外國人看中國：中國消費者到底想要什麼？

Apple has taken China by storm. A Starbucks can be found on practically every major street corner in coastal cities and beyond. From Nike to Buick to Siemens, Chinese consumers actively prefer Western brands over their domestic competitors. The rise of microbloggers, the popularity of rock bands with names like Hutong Fist and Catcher in the Rye, and even the newfound popularity of Christmas all seem to point toward a growing Westernization.
蘋果產品已經風靡中國。在沿海及內陸城市的主要街道幾乎都能找到星巴克。從耐克、別克到西門子，中國消費者對西方品牌的喜愛遠遠勝過國內的競爭品牌。微博的興起，衚衕拳頭（Hutong Fist）和麥田守望者（Catcher in the Rye）等搖滾樂隊的流行，甚至是聖誕節的備受追捧，似乎都表明中國正越來越西化。

But don't be deceived by appearances. Consumers in China aren't becoming "Western." They are increasingly modern and international, but they remain distinctly Chinese. If I've learned anything from my 20 years working as an advertising executive in China, it is that successful Western brands craft their message here to be "global," not "foreign"—so that they can become vessels of Chinese culture.
但千萬別被表象所迷惑。中國的消費者並沒有變得“西方化”。他們越來越現代化和國際化，但他們依然很“中國”。如果說我從自己在中國20年擔任廣告高管的經歷中學到了什麼的話，那就是，成功的西方品牌灌輸給中國的信息是“全球化”而不是“外來者”──這樣他們就能成爲中國文化的載體。

Understanding China's consumer culture is a good starting point for understanding the nation itself, as it races toward superpower status. Though the country's economy and society are evolving rapidly, the underlying cultural blueprint has remained more or less constant for thousands of years. China is a Confucian society, a quixotic combination of top-down patriarchy and bottom-up social mobility. Citizens are driven by an ever-present conflict between standing out and fitting in, between ambition and regimentation. In Chinese society, individuals have no identity apart from obligations to, and acknowledgment by, others. The clan and nation are the eternal pillars of identity. Western individualism—the idea of defining oneself independent of society—doesn't exist.
隨着中國迅速邁向超級大國，理解其消費文化是理解這個國家的良好開端。儘管這個國家的經濟和社會正經歷急速演變，但根本的文化底蘊卻經歷數千年基本沒變。 中國是儒家社會，是自上而下的家長制度與自下而上的社會流動性匪夷所思的結合體。在中國，彰顯個性總是與適應融入相沖突，野心勃勃與嚴守克己相矛盾，中國 人就是被這些矛盾驅動着。在中國社會，除了對他人的義務以及他人對自己的認可，個人是沒有特性的。集體和國家是個人身份的永恆支柱。西方的個人主義，即賦予個人獨立於社會之外意義的概念，在中國是不存在的。

Various youth subtribes intermittently bubble to the surface—see the recent rise of "vegetable males" (Chinese metrosexuals) and "Taobao maniacs" (aficionados of the auction website Taobao). But self-expression is generally frowned upon, and societal acknowledgment is still tantamount to success. Liberal arts majors are considered inferior to graduates with engineering or accounting degrees. Few dare to see a psychologist for fear of losing "face"—the respect or deference of others—or being branded sick. Failure to have a child is a grave disappointment.
各種各樣的青年羣體時不時地浮出水面，看看“都市玉男”以及“淘寶狂人”的興起就知道了。但自我表達一般都會遭到反感，社會認可仍等同於“成功”。文科生被認爲不如擁有工程或財會學位的畢業生。因爲擔心“丟臉”或被打上有病的標籤，很少人敢去看心理醫生。不能生孩子是令人失望的嚴重問題。

The speed with which China's citizens have embraced all things digital is one sign that things are in motion in the country. But e-commerce, which has changed the balance of power between retailers and consumers, didn't take off until the Chinese need for reassurance was satisfied. Even when transactions are arranged online, most purchases are completed in person, with shoppers examining the product and handing over their cash offline.
中國人接納數字產品的速度是這個國家在變化的一個跡象。但改變零售商與消費者力量制衡的電子商務卻直到中國人追求放心感的需求得到滿足纔開始起步。即便交易是在線上安排的，多數消費也都是當面完成，購買者查驗產品並用現金付款。

