Managing a brand signature in China requires understanding a company’s identity in terms of the name and logo as the foundation of its visual presentation.Brand signature in China is the distinctive feature of the brand. Something that shows brand’s individuality and identity. This includes basic communication, distinctive and enduring brand traits that reflect the brand’s image and reputation. It can be an effective tool for achieving the desired results in the Chinese market. A brand signature can add value to a company for Chinese consumers. This should clearly link the name and logo of the organization.
Why companies need a brand signature in China
Global organizations spend significant resources – money, time and research on developing a brand signature. A brand signature will help shape the company’s image in a positive way. The Doxaganda team will ensure that Chinese consumers understand and become familiar with the product through the logo and brand name. In addition, the brand logo and brand name convey the whole brand’s image, grab attention and accelerate the recognition of a company or product.
For all these reasons, companies should choose a brand signature carefully. It requires significant investment, as the logo and name of the organization should contribute to raising its reputation abroad.
Brand signature in China can be the main tool for influencing brand’s reputation. It can also contribute to long-term favorable brand awareness.
Elements of brand signature in China
Brand signatures are ubiquitous in the Chinese market. The main elements of a brand signature are those factors that predict and enhance brand perception, attitudes, reputation and performance. Companies use communication tools to drive product differentiation. For example, there are such corporate signature elements as brand name and brand logo. The three main components of a brand logo are 1) font 2) design 3) color.
A company’s brand signature can influence how consumers feel about a brand. Over time, the logo and brand name begin to embody the symbolic representation. Brand signature is a key aspect of branding identity in China. A brand signature should provide specific responses depending on the nature of the communications and the desired marketing goals. Customers’ perceptions of the company should be positive and consistent. Moreover, the company’s signature affects the desire to purchase a product or service.
The human mind interprets visual aspects faster than words. Accordingly, logo design is a critical aspect of a brand’s signature in China. A brand logo conveys the overall reputation of a brand as intended by the company through its identity. Doxaganda team can help create a logo for your company which will be suitable for the Chinese market.
Brand naming as a part of brand signature in China
Chinese culture is shaped by its own language, which is completely different from Western cultures. This means that the values and tastes of most Chinese people may differ from those of Westerners. Chinese people like to explore the deeper meaning of words. It is important that international brands take the time to thoroughly research a name that aligns with their brand values. For a successful brand launch in China, it’s important that companies look beyond the logo. They need to have a holistic view of consumers and focus on their brand stories. When entering the market, a culturally appropriate Chinese brand’s name, color scheme, and typography should be of special importance for brands.
Localization in the Chinese market
Localization is an important part of building a brand signature in China. The design of the product changes according to the preferences of the local market. For instance, you can also insert your product to local platforms like WeChat and Alibaba.
Any adaptation of a product for China should take into account local platforms – primarily super applications. These are applications owned by the largest players in the ecosystem of China (Alibaba, Meituan, Tencent) that integrate many different services. They also offer payments to connect different apps together and allow third-party developers to build small apps.
Mini-programs make up the bulk of customer interactions in China. They become the entry point for interacting with brands – from general content to quick access to official accounts. Mini Programs are a new foothold for customer engagement. However, their storage options are limited. In terms of storage time, they are usually inferior to native programs or web applications. They do a great job of being a “first step” in encouraging people to install their own “full-size” apps from brands later on.
How to tailor a product for the Chinese market:
First of all, you will need to translate the interface into Chinese. Doxaganda team will help you make a professional translation of your brand signature in China. It’s also important to consider industry legal requirements and tailor your site to them.
In China, consumer preferences and markets are changing rapidly. Competition is developing at a tremendous speed. To successfully launch a product and build a brand signature in China, it is important to be aware of the differences and iterate quickly. And continue to adapt even after a successful launch, because changes in this country have been constantly taking place for decades.
BMW case
German auto brand BMW can be a good example of positive brand signature in China. The company entered the Chinese market relatively late, in 1994, with remarkable success. The reason for this is not only the well-chosen translation of the brand into Chinese. Watching its competitors fail in a new country, BMW has shown an unprecedented understanding of the Chinese consumers. According to the survey, the main motive for buying a car for 35% of Chinese consumers is to instill confidence in business partners, while 25% buy a car to match their social status.
The consequence of this development is that in China “economy class” cars and used models have low sales, but new long “luxury” cars are very popular. In China, 71% of all BMWs sold are sedans. Realizing market trends and the Chinese love for long and luxurious cars, the German manufacturer extended its famous 5 Series by 133 mm in 2017, exclusively for the Chinese market. What does 13.3 cm change? For a car – a slight improvement in technical parameters. For the buyer – an increase in status.
BMW knew that the Germans really enjoyed creating their dream car virtually, highlighting their character and personality. For this, the Germans are ready to revise more than 6,000 different configuration options and wait up to three months to get their car from a factory. Despite experience in its home market, BMW has adopted a different strategy in China. The car maker realized that such “Lego for adults” was not appealing to the Chinese. They, in turn, prefer to go to the salon and simply select a car.
How Doxaganda will help you with brand signature in China
Doxaganda can help you create brand signature in China, using such attributes like brand’s logo, brand’s packaging design and brand’s naming.
To learn more about the methodology, contact our Doxaganda consultants in China.