Adidos and Hotwind? In China, Brands Adopt Names to Project Foreign Flair
28 replies, posted
[QUOTE]BEIJING — [URL="http://www.chrisdiendeny.com/"]Chrisdien Deny[/URL], a retail chain with more than 500 locations across China, sells belts, shoes and clothing with an “Italian style” — and a logo with a font similar to [URL="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/d/christian_dior/index.html?inline=nyt-per"]Christian Dior[/URL]’s.[URL="http://helenkeller.cn/"]Helen Keller[/URL], named for the deaf-blind American humanitarian, offers trendy sunglasses and classic spectacles at over 80 stores, with [URL="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rW0camgP9c"]the motto[/URL] “you see the world, the world sees you.”
[URL="http://www.frogniezila.cn/main.html"]Frognie Zila[/URL], a clothing brand sold in 120 stores in China, boasts that its “international” selection is “one of the first choices of successful politicians and businessmen” and features pictures on its website of the Leaning Tower of Pisa and Venetian canals.
Eager to glaze their products with the sheen of international sophistication, many homegrown retail brands have hit upon a similar formula: Choose a non-Chinese name that gives the impression of being foreign.
“You could call it fawning on foreign powers,” said Cheng Wei, 37, who was recently at a Beijing mall buying winter clothes at [URL="http://chocoolate.hk/"]Chocoolate[/URL], a Hong Kong casual wear outlet, where Chinese characters were absent from all but one store logo.
At a time when manufacturing is cooling and real estate is slumping, consumption is a bright spot in the Chinese economy. In the first 11 months of 2014, retail sales grew by 12 percent over the previous year to 23.66 trillion renminbi, or $3.8 trillion, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
The government considers consumer spending so vital that Prime Minister Li Keqiang in November declared, “Let the people be able to consume, dare to consume and be willing to consume,” according to the state news agency Xinhua.
But some Chinese appear loath to spend their disposable income on locally produced fashions.
“Buy Chinese brands? Never,” said Fu Rao, 20, a university student, who was browsing the clothes at the Japanese outlet store Snidel in an upscale Beijing mall one recent evening. Ms. Fu complained that Chinese products were shoddily made and lacking in style. “Foreign stuff is so much better,” she said.
As Chinese retail companies try to attract consumers, mystifying maladaptations of English have spread across the country’s storefronts, shopping bags and clothing labels. Wanko, Hotwind, Scat, Orgee and Marisfrolg (the L is silent) all sell clothing. A sponsor of China’s national golf team is the apparel chain Biemlfdlkk.
If Chinese companies have stumbled in the branding race, that is because few ever gave it much thought. For years, as China’s economic growth soared into the double digits, branding was largely considered a low-priority marketing decision left to top executives far more concerned with the next product introduction than with building long-term value, said Joel Backaler, author of “China Goes West,” a book that charts the efforts of Chinese companies seeking to build international brands.[/QUOTE]
[url]http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/27/business/international/adidos-and-hotwind-in-china-brands-evoke-foreign-names-even-if-theyre-gibberish.html?_r=0#[/url]
And my favourite? Helen Keller!
[IMG]http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s----RMC3h0--/dzu4v4bqkektvchcwtk8.jpg[/IMG]
I love the Helen Keller motto... That's just hilarious. I'm pretty sure if you're Helen Keller, you're not going to be seeing much of anything.
Its like fake companies out of video games or movies
[QUOTE=Impact1986;46834218]Its like fake companies out of video games or movies[/QUOTE]
Somewhere between that and those really obvious knockoffs in the vein of what Ashens used to look at before he became a horrendously outdated food channel.
Ah yes I remember bringing an Nckia to school and having my friends believe me that it's a pre production prototype.
It is sad to see that such a big and important country with such rich history and culture is not able to offer something new to the modern culture, fashion, design, etc. instead they just copy others.
hang on lemme go grab my helen keller™ brand hater blockers
[QUOTE=AntonioR;46834994]It is sad to see that such a big and important country with such rich history and culture is not able to offer something new to the modern culture, fashion, design, etc. instead they just copy others.[/QUOTE]
because china doesn't export original goods alongside these counterfeit ones?
these only exist in china because china's copyright laws are untouchable. if it were the same in a lot of other countries it would happen there too (and it does)
[editline]1st January 2015[/editline]
youd have to be properly daft to think a country as gigantic as china doesnt export any original products worth mentioning
At least you know the cloths were made in your country
Wanko,Scat and Orgee? I need some of those.
