Grey Matter Shanghai

If you pay close attention to the recent government policy refinements, you will notice many reports that mention how the Chinese government is trying to relax the household register policy. These changes in policy will almost certainly encourage population migration.

In fact, in the past 20years, China's ‘floating’, or mobile, population has increased dramatically, as the chart shows below, by 3300%!

Floating Population Increase 1982-2010

Source: www.people.com.cn

By the end of 2013, as NHFPC (China’s National Health and Family Planning Commission) reported, there were already 245 million ‘mobile’ Chinese. This huge influx of new people has not only changed the make-up of many local communities- in some bigger cities like Beijing and Shanghai, migrant population accounts for nearly 40% of the entire city’s population. But this mass of migrants has also exerted a not-to-be-ignored force on local markets and existing levels of demand and consumption. The rental market, car manufacturers, retailers, caterers and even furniture manufacturers will all have witnessed this impact upon their businesses. 

Contribution of Migrant Population on Total Consumption in Ningbo

Source: Ningbo Trade Bureau

Their efforts of trying hard to fit into a new city, accompanied with the sense of nostalgia they feel towards their home towns, have generated many different tensions and indeed sparked several unique cultural phenomenon. For example, the "Bei Piao", who are known as the ‘Floating in Beijing’ and the  “Yi Zu” or the ‘Ant Tribe’ -many of whom are post-80s graduates who squeeze themselves into tiny living spaces in enormous cities, often sharing with many others due to their low incomes. Moreover, these cultural changes have also increased the potential for marketers and advertisers to target and respond to, and we have indeed witnessed many brands already seizing these opportunities.

OPPORTUNITY 1:

The tradition of  returning home for migrant workers during Chinese New Year, marks the world’s largest human migration in history, and more importantly for us, this represents a peak in marketing and advertising that is probably even bigger than Super Bowl. 

Pepsi "Bring Happiness Home"

This long-running campaign from Pepsi, began by embracing the idea of calling for young people to return home for CNY with a micro-movie or short form content back in 2011. Since then it has evolved into many different communication approaches, to address the various pressures and difficulties facing migrant workers as they make the journey home. 

Pepsi "Bring Happiness Home" Micro-Movie (2011)

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMzM3NjgyNjI0.html

 Branded Installation in Train Station  

Celebrities Making Moms Happy

OPPORTUNITY 2:

The difficulties that migrant workers may encounter when living and working in other cities, can easily trigger homesickness. However, anything that is from their home, like mom's cooking, a photo of the family, and even souvenirs from their home town, could become a powerful means of encouragement.  

KFC Double Chili Chicken Burger TVC

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNjc5Mjc2MzE2.html

OPPORTUNITY 3:

Living in bigger cities represents excitement and hope for a better future for young migrant workers, but meanwhile it can also bring with it many significant uncertainties. Hence, many of these migrant workers are looking for affinity, a sense of belonging and self-improvement every day, to help them weather the emotional insecurities their move represents.

McDonald's "We Are Together" TVC

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNzAzMjU5NTQ4.html

In my view, it is clear that there are many more opportunities lying among this huge ‘floating’ population, than those I've mentioned above. As this group becomes more integrated into our societies, what used to be seen as unique and specific to this group has started to become ubiquitous and representative. Given the importance of unearthing human truths and cultural insights in our line of work, how can we possibly ignore the migrant population in China?

Oni Zhang

I believe strongly that by being consistently relevant to consumers’ needs- this is the first step on a brand’s journey to drive customer loyalty. As a mother, when I shop for toys for my son, I often find it difficult to connect with some of the toy brands on shelf. Despite the fact that some of them are really well known brands. It’s definitely a missed opportunity for brands that would like to win over someone like me. 

What’s more every Mum is conscious that kids today tend to have too many toys...

And kids’ free time is already occupied with all kinds of leisure activities. 

This means that toy brands really need to give Mum a compelling, and most importantly relevant reason to choose their brand over the other products on the shelf. 

