Labbrand created the Chinese brand name for Quiksilver, building on brand awareness with attributes of lifestyle, fashion and adventure to Chinese consumers.

RIDE THE WAVE TO ADVENTURE

Quiksilver is one of the largest manufacturers of surf and board-sport clothing, accessories, and related products. The company is based in Huntington Beach, California and operates over 600 stand-alone stores in major cities across the world.

To step up in the Chinese marketplace, Quiksilver needed a Chinese brand name that was more accessible to Chinese customers to increase awareness. The Chinese name was to reflect the brand attributes of lifestyle, fashion and adventure.

SURF’S UP, CHINA STYLE

Through analysis of competitors’ Chinese brand names, our naming team finalized several name candidates through three rounds of creation. The 17 names were then tested through linguistic checks performed in various regions in China and focus groups for consumer insights. 

The final Chinese name selected was 奇克尚风 [qí kè shàng fēng]. 奇 [qí] means unusual and unique, and 克 [kè] means to overcome. Not only are these two characters phonetically similar to “Quik,” they also imply the brand’s foreign origin. 尚 [shàng] means both esteem and style; 风 [fēng] means wind and attitude. The last two-character phrase conveys the brand’s fashion and lifestyle attributes. Thus, 奇克尚风 [qí kè shàng fēng] eloquently expresses Quiksilver’s core identity of confidence, style and adventure, while also conveying the brand’s spirit of originality and novelty. Quiksilver’s new Chinese name will appeal to surfing and sports fans, as well as fashion-driven consumers, as they ride the wave from California to China and beyond.