Even digital self-expression needs to be safe, cloaked in anonymity. Social networking sites such as Sina Weibo (a Chinese version of Twitter), Renren and Kaixing Wang (Chinese versions of Facebook) have exploded. But users hide behind avatars and pseudonyms. A survey conducted by the advertising firm JWT, where I work, and IAC, the Internet holding company, found that less than a third of young Americans agreed with the statement "I feel free to do and say things [online] I wouldn't do or say offline," and 41% disagreed. Among Chinese respondents, 73% agreed, and just 9% disagreed.
就連數字化的自我表達也需要安全，需要匿名的掩護。新浪微博（中國版Twitter）、人人網和開心網（中國版Facebook）等社交網站迅速發展。但用戶卻躲在假身份和化名背後。我供職的智威湯遜廣告公司（J. Walter Thompson）與互聯網控股公司IAC所做的一項調查發現，不到三分之一的年輕美國人贊同“現實生活中不能說的不能做的我都可以在網上實現”這句話，41%的人不贊同。而在中國的受調查者中，73%的人贊同，只有9%不贊同。

Chinese at all socioeconomic levels try to "win"—that is, climb the ladder of success—while working within the system, not against it. In Chinese consumer culture, there is a constant tension between self-protection and displaying status. This struggle explains the existence of two seemingly conflicting lines of development. On the one hand, we see stratospheric savings rates, extreme price sensitivity and aversion to credit-card interest payments. On the other, there is the Chinese fixation with luxury goods and a willingness to pay as much as 120% of one's yearly income for a car.
各個社會經濟階層的中國人都在努力“贏”──也就是攀爬成功的階梯──他們都在適應着體制，而不是去對抗它。在中國人的消費文化中，一直存在着自我保護 和彰顯身份的矛盾。這種掙扎解釋了兩種貌似衝突的發展趨勢的存在：一方面，我們看到驚人的高儲蓄率、對物價的極度敏感和對信用卡支付利息的排斥；另一方面，中國人又癡迷於奢侈品，願意花年收入1.2倍的錢買一輛車。

Every day, the Chinese confront shredded social safety nets, a lack of institutions that protect individual wealth, contaminated food products and myriad other risks to home and health. The instinct of consumers to project status through material display is counterbalanced by conservative buying behavior. Protective benefits are the primary consideration for consumers. Even high-end paints must establish their lack of toxicity before touting the virtues of colorful self-expression. Safety is a big concern for all car buyers, at either end of the price spectrum.
每天，中國人都面臨着被撕碎的社會安全保護網，保護個人財富制度的缺乏，被污染的食品，還有無數對家庭和健康構成的威脅。消費者通過物質展示來彰顯身份的 本能對保守的購買行爲起到了平衡作用。保護自身利益是消費者考慮的首要因素。即便是高檔塗料也必須確認無毒才能展示顏色鮮豔的優點。無論是什麼價位，安全是所有購車者主要考慮的因素。

To win a following among Chinese buyers, brands have to follow three rules. First and most important, products that are consumed in public, directly or indirectly, command huge price premiums relative to goods used in private. The leading mobile phone brands are international. The leading household appliance brands, by contrast, are cheaply priced domestic makers such as TCL, Changhong and Little Swan. According to a study by the U.K.-based retailer B&Q, the average middle-class Chinese spends only $15,000 to fit out a completely bare 1,000-square-foot apartment.
要贏得中國的消費者，品牌需遵循三個規則。第一點也是最重要的，公開使用的產品，無論是直接公開還是間接公開，價格溢價都要比私下使用的產品高。領先的手機產品都是國際品牌。而家用電器領跑者則是廉價的國貨，比如TCL、長虹和小天鵝。根據英國零售商百安居（B&Q）的一項研究，中國中產階級平均只花1.5萬美元爲一套1，000平方英尺（約92平方米）的毛坯房進行裝修。

