????這又回到了李所說的第一條原則：主加盟商是關鍵。對母公司來說，加盟商最了解哪些產品能在市場競爭中勝出；它們還能發揮關鍵作用，從而在個性化菜單所帶來的收益和生產成本之間求得平衡。

????芭斯羅繽花了20年時間才在中國發展了兩名主加盟商，建立了90多家連鎖店。當然， 2009年及以后開業的連鎖店占了一半。去年，它又在中國簽了五家主加盟商。此外，它還計劃和多家加盟商簽約，后者的主要目標是在特定省份發展業務。

????芭斯羅繽表示，公司還有1,000多種口味可供中國消費者享用。新產品加上連鎖店擴張（具有諷刺意味的是，該公司把這項措施稱為“快樂1.0版”）也許能讓這個使用粉色塑料勺子的品牌再次大行其道。中國冰激凌市場的競爭已經開始變得激烈起來，說明時機已經成熟。

????冰激凌在中國市場很受歡迎。不久前的一個霧霾天，正值周六下午，北京王府井大街上的一幕無可置疑地證明了這一點。春色乍現，吳裕泰茶館（Wuyutai Tea Shop）的冰激凌窗口外就聚集了一群人，那里有抹茶和茉莉花茶兩種口味的軟冰激凌供他們挑選。

????北京的三家吳裕泰茶館從去年開始供應軟冰激凌，這些產品的實際受歡迎程度超乎想象。八喜在中國冰激凌制造行業處于主導地位，通過專賣店和超市銷售產品，但它的硬冰激凌表現一直都不夠理想。南方有一家叫做愛茜茜里的冰激凌連鎖店，它最出名的產品是水果意大利冰激凌。

????那么芭斯羅繽在中國有機會嗎？謝磊（音譯）曾是北京第一家芭斯羅繽連鎖店的經理。他認為，要想在中國求得發展，芭斯羅繽需要把重點放在品牌定位上。謝磊說：“芭斯羅繽的產品質量很棒，但消費者往往弄不清它是高端品牌還是低端品牌。”

????哈根達斯（H?agen-Dazs）是冰激凌界的奢侈品。它推出的產品有Cologne Light，外形仿照科隆大教堂，以卡普奇諾露松為原料；還有Madagascar Carnival，這是一塊可可豆外形的冰激凌，旁邊輔以一串烤菠蘿。

????無可否認，芭斯羅繽也能找到一些跡象來證明自身的生命力。它的一家連鎖店設在北京南城的一座購物中心，那里的顧客川流不息，很難找到座位，人人都希望獨享一份冰激凌美味。米納爾迪表示，芭斯羅繽已經調整了在華品牌，還推出了針對本地市場的菜單。也許，這次它也許能取得成功，而且甚至都不需要對過去的失誤刨根問底；也許市場就是那么的成熟。米納爾迪說：“中國市場對芭斯羅繽產品的需求確實正在增長，我們已經開始對發展策略進行升級。”（財富中文網）

????譯者：Charlie

????This leads back to Lee's first rule: The master franchisee is crucial. Franchisees are a parent company's richest source of information on what will succeed in stores. They are also critical to balancing the benefits of tailored menus against production costs.

????It's taken Baskin-Robbins 20 years to get to just over 90 stores with two master franchisees. Granted, half of these stores opened in 2009 or later. Last year, the company signed on five additional master franchisees in China. And it plans to sign with multiple franchisees that will focus on growing within individual provinces.

????Baskin-Robbins says it has more than 1,000 flavors to draw from its playbook. Fresh flavors along with a store revamp that it is unironically calling "Happy 1.0" could get the brand's pink plastic spoons moving again. The timing is ripe, as ice cream competition in China is starting to heat up.

????China loves ice cream. The scene on a recent sooty Saturday afternoon in Beijing's Wangfujing thoroughfare is irrefutable testament to the fact. Amid the first signs of spring, crowds gather outside the Wuyutai Tea Shop's service window for a choice of two soft serve ice cream flavors, matcha or jasmine tea.

????Wuyutai began to offer soft serve at three stores in Beijing last year, and it's proven incredibly popular. Hard ice cream hasn't done as well for dominant domestic ice cream manufacturer Baxi, which offers its desserts in specialty stores and supermarkets. And in southern China, there's Iceason, a domestic ice cream store chain known for its fruit gelatos.

????So does Baskin-Robbins stand a chance? Xie Lei, a former manager at Baskin-Robbins's first store in Beijing, says the company will need to focus on its brand positioning if it is going to make inroads in China. "It's a great quality product, but … customers were often confused over whether it was a high-end or lower-end brand," says Xie.

????H?agen-Dazs sits on the luxurious end of the ice cream food chain. The brand offers desserts such as the "Cologne Light," a German cathedral made out of cappuccino truffles, and the "Madagascar Carnival," a dollop of ice cream etched in the shape of a cocoa bean with a side of grilled pineapple chunks.

????To be sure, Baskin-Robbins can point to a few signs of life. The vibe at one of its locations in a southern Beijing outlet mall is hopping; it's hard to find a seat, and no one is ordering a cup to share. Minardi says the company has refined its brand in China and the menu for the local market. It may not even need to get to the bottom of past belly flops to succeed this time around; the market may be just that ripe. "We are beginning to ramp up our growth strategy as demand for our product in China is really taking off."