‘Made In China’ Ad Campaign: Chinese React To Reactions

made-in-china

A Chinese netizen on the popular Mop BBS translated the English comments responding to recent Shanghaiist, CNNGo, and China Real Time Report posts about China’s “Made in China” advertising campaign:

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From CNNGo:

Beijing has just launched a new global ‘Made in China’ ad campaign mainly in response to Chinese-made products taking a beating over the last few years. The campaign has been in the works for quite some time, but last year’s tainted milk crisis delayed the production and release of the campaign for obvious reasons.

The new ‘Made in China’ ad campaign fired up earlier this week with a 30 second commercial airing on CNN International featuring the tagline “Made in China: Made with the world” and stresses Chinese companies cooperation with overseas firms in producing quality products. The new campaign will highlight product labels that reflect this cooperation with tags like, “Made in China with French designers.”

The commercial is currently only airing in Asia, but is believed to hit other overseas markets relatively soon.

From China Real Time Report:

“Made in China” has taken a hit in recent years following a series of quality and safety scandals involving a range of products, from toys to dog food to drywall.

In an effort to repair the damaged reputation of its exports, the Chinese government is launching a global ad campaign aimed at changing perceptions among consumers overseas. This week, the first TV commercial in that campaign began airing in parts of Asia, and will soon be seen in North America as well.

Under the slogan, “Made in China, made with the world,” the ad emphasizes the role of Chinese collaboration with foreign companies in producing high-quality, high-tech goods: A pair of running shoes features a label that reads “Made in China with American sports technology,” an MP3 player that resembles an iPod Nano is etched with “Made in China with software from Silicon Valley,” and so on.

Read the comments that the Chinese netizen translated on: “How foreign netizens view the “Made in China” advertising” (Mop)

Below are Chinese netizen comments responding to the translated English comments.

Comments from Mop:

QQ晒密:

Who cares how they view it/what they think!!!

专日五毛和小白:

When it can be changed to “Designed by China”, then we can consider ourselves NB.

哈利扑特:

Without China, these laowai [foreigners] would not be able to survive, just like when Chinese New Year’s arrives in the city and the migrant workers return home to celebrate and the city becomes a mess!!

iamkidd:

Yeah, first get rid of Japan, second bangzi country [Korea], China jia you!!! Create a China brand!

mornings16:

They’re not too bad [the comments], I’ve been familiar with this issue in the past, often reading newspapers and similar things. In fact, laowai have already changed from discussing China as a threat to discussing how China should be responsible. Overall, China is laomei‘s [Americans'] largest creditor. With their economic crisis, they need the world to be balanced again, so that’s why there are so many anti-dumping cases.

caochencc:

I am in America. Here, Chinese-made things is truly considered second-rate goods. However, the majority of the ordinary common people will still choose Made in China things. Why?
The price is 1/3 to 1/4th of European or American domestic prices, and moreover, the quality is very good.
Every time I go to Dollar Tree (a $1 store) or a convenience store, there area always laowai holding a product and saying to me “all made in China.”
It still feels a little strange.

testnage96:

America can think whatever it wants to think!
We only need to do even better!
I love my motherland! Strongly love this piece of land! Even though it isn’t perfect right now!
Tomorrow will be even better!

lodor:

After seeing this post, my strongest feeling is, the netizens on American discussion forums are all expressing their own views on a subject. Even if it is an argument, they will still discuss their reasoning. However, on our Mop, everywhere is flooded with repeated abuse. Even though it is just a small issue, in this we can still see a country’s soft power.  Why is China’s image that of being backward? [To understand this] we must look at ourselves for the reason, and on this problem, we cannot have an attitude of trying to cover up our mistakes/shortcomings.

骑千里马:

China jia you. Migrant workers jia you.
We have the world’s most profitable bosses. We also have the world’s most poor and lowly slave workers. I feel the most heartfelt pride of being Chinese. (Faulty sentence?)

猪就一个字:

If America has the ability [truly does not like Chinese products], then it should stop selling “Made in China” products.

老太太转被窝:

Good products often flow out [of the country], for example: women.
Chinese people never get to use/enjoy their own best products.
Japan, however, leaves the best for itself and exports to China the lousiest garbage.

