“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.

Social network game developer Zynga recently launched a promotional deal with 7-Eleven that will connect virtual goods from its online games with roughly 200 million real products sold in 7-Elevens in the U.S. and Canada.

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.

Even during the global financial crisis the economy of China continued to boom, causing many global companies to increase their investment in here. Global retail brands aim to penetrate deeply into this attractive market, and thus require an effective brand strategy that takes into account brand localization.

Recently, in order to promote its new luxury compact hybrid, the CT 200h, Lexus launched “Dark Ride," a high-definition 12-minute interactive film.

The American apparel brand Levi’s has announced the launch of a new global brand in China this fall. During its ten years in China, this is the first time Levi’s had launched a brand outside the US, signaling the importance of the Chinese market for the company. (See our previous post on Hermes launching a brand for China.)

As the Dragon Boat Festival approaches, many international food chains are launching their special products for this traditional Chinese festival. Starbucks stood out last year when it launched its “ice zongzi” and received positive feedback from consumers. This year, Starbucks is taking their localization attempts one step further and releasing Dragon Dumplings with 5 tastes and colors, which represent 5 blessings: coffee stands for warm love, gold for bright future, green for persistence, rose red for good luck, and white for peace. There are already many local and foreign brands offering customized moon cakes surrounding the Mid Autumn festival in China, will zongzi for Dragon Boat festival be the next big thing?

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.