After a recent promotional video in Times Square as part of a public diplomacy campaign in the US, China is again attracting attention in the Big Apple. Recently, Xinhua News Agency rented one of the major billboards at the north end of New York City’s Times Square as a long-term advertising space. As you can imagine, it got people talking.

IKEA, the Swedish furniture giant, entered the Chinese market in 1998. Since then, it has had tremendous influence on the Chinese furniture and interior design markets. IKEA’s creative home furnishing ideas fascinate the younger generation and have intrigued their interest in IKEA’s “ready-to-assemble” furniture. Meanwhile, the company also offers other products and services and prefers to be seen as a diversified brand rather than solely as a maker of DIY furniture.

After KFC’s Chinese breakfast and Starbuck’s Chinese Tea, now, it’s Absolut Vodka’s turn to localize their brand. The Swedish-based vodka brand recently launched its first limited edition bottle in China. The bottle is inspired by a popular Chinese traditional fable – “Journey to the West”.

With the celebration of Canada’s 143rd birthday last week and the upcoming G8/G20 summits in Toronto later this month, Canada has recently received a lot of attention in international media. The question being asked domestically is centered on its national identity; specifically, people want to know: does Canada have a “brand” that it can export overseas?

“Drink Tsingtao, Understand China” reads one ad from the Chinese beer label’s newest campaign. Others play on Chinese drinking customs, like “In China, there’s a penalty for arriving late to drinks: down 3 beers.” Even though they are only displayed domestically, these ads are in English. Approximate Chinese “translations” in much smaller characters are also included below the main text.

This is the final post from a three part series discussing approaches brands are using during the 2010 World Cup. These three approaches included new product introductions, social media campaigns, and creative brand communication activities.
This post will discuss creative brand communication activities seen during the World Cup this year.

After a hiatus lasting almost two decades, Kraft has revived the media presence of its Bull’s-Eye barbeque sauce through a campaign called “The Bold Choice.” The company took out a 15-second TV ad during Game 6 of the NBA Finals that emphasizes the sauce’s strong taste through a humorous play on the word “bold.” In the clip, a voiceover declares, “Bold versus sweet. Let’s see. They build statues of bold men. They don’t build statues of sweet men. Well, they do. But they’re call figurines,” as a figurine of a small boy flashes on the screen.

Recently, the world's second-largest food company, Kraft has signed a marketing alliance with National CineMedia, which will bring Kraft brands such as Oscar Mayer Lunchables, Stride gum and Ritz crackers to movie cinemas. This could be the first time a food brand has created long-form branded content for the big screen.