TNS China

The Colours of China

The red envelop

Red is the most “Chinese” of all colours. “Hong bao”, literally a red envelop, is one of the most fundamental parts of Chinese life and is traditionally used to house money which the adults gift to children on Chinese new year. The concept is extended to any kind of gifting (voluntary or obligatory), including gift to the married couples, to employees from the company boss, but most importantly to grease the palms of those who wield the power to make your life easier by conferring favours or removing impediments. A little money in the red envelop makes people more malleable and more amenable to extend a helping hand. Red is very special colour in China – the most auspicious of colours, a colour which is steeped in tradition and a colour of celebration. Red is also sexy, warm, vibrant and exciting. It is one of the favourite colours in China – though not the most favourite.

The heavenly blue –favourite of Chinese

In fact it is blue, which is the favourite of the Chinese – for both men and women and young and old. If red symbolizes prosperity on earth, blue connotes the heaven and the sky. If red is exciting blue is calming – and preference of blue over red indicates that given the hectic existence that the Chinese are leading (and perhaps the turmoil that they went through earlier), they now prefer serenity and peace over excitement. Blue offers that feeling of tranquility and also manages to stay cheerful and modern. Blue apparel is particularly favoured by both men and women – including shirts, trousers, suits and also skirts for women. Paying a heavy cost of economic development in terms of urban pollution, blue is also a color the Chinese are seeing less and less of – as formerly blue skies bear a depressing grey and erstwhile limpid water looks turbid and muddy.

In black and white

While colors like red, pink and yellow bring up vivid imagery and associations, for practical use black and white rule the roost. Black is considered prestigious and sophisticated and a favourite color not only for apparel (suits, trousers and even skirts fro women) but also for cars, mobile phones and other electronic equipment. Traditionally, associations with black in China have not been very positive, but modernization has bestowed the color with respectability and even prestige. Same holds true with white – while traditionally associated with funerals, it does not bear that stigma now. In fact, white has been adopted as a color of the dress that an urban Chinese bride will wear at her wedding. White also has associations of purity, and is also seen as bright and calming. It is a color for shirts and underwear for men and women, but also shoes and skirts for women. Of course it is the desired color of the skin and Chinese women spend a fortune on whitening lotions and fairness creams. It is the most popular hue of paint for the walls (along with cream) of the living room and the bedroom – though for children’s room, many would prefer a warmer and more cheerful shade of pink. White also forms the name of China’s most popular tipple – bai jiu (literally white spirit or wine) – a potent potion that causes much grief at wedding banquets and other parties, as victims (the newly married couple or the hosts) fall in exhaustion and inebriation after interminable rounds of obligatory “gan bei” (bottoms up) with the guests.

The sexy pink opportunity

Pink is expectedly seen as the most feminine and sensuous color, but is also strongly associated with children. Men are most turned on by pink, though women find black to be sexy. It is the favourite color among women to paint the bedroom walls with – their husbands may have to settle for this for the sake of marital bliss, and the joy of sharing the wife’s bed – though their own preference lies with white and cream. While more men and women go for the obvious choice of black and silver for mobile phones, notebook computers and television sets, a sizeable opportunity exists for pink among women in these product categories. With increasing participation of women in durable purchase and other areas of decision-making which have traditionally been dominated by men, the manufactures of these products may well give a second look at the feminine and sensuous pink for cars, mobile phones and laptops.

The green revolution

Green also finds favour with the Chinese – a bit more with men, as women are drawn to many more colours. While green is one of the favourite, it lacks a unique personality – other than being cheerful. Though green does not feature very high in the external or internal apparel of the Chinese, more and more environmentally savvy Chinese will like the companies to sport this colour in a spirit of environmental sensitivity. In fact, from that point of view, green is the most important colour of 2008 – as consumers show higher and higher levels of environmental awareness and willingness to pay a premium (and even suffer a bit of discomfort) in their bit to preserve this earth for the future generations.

The coming of gold and silver

A home to many dynasties, China well recognizes gold and purple as symbols of royalty. Gold is also seen as bright, prestigious and an obvious, if kitsch, symbol of the rich. Gold is the second most auspicious color after red, and the third most “Chinese” shade (after red and yellow). Always a better judge of value, gold is closer to women’s hearts than men – and they are willing to colour their hair with this and some even paint their toe nails in glittering gold.

