聯(lián)想打造國際范
????中國公司如何在本國消費者眼中塑造大牌的形象?聯(lián)想(Lenovo)給出的答案是少一點中國味。 ????聯(lián)想將于今秋晚些時候進行一輪推廣活動,它引入了一個英文口號:“Lenovo: For those who do”(聯(lián)想:為了行動派)。去年時,聯(lián)想也在北美等地進行過類似的營銷。這個多渠道的宣傳攻勢結(jié)合了電視、網(wǎng)絡(luò)和平面廣告,主要由總部位于紐約的廣告代理商盛世公司(Saatchi and Saatchi)設(shè)計,成本預(yù)計為1億美元。 ????聯(lián)想在國內(nèi)市場的營銷攻勢目前仍處于早期規(guī)劃階段,但公司首席營銷官大衛(wèi)?羅曼向《財富》雜志(Fortune)透露,推廣活動將同樣令人興奮。不過這些新廣告將由一家中國廣告公司設(shè)計。 ????聯(lián)想希望改變多年來的形象,首席營銷官大衛(wèi)?羅曼承認聯(lián)想公司的形象有些老派。聯(lián)想可能是中國最大的個人電腦制造商,但羅曼認為該品牌與一個成功但在老化的產(chǎn)品類別綁在了一起。羅曼坦承:“為了在智能手機和平板電腦領(lǐng)域獲得成功,我們還必須使聯(lián)想在這些領(lǐng)域變得更酷、更新潮。” ????羅曼可謂一語中的。去年底,調(diào)研機構(gòu)高德納(Gartner)對北京18到55歲的高收入群體進行了抽樣調(diào)查。結(jié)果顯示,相比于國內(nèi)品牌,國際品牌在吸引力上具有壓倒性優(yōu)勢。“我不喜歡國內(nèi)品牌,我喜歡蘋果(Apple),”高德納分析師北川美佳子引用當時一位參與者的話說。雖然聯(lián)想在中國赫赫有名,但蘋果和寶馬(BMW)等更出名的國際品牌仍被中國人視為身份與地位的象征。 ????Forrester研究公司分析師薩拉?羅特曼?艾普斯表示,一個成功的國際品牌,其標準之一是確保在不同市場使用同樣的品牌名。所以,雖然很多產(chǎn)品的營銷手冊經(jīng)常是用當?shù)卣Z言編寫的,但其品牌和產(chǎn)品名稱往往仍是英文。例如索尼(Sony)及其PlayStation 3游戲機,還有三星(Samsung)及其智能手機系列。現(xiàn)在,聯(lián)想正在朝這方面不懈努力。 ????聯(lián)想新的市場策略能否在中國奏效仍然是個未知數(shù)。分析師向《財富》表示,在中國這個品牌認同已根深蒂固的國家,重塑品牌的難度很大。它不比在美國,因為美國人的品牌認同感要小得多。而作為一家中國公司,想塑造具有國際認知力的品牌可謂難上加難。不過,羅曼說:“我們希望聯(lián)想能成為第一批走向世界的中國公司。” ????譯者:項航 |
????How does a Chinese company make itself cool to locals? For Lenovo, the answer is to appear less Chinese. ????Later this fall it is unleashing a campaign that imports the same English slogan -- "Lenovo: For those who do" – from a similar global campaign it rolled out to regions like North America last year. That multi-channel effort, a combination of action-heavy TV, Web, and print advertising, was designed largely by the New York-based ad agency Saatchi and Saatchi and cost an estimated $100 million. ????While Lenovo's Chinese marketing campaign is still in the early planning stages, CMO David Roman tells Fortune to expect a campaign in the same adrenaline-pumping vein. But these new ads will be designed by a Chinese agency instead. ????Lenovo wants to revamp its tired image, which CMO David Roman admits is somewhat avuncular. It may be the largest PC maker in China, but it is a brand he admits remains tied to a successful, if aging, device category. "In order to be successful in smartphones and tablets, we also have to make Lenovo cooler and hipper in these spaces," Roman admits. ????He may have a point. Late last year, when Gartner Research held a focus group among high-income individuals in Beijing between the ages of 18 and 55, the overwhelming consensus was that international brands were more appealing than domestic ones. "I don't want this domestic brand. I want Apple," Mikako Kitagawa, a Gartner Research analyst, recalls participants saying. Although Lenovo has a strong reputation and is widely respected in China, stronger global brands like Apple (AAPL) and BMW are viewed as status symbols there. ????Part of owning a successful global brand often involves having one voice with which you speak to the customer, says Sarah Rotman Epps, a Forrester Research analyst. The fine print on marketing materials will often be in that country's native language, but the brand and product name remains in English. Case in point: Sony (SNE) and its PlayStation 3 video game console or Samsung and its smartphone ecosystem. In that respect, Lenovo is playing catch-up. ????Whether the company's new marketing efforts pay off in its native country remains to be seen. Analysts Fortune spoke to agree that casting a company in a different light is much harder to do in a market like China where it already has a strong brand perception as opposed to the U.S., where it's much lesser known. Being a Chinese company aiming for widespread global recognition represents an even bigger challenge, although it's certainly one the company recognizes. Says Roman: "We hope Lenovo will be the first of a number of brands to emerge." |