Are above-the-line (broadcast advertising) costs unaffordable?
Due to high media rates, heavy clutter, and difficulty in reaching discrete targets (i.e., unavoidable media “wastage” or “overdelivery”), building equity is expensive. Advertising-to-sales ratios in China are high. Regrettably, this is a fact of life and must be confronted with deep pockets or a (realistic) tactical approach encompassing below-the-line, gradual distribution expansion, or brand extensions. Is Your Advertising Culturally Tone Deaf or Too Complicated? The Chinese, proudly nationalistic, will demand copy that is tailored to reflect who they are, what they believe and how they lead their lives. To boot, their relative lack of experience digesting brands and communications means that all copy — in both glittering Shanghai and in rural towns — must be simple, simple, simple.