Luxury items are desired more as status investments than for their inherent beauty or craftsmanship. The Chinese are now the world's most avid luxury shoppers, at least if trips abroad to cities like Hong Kong and Paris are taken into account. According to Global Refund, a company specializing in tax-free shopping for tourists, the Chinese account for 15% of all luxury items purchased in France but less than 2% of its visitors.
購買奢侈品更多的是身份投資，而不是爲了其本身的美觀或工藝。中國目前是世界胃口最大的奢侈品買家，把前往香港和巴黎等城市的出境遊算上的話至少是這樣。據免稅購物公司Global Refund統計，在法國，佔遊客總數不到2%的中國遊客消費了15%的奢侈品。Public display is also a critical consideration in how global brands are repositioning themselves to attract Chinese consumers. Despite China's tea culture, Starbucks successfully established itself as a public venue in which professional tribes gather to proclaim their affiliation with the new-generation elite. Both Pizza Hut and Häagen Dazs have built mega-franchises in China rooted in out-of-home consumption. (The $5 carton of vanilla to be eaten at home is a tough sell in China.)
公共展示也是全球品牌爲吸引中國消費者重新定位應考慮的一個關鍵因素。儘管中國有茶文化，但星巴克卻成功地把自己打造成了新一代精英聚會洽談的地方。必勝客和哈根達斯都在中國建立了龐大的以堂食爲主的連鎖店網絡。（買回家享用的五美元一大盒的香草冰激凌在中國不好賣。）

The second rule is that the benefits of a product should be external, not internal. Even for luxury goods, celebrating individualism—with familiar Western notions like "what I want" and "how I feel"—doesn't work in China. Automobiles need to make a statement about a man on his way up. BMW, for example, has successfully fused its global slogan of the "ultimate driving machine" with a Chinese-style declaration of ambition.
第二，產品的優勢應該強調外在而非內在。即使對於奢侈品，讚頌個人主義的西方宣傳手法在中國也行不通，比如人們熟知的西方觀念“我想要什麼”和“我感覺怎樣”。汽車的廣告語需要表現不斷進取的男子漢氣概。例如寶馬的全球廣告語“終極座駕”（ultimate driving machine）就融入了帶有中國式抱負心的元素。

Sometimes the difference between internal versus external payoffs can be quite subtle. Spas and resorts do better when they promise not only relaxation but also recharged batteries. Infant formulas must promote intelligence, not happiness. Kids aren't taken to Pizza Hut so that they can enjoy pizza; they are rewarded with academic "triumph feasts." Beauty products must help a woman "move forward." Even beer must do something. In Western countries, letting the good times roll is enough; in China, pilsner must bring people together, reinforce trust and promote mutual financial gain.
有時，外在和內在帶來的效果差異會相當微妙。水療和度假村在承諾不光可供休閒放鬆還提供充電電池時效果會更好。嬰兒配方奶粉一定要強調能提高孩子智力，而不是爲了快樂。孩子被帶去必勝客不是爲了享用披薩，而被當做是獎勵學習成績優秀的“大餐”。美容產品必須能夠幫助女性“往前走”。就連啤酒都得做文章：在西方國家，分享美好的時光就足矣；而在中國，必須表現出啤酒能把人聚起來，增強信任和增進互惠互利。

Emotional payoffs must be practical, even in matters of the heart. Valentine's Day is almost as dear to the Chinese as the Lunar New Year, but they view it primarily as an opportunity for men to demonstrate their worthiness and commitment. In the U.S., De Beers's slogan, "A Diamond is Forever," glorifies eternal romance. In China, the same tagline connotes obligation, a familial covenant—rock solid, like the stone itself.
情感上的好處必須實際，即便是關乎內心的事物。情人節幾乎像春節一樣受中國人重視，但他們卻把這個節日看做男人表現自身價值和忠心的一個機會。在美國，戴比爾斯的廣告語是“鑽石恆久遠”（A Diamond is Forever），是對永恆浪漫的讚美。而在中國，同樣的廣告語卻意味着責任、締結家庭的誓約──固若磐石，就像鑽石一樣。