Whatever benefit toy brands do focus on, it is important to keep in mind what matters most to Mums in China.  Academic success is critical for Chinese Mums, despite claims that other things are equally motivating, it is clear from our research where priorities for mothers in China are. What a brand represents should, therefore, respond to her motivations.

Meanwhile, Mums also know that at different ages and stages their kids will need very different things…

And although academic success may be their main desire, they also want their kids to grow up with many life skills

This suggests that Mums have multiple needs and that they seek multi-dimensional solutions. 

Only when what toy brands offer begins to meet all of these needs, will brands successfully attract consumers’ attention and build a lasting sense of connection with their audience.

Jessica Tong

Planning Manager

The bank of tomorrow

You walk into a bank and the financial advisor already knowsyou want to re-decorate your old house, simply because you have been lookingfor decorating ideas and inspiration on home décor websites and blogs from yourcomputer. Armed with this knowledge, the financial advisor immediately recommendsa home improvement loan for you.

Once you are back home, you check your mobile banking appand find a pop-up message with more details about the same home improvementloan. You don’t feel harassed or overly pressurised, you just feel like this bank understands what you need and wants to help you find the right solution for you.

Consultation Pods, DBS Asia Central

DBS Treasures Private Client Centre

Frank by OCBC a credit union targeting Generation Y

Frank have a selection of over 100 cool and modern card designs that their customers can choose from

Rakcuten Bank in Japan have launched the first money transfer service over Facebook

What is an ‘internet bank’?

The term “internet bank” doesn’t just refer to the speed of the adoption of new technology at traditional banks.  These new internet banks are entirely online with no physical outlets and aim to shake up China's banking industry that is mostly dominated by large state-owned banks.

Who is WeBank?

WeBank is an internet-only bank with no brick-and-mortar outlets and will provide services via mobile platforms. WeBank will work with Tencent (one of China’s giant online firms) and their instant messaging app QQ. This new bank will begin operations as early as the first quarter of 2015.

What is WeBank’s first step?

WeBank will launch a pilot program, make it easier for small companies to obtain loans. Small businesses have become an important driver of economic growth in China, but many established players in the banking sector still prefer loaning money to larger companies. The goal of WeBank’s pilot program is to make credit more readily available to small businesses.

“We will lower costs for, and deliver practical benefits to, small clients. While also forcing traditional financial institutions to accelerate reforms. It’s one small step for WeBank, one giant step for financial reform.” Chinese Premier, Li Keqiang

WeBank's first loan – 350,000 RMB to a truck driver – was issued by Premier Li Keqiang during a launch ceremony in the city of Shenzhen

What is the focus for WeBank’s communication?

Unlock more possibilities in your life.

Why is now the right time for internet banks to launch in China? And what opportunities can they take advantage of?

1. Attitudes are changing towards Credits and Loans:

Chinese people are becoming more open to the idea of borrowing money. 73% of consumers agree that they feel more comfortable about being in debt today than ever before.

Source: Credit and Loan Products - China - July 2014 by Mintel

2. The Most Stressed-Out Generation in China:

Young adults’ higher propensity to borrow reveals they are under greater financial pressure than previous generations. Especially when it comes to meeting the big ticket costs associated with starting a new family.

Source: Credit and Loan Products - China - July 2014 by Mintel

3. Consumers’ pain points:

Traditional banks (especially Big 4 banks in China) are generating significant numbers of complaints e.g. long waiting times, poor service, difficulty in getting loans approved etc.

By using big data and a more creative approach, Alibaba bank or Tencent’s WeBank can provide tailor-made products that are more able to meet the specific needs of customers today.

Consequently, the time is ripe for internet banks to strike and it looks like in the Chinese population, they have a receptive audience. In a recent study, more than 70% of respondents would consider opening an account with a purely digital bank. And nearly the same percentage would consider making an internet only bank their primary bank.

