New Aspirational and Me Too

An article on Brandchannel points out a new advertising phenomenon in China...aspirational advertising. "Baidu Ad Shows Chinese Brands Shifting Ad Strategy From Product To Image" gives an account of how Baidu, the Google of China, is ditching the features and benefits strategy for a more ephemeral strategy. Ads by Nike and Levi's that coincided with the 2008 Olympics introduced the Chinese to the aspirational style. The Chinese advertising industry is still catching up to the aspirational advertising methods as celebrity endorsement and logo/product tactics dominate the landscape.

China rose quickly to become the world's second largest advertising market as the Olympics ramped up. A New York Times article from 2008 suggested that the advertising during the games only served to confuse people. Official and unofficial sponsors looked to edge each other out but only contributed to the clutter. The Western tactics showcased during the Olympic games left some people confused.

“The sameness of the ads is the frightening thing,” said Terry Rhoads, managing director at Zou Marketing, a sports consultancy in Shanghai. “You have to wonder about the ad agencies.”

You do have to wonder. Advertising is the art of making products more appealing and to stand out. Baidu should take the high road and not give in to the Western style that will soon become "me too" in Chinese advertising.