VCGary:

Laowai can only only helplessly accept the situation now.
Made in China is like rape. Since they cannot resist it, they can only close their eyes and enjoy.

Also, while I am at it, let me bemoan something…
Foreign netizens, when expressing their opinions, only confine themselves to the facts/stick to the topic , unlike certain fenqing in the country, immediately spouting after just looking at the title.

MOPstaffeatdicks:

The main problem with “Made in China” is that there are too many fakes from Zhejiang people.

哥是寂寞的牛排:

Actually, foreigners are just like Chinese people, some people think “Made in China” is not bad, cheap, practical. There are also people who think “Made in China” is synonymous with fake goods, low-grade goods. Different people with different life backgrounds, economic ability, front different places, will necessarily have different perspectives.
But while Mop netizens enthusiastically talk, it is necessary to let everyone know, “Made in China” is the same as “Made in India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Mexico.” Most are all low-value-added products, and indeed the grade of those products are not high quality products.
That the go-vern-ment now puts out this large-scale advertisement is indeed a remedial effort, trying to rescue the “Made in China” reputation. However, this too could be a good thing, China raising its own image, preparing to invest even more Chinese-made products.
Economics is not a game, and a country’s image is also not formed overnight. What was previously owed, definitely now must be repaid. I just hope that in the future, in these advertisements, what comes after “Designed by” is not some other country.

Do you think the advertisements improve the “Made in China” reputation?

made-in-china-with-french-designers

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  1. I am Chinese born but have been living overseas for most of my life. I detest Made in China products! It’s everywhere, like I even have a choice to not buy. I have a family with a baby so it’s not like I can boycott these products just to make a point. Baby toys, spoons, bowls, clothes, prams…i’ve never come across one not made in China that won’t break the bank. Ordinary people cannot afford to pay for everything to be bespoke and tailor made. I’d like to see a return to British industry and manufacturing, with an emphasis on tradition and quality, which there was in the past. I don’t blame the ordinary Chinese workers who suffer low wages and apalling conditions and lack of protection, but the unscrupulous factory owners and big corporations for exploiting both the workers and the consumers. If all big corps make them in China, how does the ordinary consumer have any ability to change the situation? What is needed is mass riots and boycotting on a grander scale. Bring back local industries. This is the ugly side of globalisation.

    Bought a pair of second hand Dr Martens made in Britain and another pair made in China (didn’t know this), and the differences in material and craftsmanship is pretty obvious. I think i’m going to learn tailoring myself and safe money to goto the Italy to see artisan craftsmen make my things infront of my eyes.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/23/opinion/23thomas.html

  2. The local Haier office here even put this on their signboard: “German Technology”. They’re too wary to put anything that point out that Haier is a Chinese brand.

  3. Unforunately, consumer-based Chinese brands would fail overseas because consumers (especially American ones) are trying to refrain from buying anything Chinese. The Chinese know this. Americans can stomach buying something made in China (designed in America), but to buy something from a pure Chinese company is a big no no to many Americans. On the other hand, international Chinese companies that don’t have to deal with the general public are very successful because corporations do everything on a cost-benefit analysis and are run by cunning men who could care less about country of origin.

    That’s why high-tech Chinese telecom companies, computer OEM part companies, weapons companies, and green energy companies are some of the most successful in the world- they don’t have to deal with a xenophobic Western public. They are just as innovative and capable, while being a heck of a lot cheaper.

  4. well,
    most chinese companies are simply manufacturers. They build according to blueprint, not add extra shingles to something someone else designed and contracted you to build.

    It’s like being contracted for steel plates, and you went and took you own liberty of “improving” it… and giving them titanium plates… ea they wanted STEEL for a reason.

  5. english is not my mother tongue.
    don’t understand all your post .
    In shanghai their is a lot of pretty feminie girls .
    ok they are girl until 28 years old ,after they think they are old married women ,no need of girl clothes and make up any more .
    no one pretty 40 th women that play with lovers sometimes .what’s a pitty .
    sodomite ,asians girls don’t like it ,even don’t know a lot about it .
    In europe the girl dress so bad ,so many of our fat ass girls wear ugly casual shit clothes .
    they don’t dare to show their leg any more or just once a week .
    in china little skirt short trousers ,show belly ,delicious .

