With the advent of the trysumers, a new wave of consumers who are willing to try just about anything, many companies are taking novel approaches to their brand and marketing strategies. First there was the flagship store, pop-up retail, and then tryvertising, but now a lot of companies are developing their own brand spaces.

In this article, we give an overview of the white goods industry in China and identify the brand implementation strategies being used. We then discuss the importance of building brand strength in this growing market.

Recently Shanghai Jahwa, the largest local cosmetics enterprise has officially launched a cosmeceuticals brand “Yu Ze”, marking its entry into the medical cosmetics market. The chairman of Jahwa, Ge Wenyao, stated that brands like Avene, La Roche-Posay and Vichy occupy nearly 60% of the current cosmeceuticals market in China, making it a strategic area for Jahwa.

On 20th, December, 2009, Shanghai Jin Jiang International Hotels announced the acquisition of Interstate Hotels & Resorts, the largest independent hotel management company in the United States, through a joint venture with the US-based real estate investment firm Thayer Lodging Group.

Chu Yuxun is still excited after her battle against campus bullies. Her hair appears wet and messy. Suddenly, her piano teacher appears and recommends a new shampoo brand, insisting Chu needs silk protein to improve her hair’s condition. The camera then zooms in on the Slek shampoo logo and holds the image on screen for what seems like an eternity.

Following wine, toilet seat covers, first-aid kits and vomit bags, Ed Hardy recently released their branded hand sanitizer, “Ed Hardy Habit”. Ed Hardy is a street fashion clothing brand with a tattoo-themed visual identity (see our previous post here). Ed Hardy clothing is designed by Christian Audigier and inspired by the legendary tattoo artist, Don Ed Hardy, who is also known as “the godfather of modern tattoo” ¹.

A recent study found that 75% of women say social networking sites have little influence over their purchasing decisions 1. According to the study, among all the factors that have a bearing on mothers’ purchasing decisions, price (47%) ranks the first, followed by quality (45.7%) and “other” (3.5%). The fourth highest factor was brand (2%).

The Chinese sportswear company Anta Sports Products Limited recently signed an agreement with the famous footwear producer Belle, planning to acquire two of the group’s subsidiaries. One of them is Full Prospect, which owns and manages Fila.