Tiger Wu

Strategist

Innovation as dictated by human nature… and nature’s call

Spending as much time as I do in air-conditioned offices, I don’t feel thirsty. And so… I don’t drink water. At all! This year however…I’ve made it a resolution and a ritual to swing by the FamilyMart downstairs and buy a 1.5 liter bottle of water before trudging up to work. The challenge of the day then, along with client briefs (and some clients), is to empty the bottle. Only then do I allow myself to leave the office. Not so challenging you say? Well, for someone who usually only drinks half a glass of water a day, it is! Very often it’s the bottle that’s keeping me overtime.

Having now spent months that begin with 1.5 Litre bottles sitting full and voluptuous on my desk, I’ve begun encountering a fresh problem. The bottle is not new anymore, so its curves are less alluring. I forget to put it to my lips. Sometimes it’s 5 pm before I resentfully realise that I still have 3/4th of it left untouched. The next 2 hours then go in ganbei-ing the damn thing, interrupted only with frantic runs to the ladies’ room. So, given my struggles, I’m quite amused to see some innovative packaging from the French eau brand Vittel. Seems like Ogilvy Paris may have had me in mind when they came up with the idea. Vittel’s new ‘refresh’ bottle cap has an in-built timer that flags a reminder every hour. Is it life changing, no. Is it fun, yes!

While Vittel continues evaluating going commercial with the innovation or not, you can take a sip of it here… 

With all that talk of water and the laws of nature…what goes in, must go out. And this is exactly the problem Hamburg’s ‘sinful mile’ St. Pauli faces. With its multiple bars and pubs, patrons of St. Pauli took to relieving themselves on the streets, to which the city came back with an innovative solution that’s further proof of German efficiency!

 It’s a shame the paint company didn’t jump on this opportunity to create some buzz-worthy communication for themselves. Wonder why they let this chance go down the drain (no pun intended).

Ironically St. Pauli or St. Paul happens to be the patron saint of London. But pub-goers in and around the UK’s capital are grateful I’m sure that their government used a much kinder innovation to combat the problem

Urilifts, that’s right ‘Urinal+Lift’ is where they got their name from, are now mushrooming all over Europe. The Dutch company responsible for this pop-up solution has since also launched the UriLady, which has closed doors and as the name suggests is also suited for those of us who can’t just…well…stand and go in public eye.

Find your favourite ‘UriLoo’ here: http://www.urilift.com/products.php

Pearl Vas

Innovation and Strategy Director

The guys at Honda obviously recognize a long and deep Brand Idea when they have one. You don’t throw away a good idea because it’s a decade old. You just go all Christopher Nolan and Eurythmic on it ;-)

See Leo Burnett Melbourne’s fun evolution of the ‘Power of Dreams’ here.

Pearl Vas

We all remember this piece of work from Always last year.... brilliant, insightful, worthwhile, humble and spot on-brand for the world's biggest feminine hygiene manufacturer. 

If there is a product or a brand that empowers women, and has the right to stand up for women;s rights around the world it is definitely this one. Dove take your soap and step aside, sanitary products change EVERY woman;s life. This is a product that means girls don;t miss a quarter of their time in education. This is a product that means  women don;t miss one week in four at work. This IS a product that delivers on the promise of gender equality every single time you use it. It rights a biological inequality. It doesn;t give women an advantage, making them somehow 'better' than men. This is a product that simply levels the playing field.

Burnett's #LikeAGirl for Always highlighted that the playing field is not just biologically uneven, but socially and even linguistically uneven too. In a clear and calm way, this work pledged that Always was going to work to put an end to this. Bloody brilliant.

Many people agreed with me and this video has been viewed over 50 million times on youtube. 

In 2014 Always got it very right.

So with international women's day around the corner, the brand obviously wanted to do something again this year. It kind of had to. 

And the clip below is their offering. 

I'll be honest. I wanted to love it... I really, really did. But I just can't help feeling a little disappointed. The audacity of the assertion in 2014 "together we can change what Like a Girl means" could have meant so many things, there was so much potential... for the brand and for women to make a REAL difference. 

