How might the current financial crisis effect how advertisers will need to communicate their message in China?
It’s always dangerous to generalize but Chinese have always been conservative spenders and messages in China, particularly those targeted to the mass market, have usually focused on “protective” benefits – e.g., ensuring the family’s physical and financial safety. I suspect that these “reassurance” messages, particularly after a dairy scandal which calls basic product safety into question, will become more dominant and extend to higher-tier consumers. In this current economic climate, China’s middle class wants to know their gains of the past decade will not disappear in the midst of global uncertainty.
