Chinese Design Appearing in Global Homes

In the 1980s Steve Jobs tapped German designer Hartmut Esslinger of Frog Design to revolutionize the industrial design of Apple products. In the 1980s and 1990s IBM relied on Munich born Richard Sapper to bring elegant form and function to IBM desktop PCs and ThinkPad notebooks. Few have noticed as Chinese car companies and PC firms like Lenovo are integrating distinctly Chinese design into their products. At first glance the Lenovo IdeaCentre is another consumer all-in-one PC, but a closer glance at the rear vents of the PC reveal artistic lines reminiscent of Ming and Qing Dynasty (1368 - 1912) design. The youthful and charismatic VP of Design Yao Yingjia at Fortune 500 firm, Lenovo, is at the forefront of revealing how Chinese firms integrate their culture and history into the design of today's consumer products. Such artistry and thought is welcome in an age of impersonally cold commodity products.

Top 10 Advertising Capability in China

Based on my experience managing Sales & Marketing deliverables at China's top IT firm, Lenovo, these are the top 10 Advertising Capability required when selecting a local or MNE ad agency in the PRC. Most of these advertising skills are essential in any geography, although many ad agencies lack all ten of these capabilities.

Top 10 Challenges for Local Chinese Marketing Firms

This is a subjective list of the top 10 Advertising Challenges in China based on my 7 year experience of marketing and managing local ad agency relationships in Beijing. While there are many reputable advertising firms operating in China, unfortunately the above list constitutes the challenges many local ad agencies exhibit. This does not mean that reputable firms are not gaining enormous advertising contracts, in fact China is one of the top destinations for corporate advertising spending, as demonstrated in this CampaignAsia & R3 Pitch List from 2011.

Cutting Edge Marketing Shows People Who Do in Beijing

Chinese metropolises like Beijing are becoming hubs for the creative class despite the unending traffic, pollution, and internet censorship. The web video that I wrote and edited shows five real-life creators in Beijing - a model, photographer, product designer, chef and business manager using PCs throughout their day to work smarter.

Four U.S. Brands are Most Engaging Brands in China, Says R3 Research 2H 2011

As many Americans fear the dominance of Chinese firms, much as Americans feared the threat from Japanese brands in the 1980s, it is important to note that in the second half of 2011, R3 research shows nearly half of the most engaging brands in China are American brands - Apple no. 2, Nike no. 3, and Coca-Cola no. 5 and KFC (Yum Brands) no. 10. Americans should take heart that Buyology Inc. research of the top 20 Most Desired Brands in the U.S. for Men or Women do not list a single Chinese brand. So who should be fearful, the Chinese or Americans?

Despite China's Rise not a Single Chinese Brand on Interbrand Global 2011 Top 100 List

While U.S. politicians ratchet up the threat of China to challenge U.S. capitalism and business, it is important to note that 49 out of the Interbrand Best 100 Global Brands 2011 list are U.S. firms and not a single Chinese brand made the coveted list. Marketing power house, Apple, led the Interbrand list with the largest annual change in brand value - surging 58%. Germany with respected brands like Mercedes, BMW and SAP is the closest runner up with 10 top global brands, while France and Japan share third place with 7 top global brands each. Time will tell when Geely which bought Volvo in 2010, BYD with investment by Warren Buffet, or Huawei will make the Interbrand Global Brand list. With such a formidable lead in global branding, U.S. politicians would better serve their constituents by focusing inward on how to invest in long-term R&D, primary - university Education, and Community Infrastructure to ensure American businesses remain competitive against global competition.