#LikeAGirl had captured people's attention and cleverly focused our thoughts on female inequality in a way that didn;t seem bra burning, patronising or schmaltzy. Always had a receptive audience- whether they wanted to buddy up with UNIFEM and join a campaign for equality, create some sort of measure that we could use as a society to track equality. Or whether they wanted to use their ad space to showcase brave and bold women from all around the world challenging what it means to be female or simply place more investment and emphasis than they currently do on some of the amazing projects they already run in West Africa  for women;s education  with UNESCO.  Whatever Always did next, they had created a phenomenal opportunity to tackle the issue of male and female equality head on.

So, I am wondering, how come we have ended up with a mood film with a montage of clips of pretty young girls jigging around at North American after school clubs?

And... how come Sport England's campaign... also timed to coincide with international Women;s day feels so much bolder, braver, gutsier and true to Always initial desire to "make Like a  Girl mean something positive"? 

By filling their 90 second spot with  women of all ages and close ups of their bodies in all their varied, curvy, chubby, sweaty glory having a go and enjoying sport- they are contributing to righting the inequality perpetrated by the media of only depicting one type of female form. 

Ok, what Sport England and FCB Inferno have done isn't new or revolutionary (Dove anyone?) but where some of Dove's work occasionally felt worthy and, dare I say it, "addy". The tone here exudes optimism and buckets of spirited "f*ck it!" The track and editing alone makes me want to go out for a run, and the fact that all sorts of birds are doing exercise, and loving it, makes me feel like hauling my sorry self to the gym is no biggie.

Always might have got the ball rolling with style, right now it's Sport England who have shown themselves to have the follow through.

With the fast development platforms of social media, marketing in China ischanging gradually. Social media platforms like wechat and weibo have started to becomemarketing channels. The development of social media gives everyone the right toexpress and promote themselves and their opinion.

I read a quote recently that said, "the value of Japanese design lies in delivering aesthetics in a very simple way". For me, this sums up exactly the typical Japanese designs I’ve seen so far.

Let’s take a look at how Japanese design uses humour, austerity and even violence in a simple and appealing way in the following examples.

1.  Humorous posters to save a market on the verge of closing-down

These posters are designed to save a market in the suburbs of Osaka where most shops are run by elderly people, from closing-down.

These simply shot images, with equally simple copy aren't just visually pleasing, they are effective too, successfully attracting double the number of people coming to the marketplace in one month alone. Some non-locals even came just to see these interesting posters in person! No doubt sales would have improved too! 

50-years old fishmongers series

1/ The biggest “fish”: the shop owner 

2/ The shop owner is the friskiest “fish”

3/ Length: 170cm, weight: 66kg

These posters tell people that the fishmonger has long history in a humorous way, making fun of the shop's owner as the biggest, friskiest fish. It combines Japanese traditional art – Gyotaku, with the modern pictures of the fishmonger himself and is quite visually arresting. Blending tradition and modernity in an effective way to advertise the store.

Pickled vegetables = abused vegetables = good taste

1/Imprisoned in dark place for a month

2/ Rub salt deep into the wounds 

3/ I’m going to gut you then fill you up.

This is kind of disgusting and creepy but fits quite well with the word “Pickled”. Implying that the vegetables are thoroughly tortured in order to become extra tasty :)  

Making use of “age” to get attention

Most of these shops in this market are run by elderly people, so this series uses their old age in a humourous way to attract attention. 

1/ Post design? Hurry up, I’m pretty much dead already.

2/ I quit. I’m going to have fun.

1/ My old-age pension is even more than what I earn.

2/ It’s ok if you don’t buy anything. Just come and visit me!

2. Discreet emotional interaction

In my opinion you can never predict what surprises typical Japanese design stuff will give you across many different categories. Sometimes just one little simple design can open a door of emotional interaction with consumers.

Ichiran Ramen

Ichiran Ramen is the most popular Ramen restaurant in Japan. Apart from how good it tastes, the little emotional touches in its approach to design might be another reason it has gained such customer loyalty and public praise. As shown in the picture, customers will see a line on the bottom of the bowl when they finish the Ramen:

Your last taste is an affirmation of our greatest.