Silver also has a sizeable following (and increasing in popularity). Considered vibrant and bright, the most distinctive attribute of silver is its modernity. It is the second most popular color for electronics equipment and automobiles (black being the most popular) – in fact among women it is nearly as strong as black and even preferred.

Marketing of colours

While the “little red book” (a compilation of quotations from the Chinese leader Mao Zedong) is reduced to a mere tourist attraction, the colour red still resonates in China and the consumers feel that it will be one of the most fashionable colours of 2008. Other colours which are likely to be seen more prominently in 2008 are prestigious black, shining silver and glittering gold. Colour holds strong associations in the mind of the Chinese consumers which are steeped in traditional, but tempered with modernity. Understanding and monitoring these as they evolve further, would be an important distinction between companies which reach for the gold and those who face red in their balance sheets.

Based on an online research among 403 Chinese, aged 18-44 and living in key tier 1 and tier 2 cities of China. The research was conducted by TNS, the largest marketing information provider in China, and the second largest research agency in the world.

Written by Ashok Sethi, TNS China

www.tnsglobal.com

The tremors that moved the nation

It was in the TNS China office on the 28th floor of Finance Square in Shanghai, where I sat with a concept test brief in my hand, in deep contemplation on how to add value to the research design, when my cogitation was interrupted by the tinkling of the blinds against the windows. Before I could get time to puzzle about why the blinds were moving inside the building with all the windows tightly sealed, I realized that it was not just the blinds but the whole building which seem to have broken into a gentle dance. If my colleagues were frightened at the realization that we were experiencing an earthquake, they did a great job of disguising their fear and with great aplomb and composure we started shuffling down the stairs to evacuate the building (including me, with the concept test brief still in my hand). The tremors were persistent and I kept on feeling the building’s sway right till our dreadfully slow descent to the 20th floor. After that, while the earth seemed to have steadied itself, the legs had acquired a momentum of their own and I kept feeling the sway for quite some time to come.

Finally out of the building, we were puzzled at the strange occurrence – Shanghai has almost never had an earthquake and it was the first time that most of us experienced the trembling of the building and having to evacuate it under the fear that it will collapse on top of us. While engaged in animated discussion, some irritated and some relieved with the unexpected break in the office monotony, little did we realize the tragedy that had taken place more than a thousand kilometers away in Sichuan province. While the Finance Square kept standing and did not bury us in its steel and mortar blocks, 900 school children in Dujiangyan city near the provincial capital Chengdu, were not as fortunate. Nor were thousands of other children and adults, who could not escape their schools, factories and homes in time and were trapped under plies of rubble. Gradually the magnitude of the disaster unfolded in front of us, numbing us with grief and stupefaction.

While natural disasters are inescapable and we have little choice but to stoically and philosophically accept their tragic consequences, the subsequent human ineptitude and neglect which often compounds the misery is definitely preventable. Fortunately, China’s response was in sharp contrast to the apathy of the Generals of Myanmar when faced with the devastating cyclone which struck the country a few weeks ago. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao was in Sichuan within hours of the earthquake. With a megaphone in hand and moist eyes, the nation saw him addressing the victims in a tremulous voice, offering condolences, reassurance and hope. It was clear in the days to come that the country mobilized every possible resource to rescue those who were still alive under the rubble and offer relief and succour to those who suffered the most.

It was a tragedy that touched the hearts of the people throughout the country. In a wave of sympathy, the people are reaching for their wallets, donating blood, volunteering to work in the affected areas, even offering to adopt the children who lost their parents.

It will be a while before China can forget the tragedy that struck it out of the blue and traumatised the nation. Those who lost their loved ones, their homes or livelihoods will possibly live the rest of their lives with indelible physical and emotional scars. However, it will also be a while before China and the world can forget the efficiency, promptitude and compassion with which China dealt with the tragedy. It is reassuring to see that it is not only the Chinese mind which has transformed the country into an economic powerhouse, which deserves praise, but that its heart is also in the right place.

TNS China employees have made personal donation of RMB 80,000 so far for those who are suffering from the wrath of the quake.