuable informant only reinforced my notion that there is such a heavy 

emphasis on “the american dream” amongst the Chinese people, and they are so eager 

for a taste of it that if it means investing in American products rather than ones from 

their country of origin, that’s a measure they are willing to take. In an online journal, 

muse.jhu.edu, the author states 

“During the 1980s, multinational advertising agencies based in New York, London,  Paris, and Tokyo saw the enormous opportunities that China offered. Early efforts at  expansion into Mainland China were typically directed from Hong Kong, but offices were  soon opened in Guangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing, and other large Chinese cities. Today,  Shanghai is the hub of Chinese advertising, but many of the multinational agencies  have offices throughout Mainland China. The foreign companies were first required to  operate in China as joint ventures with Chinese agencies. This typically resulted in the  amalgamation of the ultra-sophisticated global agencies with local agencies that had  strong on-the-ground connections. The standard and quality of advertising produced in  China quickly achieved world-class standards. Today, advertising in China compares  favorably to advertising in New York, São Paulo, Milan, and other centers of cutting- edge advertising. China abandoned the requirement that multinational agencies based  in other countries operate as joint ventures with Chinese agencies in 2005. Multinational  agencies may now operate as foreign-owned corporations and repatriate profits easily.  Many have elected to maintain the networks afforded by their local  connections.” (William M. O’barr)