Entry-exit Stamp

Japanese airports used to use ○ & □ to represent Entry and Exit, just like any other country. But it has been recently re-designed with a leftwards facing and rightwards facing plane to represent arrival and departure. Almost everyone’s reaction to the stamp is “Ah-ha!”, this little touch giving each and every traveller a warm welcome. 

The above examples are just part of many out there. These designs used a simple, low-cost way to create something greater, that can penetrate deeply into people’s minds. Less can truly be much more.  

Shivaree Dong

Brand Strategist

While Santa Claus is still on the way with his lovely reindeers in tow, retailers in UK are busy starting a white war. Desperate to win over people’s hearts so that when it comes to purchasing presents and food for Christmas, Brits can put their hands in their pockets willingly.

Let’s take a look at some of the creative work going into battle this year on behalf of UK retailers.

John Lewis

Probably one of the most touching and famous ads every Christmas season, and this year is no exception. A cute boy, an adorable, lifelike penguin, and an ending that truly touches your heart. What’s not to like? After all, everyone has been a child.

Sainsbury  

After initially crazily sharing the John Lewis’ Christmas ad via Wechat (China’s popular social network), people began to share the Sainsbury’s ad, claiming it is ‘more meaningful’ and with many considering it ‘a beautiful film’. Personally I hold a different opinion.

Firstly, I feel uncomfortable seeing a retailer using the First World War and people’s respect and emotions towards the war, in order to promote a brand, especially on the 100th anniversary its outbreak. Aside from upsetting friends and relatives of those who died in the war, war itself is always a sensitive topic. Millions of people died during the First World War, it was full of pain and sorrow. We should always be thankful and respectful for their sacrifices, rather than linking this War with some commercial trickery. And what’s more, no one wants to be reminded of it by a retailer brand during Christmas.

Secondly, I don’t see how this topic helps to promote Sainsbury. It is indisputable to say ‘Christmas is for sharing’, but there is nothing unique about Sainsbury that qualifies it to say this- it could fit with almost any brand. Also in this film, the chocolate bar wrapped in blue paper appears more than twice, and it is conspicuous, people could easily assume this is an ad for a chocolate brand if they don’t see the ‘Sainsbury’ logo at the end.

But, those concerns aside, I have to admit that it is very brave for Sainsbury to choose such a sensitive and controversial topic. And indeed now everyone is talking about them and their ad, rather than the cute penguin. So good for you Sainsbury.

Boots    

Relatively small investment compared to the previous two, but with a very strong insight, almost everyone will fall for the story in this ad. They seem like real people, and this happens in real life. This ad also fits with the brand, it feels like a Boots ad. After watching this, I feel like I want to do something for my mum.

It’s an ad that makes you think. It’s an ad that makes you feel. It’s an ad that you would remember.

Marks & Spencer   

Very beautiful and it’s all about the sparkling magic of Christmas. Girls and kids will love it. It’s good to watch, but obviously you feel less, if anything at all, especially compared to the three ads described above. 

I am starting to look forward to next year’s Christmas ad chaos already! Who will win the war next year?

Brand Strategist

Freya Chen

More UK retailers 2014 Christmas ads:

Waitrose   

Harrods    

Argos     

Debenhams  

We like this execution from Ikea. Cleverly engaging their audience with their product range through coverting lullabies into fresh new content with current desirable artists. Turning their products into content is pretty smart too.

http://instagram.com/coookie

http://instagram.com/s.1972

http://instagram.com/megu1101

http://instagram.com/hamadahideaki

http://instagram.com/ebbamodin

http://instagram.com/LING_MENG_07

http://instagram.com/blackta

Total fascinating 3 minute video from Nasa- shows how CO2 moves around the globe and highlights where the production of the gas is really high. Sadly the East of China is one of those places, along with North America and Central Europe.

Ballsy and brave, powerful but evil.

What's on Weibo describes these women as: "rebels of their time - some of them changed China's history."