China's retail markets are very fascinating from a marketing point. I never ceased to be intrigued from what I see and experience. It really helps to know many international products/food well enough to spot the differences.
It is articles like the wsj's one and others in Western media that like to play up the Western world's smugness that their products/services/brands are so good that the Chinese cannot come up with something better but have to resort to imitation. All the media does is delude their target audience into some kind of complacency which is so wrong.
It is not just the Chinese who play the marketing game differently in China. Sure the Chinese may imitate to a great detail the many famous products along with the stores, but at least they actually aspire to the same standards as found in these famous brands' home markets.
Because there is so much money to be made from China's growing middle / wealthy classes yet unsophisticated crowd, many international brands sell China-specific products that are not found elsewhere and in many cases are not up (not even close) to their own quality standards in their home markets. I have seen some products that would destroy the brand's reputation if sold in their home markets. It is all about short-term high profit making vs. the long-term time investment to actually necessary to build-up the market's knowledge and appreciation of their products.
So guys, take the time between shagging and dating prc girls and really walk around the various markets all over China to really understand. You may even see some business opportunities.
