The Role of Material Life, Language, Social Interaction and Aesthetics in Chinese Marketing - Essay Example

Business Report Marketing in China requires one to know and understand different aspects of what the people need and want. An important of the Chinese is their culture which they hold dear. As a new entrant into the Chinese market, Goodman Fielder has to consider aspects such as Chinese material life, language, social interaction and aesthetics. A close analysis of these aspects of the Chinese culture will help Goodman Fielder choose between customising and standardising the Chunky Biscuits it is planning to introduce to the market. Material Life of the Chinese In Chinese culture, material culture is revered as it is also one of the ways through which they express themselves. Material culture can be looked at in terms of artefacts, dressing, technology and food (Ebrey, 2010). Materially Chinese prefer to use their own locally produced products as opposed to importing them from other countries. Hence it is common to find huge posters and other artworks containing Chinese workmanship that is totally different from what is commonly found in western cultures (Sweetman and Zhang, 2009). All kinds of products, including food products, can be advertised or made popular through artefacts and technology. Many Chinese own television and radio sets; therefore, it would be easy for them to get information about new products in the market (Goh, 2001). The material life of Chinese is normally showcased in several of their festivals. The most relevant of the festivities in this case is the Moon Festival in which moon cakes are served as a delicacy (Cormack, 2003; Kalman, 2008). Moon cakes, which are closely related to Goodman Fielder’s Crunchy Cookies, are among the most popular of Chinese delicacies. Such festivities can be used as platforms to introduce and market new delicacies, in this case, the Crunchy Cookies that Goodman Fielder is planning to introduce into the market. Oriental dishes are very common in many of Chinese restaurants; however, it is not uncommon to find a few foreign food products on several stores (Shen, 2009). This means that although Chinese highly value their local food products, they are also open to other products that appeal to them. Chinese Language There are different languages spoken in China, however there are some that are more prominently used than others. For instance, Mandarin and Cantonese are widely spoken more than any other languages in the country. English is also slowly gaining popularity especially in the urban places (Phillips and Moore, 2008). Language in China plays a huge role in social interactions. Many of Chinese websites, especially social interaction sites are operated in either Mandarin, Cantonese or English. Whatever languages the Chinese use for their communication, they normally emphasize on politeness and respect. The Chinese are normally very careful not to offend in the way they communicate (Ebrey, 2010). Their manner of transferring information is also very different than in the Western culture. While it is common to find people in the West using language that might be considered controversial for public use, the Chinese are normally very careful how they go about addressing each other and therefore, it is rare to find controversial language displayed out in public (Johnson, 2010; Phillips and Moore, 2008). For the purposes of business promotion, language is an important factor to consider (Bargiela-Chiappini and Harris, 1997). Goodman Fielder operates in a country where English is the standard and predominant language, therefore, they have to consider that English is not as common in China as it is in their home market (Lee, 2011; Shen, 2009). They have to package and market their product in a way that the average Chinese will like. It is important to consider how to appropriately use a language that is understood by most people in such a way that they will be attracted to the chunky Cookies that the company is trying to sell to them. Chinese Social Interaction Another aspect of the Chinese culture that stands out is the way they interact socially. The social interaction of the Chinese society is based on mutual respect and guided principles. There are expectations within the culture of how people should regard and communicate with each other (Chen, 2003). However, Chinese people, especially the young ones, are slowly drifting away from the traditional ways of social interactions (Sim, 2003). This has resulted mainly due to advances made in the world of technology, which has seen a paradigm shift in the way people communicate (Gong and Heisey, 1998). The Chinese are adopting more open ways of communication and this is greatly impacting how customer-oriented businesses operate (Goh, 2001). When Goodman Fielder introduces its Chunky Cookies to the Chinese market, it has to study how the people interact so as to ensure that they successfully market their products. One of the things that stand out in Chinese social interactions is the different ways people from different age groups interact. The young people tend to be more open and liberal when it comes to social interactions (Sim, 2003). Since the Chunky Cookies that Goodman Fielder is planning to introduce to the Chinese market