LiAnne Yu — 2 May 2005
Multicultural China
China is a multicultural, multiethnic, and multilingual nation. In China there are 7 major language groups (with over 8000 dialects), 56 ethnic groups, and 200 million Muslims (that’s two thirds the total U.S. population). So why do marketers continue to refer to the country in homogeneous terms? Why is the U.S. perceived as multicultural, while China continues to be described as uniformly “Chinese”?
I strongly believe that as the Chinese economy expands (a staggering 9.5% so far this year), marketers will need to develop strategies for understanding and addressing the impact of China’s multiculturalism on consumer trends. Which local cultures dominate, and which become commoditized? What stereotypes or attributes are associated with each ethnic/local community, and how should these inform branding campaigns? How does the use of a specific dialect vs. Mandarin affect consumer perceptions of the meaning behind your product or service?
Whenever I visit Shanghai I am reminded of how it is a microcosm of China, with all of the tensions, messiness, and surprising fusions that diversity brings. Migrants from the mostly Muslim region of Xinjiang sell lamb kebobs on one street, speaking their Turkish-sounding local dialect. Professionals from Hong Kong and Singapore file in and out of their modern, air conditioned offices, looking for hot pot restaurants that serve cold beer. The more statuesque northerners from Beijing and beyond speak with their “curled tongue” accents, sometimes struggling to understand the Shanghainese lisp. The city-its food, smells, accents, and faces-tells us many stories about China’s diversity.
Comments
This seems like an uphill battle, at least for the meantime. Think of Africa. An entire continent of vast differences: from language, currency, religion, food, etc. Yet it continues to be described as uniformly “African”. My thought is that it is partially ignorance and partly ease-of-reference. Not many corporations want to spend the resources to deliver a unique campaign/product, until like you mentioned, it becomes a necessary point of differentiation.
Posted by Maron on May 2, 2005 02:06 PM | Permalink to Comment
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Likewise, the USSR was much more heterogeneous than its leaders would admit and most outsiders would know. I wonder whether China will remain a single block in case of economic and social turmoil. We take for granted and permanent things that might well change.
Posted by Olivier Travers on May 2, 2005 10:03 AM | Permalink to Comment