Dim Sum Stories – Gooooogled Out, Homeless China Chic and Coca-Cola Pandas

4 April 2010

Goooogled Out

The Google saga has been running for weeks, but I got bored and Gooooogled out a long time ago. Every news station, newspaper and blog has covered the story to death. From politicians, journalists to amateur armchair activists, the story has been reported from every angle. However, for the last word on this [...]

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BASF: The Love Chemical Company

26 March 2010

Photos: Ray Ally
Most corporate advertising is bland and boring, so I hardly ever look at the pictures yet alone read the copy. However the new ads from BASF made me stop, look and read.
They appeared last week in China Daily, as part of BASF’s first ever unified global campaign. Based on the idea of ‘love [...]

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Chinese Movie Star Is A Turn On, For Earth Hour’s Turn Off

21 March 2010

Photo: Ray Ally
Next Saturday, 27th March at 8.30pm is the Global Earth Hour, organised by The World Wildlife Fund. An event where participating households and businesses, will turn off their lights and non-essential appliances for one hour. Last year, I wrote  it was disappointingly not very dim in Beijing. However, this year a new poster [...]

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Starbucks Sells Chinese Tea To China

18 March 2010

Photos: Ray Ally
Starbucks is one of the most popular brands in the mainland, despite the fact that China does not have a history of coffee culture. However, as the saying goes ‘due to popular demand’, the brand is now selling its own Starbucks branded Chinese tea. The vice president for market, product, and communications in [...]

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World’s Biggest Drinks Company Buys World’s Oldest Brewery

12 March 2010

Image: © Landor Associates. Used With Permission. All Rights Reserved.
This week I was interviewed by Benjamin Li, from Media Asia magazine. He was writing about Diageo’s increased stake in Shui Jing Fang and was looking for some branding insights into the story.
Fortunately, I had worked on the baijiu category and our Landor New York Office [...]

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New China Daily Is Black And Blue, But Still Red All Over

8 March 2010

Photos: Ray Ally
Last week the new look China Daily newspaper landed on my doorstep. Launched on March 1st to coincide with the opening of China’s National Peoples Congress in Beijing. The newspaper has made many new changes in editorial and content as well as implementing a bold new design.
China Daily is the official Chinese government [...]

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Beijing Billionaires Love Luxury Cars

3 March 2010

Photo: Ray Ally
What do Lamborghini, Bugatti, and Aston Martin have in common in China? Well, apart from being the most luxurious sports cars in the world, they have all recently opened new showrooms in Beijing. These premises on Jinbao Street, are the largest flagships sites for the brands in Asia.
The obvious reason for opening in [...]

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Dim Sum Stories – Chinese Empire State, Gold Medal Chinese Food and Eating Dogs

26 February 2010

Empire State Building Turns Red and Yellow

The Chinese New Year Festival last 15 days so it has been rather quiet in China. I have also been on holiday so posting less frequently than normal. This Sunday is the Lantern Festival, which ends the Lunar New Celebrations so I should get back to posting more [...]

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Roaaar In The Tiger New Year

11 February 2010

Photos: Ray Ally
Chinese New Year is fast approaching as the moo of the Ox makes way for the roar of the Tiger. As the third sign in the Chinese Zodiac, it is a symbol of power and authority, which rules the other animals.
Over the past few weeks red lanterns and red and gold New Year [...]

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Vitaminwater’s Sweet Packaging Turns Out Too Sugary

8 February 2010

Photos: Ray Ally
Bottled water sales have dropped in the US due to the recession and consumer concerns about environmental issues of using plastic bottles. This has led manufacturers to look to Asia for growth, where demand for safe hygienic water is rising. The latest brand to enter China is Glacéau’s Vitaminwater, a fruity vitamin enriched [...]

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