The last rule for positioning a brand in China is that products must address the need to navigate the crosscurrents of ambition and regimentation, of standing out while fitting in. Men want to succeed without violating the rules of the game, which is why wealthier individuals prefer Audis or BMWs over flashy Maseratis.
最後，在中國定位一個品牌時，產品須能解決野心勃勃與嚴守克己的矛盾，既要彰顯個性，又要適應融入。男人渴望在不違反遊戲規則的前提下獲得成功，這也就是爲什麼有錢人傾向於奧迪或者寶馬，而不是浮華惹眼的瑪莎拉蒂。

Luxury buyers want to demonstrate mastery of the system while remaining understated, hence the appeal of Mont Blanc's six-point logo or Bottega Veneta's signature cross weave—both conspicuously discreet. Young consumers want both stylishness and acceptance, so they opt for more conventionally hip fashion brands like Converse and Uniqlo.
奢侈品消費者既要表現自己對體制遊刃有餘的掌控，同時又要保持低調，因此萬寶龍的六角星標識和寶緹嘉標誌性的編織皮革頗受歡迎，二者都是低調的奢華。年輕消費者既想要時尚，又希望被人接受，因此選擇匡威（Converse）和優衣庫（Uniqlo）等比較傳統的時尚服裝品牌。

Chinese parents are drawn to brands promising "stealthy learning" for their children: intellectual development masked as fun. Disney will succeed more as an educational franchise—its English learning centers are going gangbusters—than as a theme park. McDonald's restaurants, temples of childhood delight in the West, have morphed into scholastic playgrounds in China: Happy Meals include collectible Snoopy figurines wearing costumes from around the world, while the McDonald's website, hosted by Professor Ronald, offers Happy Courses for multiplication. Skippy peanut butter combines "delicious peanut taste" and "intelligent sandwich preparation."
中國家長對宣傳孩子能“在潛移默化中學習”的品牌很感興趣：智力培養披上趣味的外衣。迪士尼（Disney）在中國做教育會比主題公園更成功，它的英語學 習中心很受歡迎。麥當勞（McDonald‘s）的餐廳在西方是兒童的快樂天堂，而在中國卻變成了學術園地：開心樂園餐（Happy Meals）中的身穿世界各地服裝的史努比（Snoopy）小雕像可供收藏，麥當勞網站提供開心乘法課。四季寶（Skippy）花生醬結合了“花生的美 味”和“三明治的巧妙配方”。

Even China's love affair with Christmas—with big holiday sales and ubiquitous seasonal music, even in Communist Party buildings—advances a distinctly Chinese agenda. Santa is a symbol of progress; he represents the country's growing comfort with a new global order, one into which it is determined to assimilate, without sacrificing the national interest. The holiday has become a way to project status in a culture in which individual identity is inextricably linked to external validation.
就連中國對聖誕節的喜愛──到處都有大型的假日銷售活動，到處都有聖誕音樂──也在推動一項明顯具有中國特色的議程。聖誕老人是進步的一個象徵；他代表中國越來越適應新的全球秩序，中國肯定會在不犧牲國家利益的情況下融入這個秩序。在個人身份與外界認可密不可分的中國文化中，聖誕節已經成爲人們彰顯身份的一種方式。

The American dream—wealth that culminates in freedom—is intoxicating for the Chinese. But whereas Americans dream of "independence," Chinese crave "control" of their own destiny and command over the vagaries of daily life. Material similarities between Chinese and Americans mask fundamentally different emotional impulses. If Western brands can learn to meet China's worldview on its own terms, perhaps the West as a whole can too.
美國夢──財富在自由中達到頂峯──令中國人陶醉神往。但美國人夢想“獨立”，而中國人渴望“掌控”自身命運並控制日常生活的變幻莫測。在物質追求相似的表象下隱藏着本質迥異的情感訴求。如果西方品牌能學會迎合中國的世界觀，那麼也許整個西方世界也可以做到。