Give it to China to fake fake names
the fuck is a biemlfdlkk? did someone literally mash their face on a keyboard
Reminds me of bcbgmaxazria
I bet those Helen Keller sunglasses are just fancy alternatives to sleep masks
they probably come with ear plugs too
[QUOTE]Across China, sneakers are emblazoned with Adidos, Hike, Cnoverse and Fuma[/QUOTE]
:suicide:
Hotwind sounds like a fake brand out of the GTA universe, a glorified fart joke
Dude
There's a brand in the US called ALFANI.....Idk if it reminds you of something.
Yep, this is china. Why make anything new when they can make ripoffs for 1/100 the price and quality?
[QUOTE=Tmaxx;46843224]Yep, this is china. Why make anything new when they can make ripoffs for 1/100 the price and quality?[/QUOTE]
it's not like they're the only ones, they're just the most brazen about it.
Also major part of that crap is coming to Russia, so I see something like Abibas, Like and Puta in some shitty stores everyday.
I don't believe it
Abib it
[QUOTE=AntonioR;46834994]It is sad to see that such a big and important country with such rich history and culture is not able to offer something new to the modern culture, fashion, design, etc. instead they just copy others.[/QUOTE]
We made them do it for 40 years now and profited off it big time.
Other cultures are always interesting. It doesn't even have to make sense, as long as it sounds like it could come from that culture.
[img]http://cdn.randomfunnypicture.com/pictures/1062american-meat-goat.jpg[/img]
And it happens the other way around as well. Everyone knows the stories of Asian people laughing their asses off at tourists strutting around in t-shirts that spell "I'm an idiot" in fancy Asian writing.
[QUOTE=Killuah;46847693]We made them do it for 40 years now and profited off it big time.[/QUOTE]
Nobody seems to understand what I mean. I didn't mean products, but culture. I think like they are eager to become Americanized/westernized, just like everybody else. I wish they would value their own culture more.
[QUOTE=DaBeaver;46846881]Also major part of that crap is coming to Russia, so I see something like Abibas, Like and [b]Puta[/b] in some shitty stores everyday.[/QUOTE]
Seriously? That's [url=http://www.spanishcentral.com/translate/puta]fucking hilarious[/url]!
[editline]3rd January 2015[/editline]
[QUOTE=AntonioR;46848863]Nobody seems to understand what I mean. I didn't mean products, but culture. I think like they are eager to become Americanized/westernized, just like everybody else. I wish they would value their own culture more.[/QUOTE]
It's not a big deal dude, calm down. Relax, grab a bottle of Orange Farta and a bag of M&Ns (or Skattles if that's more your preference) and just chill.
[QUOTE=V12US;46848681]Other cultures are always interesting. It doesn't even have to make sense, as long as it sounds like it could come from that culture.
[img]http://cdn.randomfunnypicture.com/pictures/1062american-meat-goat.jpg[/img]
And it happens the other way around as well. Everyone knows the stories of Asian people laughing their asses off at tourists strutting around in t-shirts that spell "I'm an idiot" in fancy Asian writing.[/QUOTE]
Its a bit like when westerners put tattoos in Mandarin which turns out to be pure gibberish.
One common word is the word '爱', which is love in chinese.
Hike
Maybe Do It.
[img]http://www.clker.com/cliparts/z/T/7/F/h/4/blue-tick-hi.png[/img]
[QUOTE=V12US;46848681]Other cultures are always interesting. It doesn't even have to make sense, as long as it sounds like it could come from that culture.
[img]http://cdn.randomfunnypicture.com/pictures/1062american-meat-goat.jpg[/img]
And it happens the other way around as well. Everyone knows the stories of Asian people laughing their asses off at tourists strutting around in t-shirts that spell "I'm an idiot" in fancy Asian writing.[/QUOTE]
If I ever visit Asia I hope I see some woman that just has the word "love" or "peace" tattooed onto her shoulder in plain English just like how western women do that in reverse.
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