Vodcast #015 - New China Lifestyle Trends by Jan Kot
- Thought Catalyst Partners
- Aug 11, 2020
- 2 min read
What’s new in 2020 China?
In various industries in China, ranging from fashion, food & beverage to public sector such as museums, the concept of GuoChao (国潮), which translates as China Trend, revived in China.
It’s a cultural phenomenon that is known as national chic, and also means China aesthetic.
Since modernization took place in China, citizens embrace international brands as they are often considered as trendy. However, in recent years, people in China are more receptive and show strong support to domestic brands, which are often the trend setters.
Concrete products involving China Trend
These days, people are increasingly craving for something new. For instance, out of reminiscences to the 70s in China, the White Rabbit Candy in China regained popularity and even productionize this candy brand into some sort of handy bags and even perfumes. Chinese youngsters are wearing them as a badge of pride.
Meanwhile, sports brands such as Feiyue, which was a national symbol of the working class and humble workers, also received attention because of a mass local movement towards 70s vintage culture.
Implications for China Market Entry
For international brands in China, this is a great opportunity to localize products that possess local attributes, which allow brands to stand out.
Based on the examples above, marketing professionals could brainstorm what local element could be a possible match for products in your industry.
If you would like more ideas from us, especially on cultural aspects & synergies with your industry, leave us comments or just ping us on social media.
About the Speaker:
Jan Kot was born and raised in Shanghai, educated in Hong Kong and the US. With a bachelor degree in journalism and a master degree in creative writing, Jan has over the years taken a ring-side seat in witnessing and documenting China’s rise to a global power. During her earlier career, Jan worked as a reporter for a number of news and business publications in the region with a focus on China’s social and cultural transformation as the country in preparation for the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. She was also one of the first Chinese writers to report on Chinese in Africa. In 2011, Jan became a founding member of Juwai.com, an international property portal for Chinese. In 2019, Jan founded The Tale Blazers in Shanghai, a consultancy agency that empowers brands and business to tell better stories. Jan is also the managing partner, China of TCP Growth, a Hong Kong-based consultancy focusing on cross-cultural training, consulting and partnerships. Jan speaks English, Mandarin and Cantonese.
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