are largely targeted at young people, it is important for the company to understand their social interactions. This particular group of the Chinese community is not afraid to use technology for communication purposes. They make use of the internet, especially social interaction sites as well as other communication technology available to them (Chow, 2010). Modern technology as a tool of social interaction in China is quickly gaining popularity, even in the rural areas (Chey, 2005). Goodman Fielder can take advantage of this fact to market its Chunky Cookies to this part of their target market. It will be quite easy and convenient to introduce and get people to accept the new product through a channel that they are comfortable using. This means that Goodman Fielder has to customise its marketing strategies and product in order to meet the expectations and needs of their new target market. Aesthetics in China Chinese aesthetics can be found in their artefacts and other artistic materials. In this day and age, technology has contributed much to the way Chinese express themselves aesthetically (Dale, 2008). Modern Chinese aesthetics is present in literature, ordinary posters, online materials and even in electronic and print media (Braembussche, Kimmerle, and Note, 2009). Like in many other societies, urban and rural aesthetics are somewhat different (Visser, 2010). Their similarities lie in the way they try to adopt Chinese culture in whatever form. In urban areas, where people tend to be less conservative than in the rural areas, aesthetics tend to have influences from the western culture as well as traits of the changing Chinese way of life. TV, radio and print advertisements are part and parcel of the whole modern aesthetics package (Press Reference, n.d.). In this regard, China has seen tremendous changes in these media aesthetics due to the slow emergence of a less communist and more liberal way of life, especially for urban dwellers (Chow, 2010). It is not uncommon to find several commercials on TV, radio and on the print media that openly convey the messages that they are interned to convey. Most of the adverts that are carried in these media channels mostly have elements Chinese culture (Chey, 2005). In order to ensure that its Crunchy Cookies are well accepted in the Chinese market, Goodman Fielder has to ensure that it market the product with the people’s culture in mind. This way they will not have to feel like the cookies are being imposed on them, especially as they are marketed by a foreign company (Huang and Ao, 2002). Conclusion and Recommendations It is quite clear that the Chinese are highly influenced by their own culture rather than the culture of other societies or nations. They have their own unique way of communicating and living that they have held onto for many thousands of years. Their material life, language, aesthetics, and social interaction are all embedded in their day to day lives. It is normally quite a challenge getting into a new market where the culture is hugely different from the company’s home culture. The Chinese culture has some similarities with the western culture, however it is important to consider that there are major differences that usually influence how business is conducted. For instance, the Chinese are very protective of their culture, and it is rare for them to abandon it for the western culture. Therefore, Goodman Fielder has to consider marketing its Chunky Cookies in consideration to the new culture they will be getting into. There is without any doubt great potential of business success within the Chinese market. By customising the chunky cookies to fit in with the Chinese culture, Goodman Felder will be able to gain a good market. The Chunky Cookies should be made and packaged in a way that is appealing to the Chinese. The marketing strategy of the cookies should take into account the language, social interactions, material life and aesthetics of the Chinese. In other word, the oriental marketing of the Cookies should not be the way they are marketed in Australia or in any other Western market. Rather, it should reflect the oriental lifestyle of the Chinese, their conservative way of thinking and their non-capitalistic economic lifestyle. Selling the crunchy cookies in a way that appeals to the culture of the Chinese is the best strategy that Goodman Fielder can use at the moment. Customising the Crunchy Cookies will be better for business than standardising them in this particular market. This will ensure that people not only get to know of the product, but that they accept it whole heartedly, like they accept their own homemade products. References Bargiela-Chiappini, F. & Harris, S. (1997). The languages of business: An international perpective. Edinburgh, UK: Edinburgh University Press. Braembussche, A. A., Kimmerle, H. & Note, N. (2009). Intercultural aesthetics: A worldwide perspective. New York, NY: Springer. Chen, M. (2003). Inside Chinese business: A guide for managers worldwide. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Press. Chey, S. 2005. China condensed: 5000 years of history & culture. London: Marshall Cavendish Chow, G. 2010. Interpreting China's Economy. New York: World Scientific. Cormack, A. (2003). 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