I think if a brand has an international presence, it’s not enough to say that they are a global brand, I think they have to land their purpose and their positioning in such a way that they resonate with consumers wherever they are, that the brand deeply understands the consumer mindset and the culture in which it is made available. Not only do Chinese consumers vote with their social media, but they’re voting with their dollars. And you can see the massive consumer reaction in the boycott. I’ll speak to China, specifically the Chinese cultural elements. So some international brands, I would say, have great presence, but they’ve really kind of quite famously burned themselves when they’ve misunderstood. I think it’s defined by what it stands for, wherever it’s available. Now, I don’t think a global brand is defined by its international distribution. But the definition of a global brand has changed a lot. Signal360 : Is there such a thing as a global brand?Ĭhang: I think the way we used to talk about global brands were those who had distribution all around the world, because a product was sold in so many places, and really leading the pack in many ways. It’s that sort of mindset, a real hunger and interest in culture around the world. Because there is a desire to find, say, the best Korean face mask, and then the best French lipstick, and then the best Egyptian product. You will find more global brands in a Chinese woman’s purse than anyone else’s. If you look, you will see probably 20 brands in any woman’s purse. And because of that there’s real interest in bringing in products and services, the best of the entire world, to China. There is such an interest to almost actively fight cultural conformity that I find really inspiring. I didn’t see a burning desire to go see Paris and the Pyramids and the world in the States. And I would say I don’t necessarily feel that I see that in the States. There is a deep hunger here to see the world here.
Signal360: Can you put a finer point on that? Why isn’t the American consumer or, say, the Emirati consumer the global consumer?Ĭhang: I think it’s the seamless technology and I think it is probably a little bit of a mindset. Because in China, because of access to seamless technology and integration to the last mile, I would absolutely say the Chinese consumer is the new global consumer. And I can have them delivered directly to my door sometimes within an hour of me tapping the purchase button. Not only can I access everything I used to fly back for or search for, I can discover completely new brands from all over the world that I never knew existed. But what’s interesting now, with the accelerated development of e-commerce in China, I can access everything I want. When I came back to China for the second time, it was in 2011, with Apple, and I could find the stuff I wanted on Taobao. And then I remember flying to the States to get the things I couldn’t access in China. Signal360: Is there a global consumer?Įmily Chang: When I first came to Guangzhou as the Pantene brand manager in the early 2000s, I remember going to Hong Kong on the weekend to buy the basic necessities. Read on for her insights into habits of Chinese consumers and what brands should do to reach them. “I think it’s defined by what it stands for, wherever it’s available.” “I don’t think a global brand is defined by its international distribution anymore,” she says.
“In a Chinese woman’s purse, you’ll find more global brands.”Ĭhang has lived in China on and off for the past 20 years and worked for brands such as P&G, Starbucks and Apple. Chinese consumers, she says, have a yearning for brands and products from places outside China that borders on “almost actively fighting cultural conformity,” she says. “The Chinese consumer is the new global consumer,” asserts Emily Chang, the new CEO of McCann Worldgroup in China and past Signal speaker.
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