A recent WSJ Asia story on neuromarketing (full article on subscription-only basis) had me thinking about Chinese advertising and how it differs from Western advertising, but how it needn’t necessarily be so.
The article describes how Campbell Soup discovered the new world of neuromarketing. Neuromarketing is a relatively new field of advertising where researchers study physiological responses of consumers (e.g. heart rate, brain waves, changes in skin moisture) to various marketing stimuli. They then tally the results to determine marketing direction. What Campbells paid a lot of money to realise is that they can get more from their advertising dollar if they appeal to the minds of their target consumer. So they took the soup spoons out of the photos on their cans (since they added nothing) and included more steam emanating from their soup.
That’s being a little facetious. I’m sorry. I will concede that employing sophisticated biometrics means that we are no longer in Kansas, or the TV world of Sterling Cooper, when it comes to advertising.
This had me wondering how the Chinese consumer neuromarketing response would differ from the ”Western” consumer response.
If I were to do a very amateurish outline of what appeals to the Chinese consumer, based solely on my observations of Chinese advertising, it would include the following:
- appealing quite directly to the aspirational trigger (e.g. a recent Lipton Tea ad for China, which seems to suggest that good-looking affluent young people in smartly-furnished apartments drink Lipton Tea, so ergo, if you drink Lipton Tea…).
- appealing to sexual triggers, quite a lot of beautiful women in skimpy clothes involved, even if the ad is not one for cosmetic surgery. There seems to be a field of commentary out there about it.
- the louder the better, so much so, that if you happen to be in the back of a taxi or an elevator where a Blade Runner type flat-screen TV is playing ads at ear-splitting levels, you are apt to swear never to buy the offending product.
- utilising quite a lot of slapstick, especially involving well-known Chinese actors. This might be purely cultural. I have no idea.
Anyway, I wonder how much neuromarketing responses from Chinese test consumers would differ from those of other cultures if faced with an array of Chinese ads and non-Chinese, specifically Western, ads. The only area where I would unscientifically suggest there would be a difference is in the humour aspect, since I think humour can differ from culture to culture. And then, perhaps, Chinese consumers may be more responsive to an imposing and well-known international brand like Hummer. But the responses to aspirational and sexual stimuli I would not have thought that different on a biometric level.
The conclusion for me is that most Chinese companies might be catching up in the pure expenditure stakes but not yet so in the sophistication stakes. The aspirational and sexual stuff they are getting onto the market seems too direct right now. I mean, does drinking a Western tea brand really mean you’re well on the path to owning a swish apartment and having stylish friends? Does chewing gum mean you will get more nookie? Does anyone really believe that, Chinese or not?
The learning curve to get Chinese communications, brand and media professionals onto the path of recognising that their consumers have more sophistication than might previously have been assumed, and tapping into that sophistication, does not need to be a steep one. But it will be a necessary one, if they wish to translate their knowledge of the consumer into an understanding of the broader global market. All this is just one piece in trying to figure out the jigsaw puzzle of achieving a “global Chinese brand”.
And finally I would love to hear from anyone with a marketing background on this.
7 Comments
It would be interesting to know what soups Campbells are trying to sell to the Chinese. After all, why would Chinese people buy pumpkin soup when firstly, it’s not part of our culinary heritage, and secondly, there is no aspirational aspect to buying a Western style soup.
From my reading of advertising and marketing theory, you only promote for two reasons. Firstly, brand awareness. This is why you get the ads linking products to social acceptability and all the triggers you mentioned. Most people will not buy products from an unfamiliar brand, hence why companies invest in advertising when entering a new market. The second reason behind advertising affects retailers, and their aim is to motivate people to shop when they have specials on. In Australia, you can get there will be saturation coverage whenever the likes of Harvey Norman, Myers, and co. have a sale. Interestingly, in the case of Harvey Norman, the key product in their advertising aren’t their products (televisions, computers, whitegoods, etc.) but their financing arrangements (2 years interest free).
I have my suspicions that prestige brands will do exceptionally well in China. To drive a Mercedes, wear a Zegna suit, or drink Bollinger champagne is a mark of success. Companies that aim for the mass, day to day market, as Campbells is doing will struggle for the reasons I outlined above.
Fancy that:
http://siliconhutong.typepad.com/silicon_hutong/2010/02/indigenous-innovation-how-not-if.html
ps I love it when a plan comes together!
I think the problem a company like Campbell’s faces in China goes beyond changing label design. What Campbell’s must overcome in China is changing personal consumption patterns in order to win market share. There is definitely a tremendous market for soup in China; however, most Chinese will cook their own soup at home instead of buying a can of Campbell’s at the store. In order to succeed in the China, Campbell’s will have to convince consumers that it is better to buy soup in the store instead of make it fresh at home which will be difficult.
As for the neuromarketing aspect…I will leave that one to a marketing professional. Excellent post Geraldine.
This is an interesting blog. The notion that marketing and biology can be connected is fascinating. However, the current situation is too simplistic. Saying that a skin temperature rise happens when we see a particular advert, for instance, does not necessarily mean anything. There could be several – competing – reasons for this change upon seeing the advert. The trend, however, will be for companies to “test” their adverts and get “evidence” to show that one is better than another, for example. Yet, the human brain and body is much more complex. Even with eye-tracking studies, for instance, we can show that eyes look at a particular part of a web page. But looking at the page does not mean the individual wanted to look there, what their motivation was and what impact on their thinking looking at that part of the page had on them. Just because our eyes look, does not mean interest. Equally, just because we have a temperature rise, or a heart rate change does not mean any kind of specific response to the marketing item. I suspect, though, a whole load of so-called “data” will be produced by simplistic tests which the directors of big companies will “love”. In reality, it might actually be nonsense.
Daniel, I suppose I wasn’t quite clear, but the Campbell’s reference was a generic one – they do sell soup to the Chinese market but I have not come across evidence that they have used neuromarketing to do so. I agree the Chinese do have a peculiar thing about “brand” and prestige, but it goes further than designer labels. From my observation, a “long-standing” brand says something, (even if it is something semi-boring like Campbells or Lipton). The Chinese seem to have a regard also for tradition and longevity, yet at the same time the entrepreneurial edge of Google appealed to them. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but they do seem to have a clear understanding of “quality”, from a Chinese angle…
Joel – thank you for the comment. I enjoy The China Observer blog immensely. I do agree, the behaviour part of the equation is probably behind some of the weirdness that I feel when I watch Chinese ads. These ads are not aimed at me, after all, i.e. someone already quite habituated to ready-meals and tea in a bag.
I suppose it is quite a challenge in a 90-second spot for advertisers to combine various elements, such as visual appeal of a product and having a strong message, while trying to transform entrenched social and cultural tendencies…
Graham, thank you for stopping by. I am grateful for the comments of a marketing expert on my amateurish outline of a post.
I look forward to the execution of neuromarketing becoming more sophisticated.
May I also say that I enjoyed your blog very much.