  6. You are so correct. Here in Vancouver Canada their is a huge xenophobic reaction to made in China products. Everyone speaks like its crap and that they will never buy anything made in China but they never stop buying it. You will find that the xenophobic western public is rather stupid and talks alot of crap but in the end is quite weak to his need for consumer goods.

  7. 1 – I thought the EU was already pretty protectionist (at least compared to the US) due to strong unions. Could one of you Europeans correct me if I’m wrong.

    2 – Actually, I can’t see a rise in protectionism being initiated by the US due to the fact that China holds about 798 billions dollars of US debt. Also I think that the threat of protectionism is what motivates China to buy more US debt. Chicken meet egg. Egg meet Chicken.

    3 – I was always told that part of the reason China invests/subsidies so much yet don’t produce much profit is because some indigenous Chinese companies likes to “dump” product. They will sell something for less money then it takes to make it (dump it) just so they can undercut any competitor. Cutting off your nose to spite your face might be more appealing if you knew that at the end of the day, you would be the last man standing.

    4 – King Tubby I’ve never been to mainland China but it sounds like your have. Do you know what the mood of the hourly workers is like over there right now? Or just the workers general. Anxiety? Optimism?

    Frankly, I think that as long as they don’t try to run the ad during a big event like the SuperBowl, it will just be a blip on the radar and some more YouTube fodder.

  8. Ooooh okay, I understand.

    You’re in China for the girls, for some kind of sexual tourism. I guess that if you are talking about European girls that way (and you are wrong about them), it’s because you could not date one. So you went to Asia.

    What a pity.

  9. 1) No, the EU is a member of the WTO just like the US is, and has eliminated most trade barriers between its member states. As for US protectionism, remember tariffs on steel, tires etc. as well as ‘buy American’ campaigns and ceaseless lobbying against foreign firms by US companies like Boeing. The image Americans have of America as some kind of bastion of free trade is largely myth.

    2)More to the point, the US cannot borrow money from China if China has no dollars to lend them.

    3)WTO cases on dumping have all come up short.

    4)When I was last in China people all seemed very optimistic.

  10. you funny ,you don’t know who i m.
    i didn’t date one foreigner girl but 220 within 10 years ,i m smart ,people told me .
    you misunderstand my post .
    i answered xmcx post who spoke about sex sodomite .
    he spoke first about it .
    it’s true ,travel in us germany france .the girls wear casual ugly clothes too often .ugly men clothes .they are lazzy at wearing clothes in this countries
    i praise the shanghai girl .in the summer ,in the disco ,they are wonderfull feminine ,slim .
    yeh but forget it they only think about husband money .lazzy for making their own working carrier
    i don’t do sexual tourism ,never will .
    you are prostitue customer ,millions of prostitutes here .
    and fuckin young tout waidi migrant people that non stop harass you attack you non stop in nanjing lu ,offering you that, harassing you .as a foreigner i can’t walk in nanjing lu any more .you imagine .
    your police should handcuff all this copy and massage sex seller this tout 300 in nanking lu .you sell sex tourism . and some of your girls seem to enjoy this job. so many . they don’t look in pain suffering . very happy smilling behind their window shop .
    a girl need to know 10 boysfrends before marriage .
    to be a real grown up adult .
    be more interested in girl before marriage .play with them ,that makes grow up boys and girls .
    a men should have had 10 girls before he married .
    that’s the only one way to know the sly snake girls .

  11. Do you really think that’s the reason people are so skeptical of Chinese products? Because the Chinese manufacturers adhere too much to the blue print?

    “Melamine and a related chemical, cyanuric acid, had been added to grain products in China to FRAUDULENTLY INCREASE their apparent protein content, making them appear to be gluten” – USA today second to last paragraph.
    *Caps are mine.

    http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2008-09-11-tainted-formula_N.htm

    Your second statement is total bs. It’s more like a bartender waters down his drinks with a garden hose then hope the customers don’t notice.

  12. The problem with the Chinese is not their culture, but their economic system. The cruelty you talk about is a effect from the Purest form of Capitalism.

  13. Hogwash. There was also plenty of cruelty in old non-capitalist China. The paying off of the police. Are you saying that only started when China embraced capitalism? Why can’t you buy a slave in your home town? Because it is a cultural taboo. A nations cultural values and mores shape everything including their economy.

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