Buhaoyisi (boo how yee suh)
Or: Why I Think China is Fertile Ground for Branding Companies
Beijing, China – The meaning of ‘Buhaoyisi’ I’ll get to later. Having spent a few years in Beijing I’ve noticed many Chinese companies have discovered they can take a successful western company’s brand and copy it, or ‘model’ their own branding after them. I am not talking about the ubiquitous, blatantly fake products in the likes of Gucci, Rolex, iPod, Apple Stores, or Louis Vuitton. This type of fraud we have known exists for awhile now. Thanks to a demand for fake/cheap goods, and companies that break international laws, most people will save some dollar if they can. But back to the point. What I am talking about is going one step to the ‘side’, and taking the western company’s model/brand and giving it a slight little twist to make it their ‘own Chinese company’ (not necessarily as a fake), which is now setup to compete directly with the original company. A purposeful ‘deformation’ of the original brand, if I may.
A friend gave me a tour of her up-and-coming Haagen-Daz/KFC-rip-off company’s testing kitchen which was covered in a horrid amalgamation of a white scripty Coca-Cola look-alike logo mixed with a photograph of Nescafe’s couple caressing and Budweiser’s crown-splash. I mentioned besides having an extremely confusing brand, she won't be able to export their brand outside of China because there are what most of the world calls Intellectual Property laws. Her response was, “We’re not concerned about going outside of China. China is very big.”
So, alas, foreign companies get to ‘play’ in China for a short while until a ‘resemblance’ of their company is up and running, taking market share from them(selves). Essentially competing against a much lower-priced, non-import-taxed version of their self. The Chinese customer whose english is not up to par and is not familiar with the original may think they’re actually buying a fancy western brand. Wow, I have only one word: brilliant. If the crime goes unchecked then heck, why not, what’s a few million dollars off the originator’s back? Handle the parasite with kid-gloves and the original will die a slow one. When non-Chinese companies have grown tired of being defrauded then maybe there will be change. I suppose if there's no IP laws then it keeps people working, right? Again, brilliant.
Here I am going to show you just a tip of the iceberg of what may be an original company and/or branding team’s worst nightmare. Remember, this is after the original company has spent a considerable amount of time and money to develop their brand. Because of this, I think there are a lot of branding opportunities for savvy entrepreneurs in China.
Scroll below to get started...
A(M?)eijianfa Sanitary – toilets/bathroomware
So I had a couple of beers and walked into the bathroom at the bar I was at. I naturally glanced down at what I thought was the American Standard logo. At first I thought I needed my glasses but a closer look revealed that, yup, a standard-issue rip-off. Brilliant. Someone is chuckling their way through the halls at this company/entity. A fine example of the 'Parasitic Double-taker'. Original is on the right.
H&N – clothing
Of course! How easy! Just take the stem off the M and voila, it's H&N. Or maybe it fell off? When I went to take the photograph a salesgirl came running out and tried to tell me I couldn't take a photo. Geez, you'd think I was taking pictures of some government-sponsored operation.
Cloahe – shoes
Wow, a bit deceptive? No, again, just wasn’t wearing my glasses. From 50 feet away though this certainly could be confusing. Especially if he/she is looking for a quality pair of shoes, maybe a western brand that’ll give them some ‘cache’ at the local office. And anyway, “Why would I want to pay practically an 80% import tax on a real pair of Clarks shoes here in China?” ..Original on the right.
NCKIA – cellphones
Are you seated? Another ‘Parasitic Double-taker.’ Not sure if this is a disservice to Nokia or to the customer themselves. A Chinese friend who has this phone thought it was Nokia, until I had him actually take a closer look at it. Naturally, they’re a bit upset. Too bad huh? Do you know how to say 'de-frauded' in Chinese?
Pfulyboy/Pearlboy – clothing for playboys
A big 'wow' out to these cowboys. The Chinese approximately states, "American Fresh-Style Playing Guy Company". The one on the right was taken a few months later. At first I imagined two knock-off companies fighting over their ‘knock-off’ turf (that would be funny). Turns out, there may have just been an updated business-model-revise.
AIKA – furniture
Huh, wow, what a weird coincidence, practically the same sounding name as IKEA. And practically the same furniture to boot. Hmmm…
Chinese National Geography – magazine
Look familiar? Yep, but that's red, not yellow. So hey let's move along.
Croos – shoes for clowns, nurses, and cooks
Croos on the left. And Coqui, the effete-version ‘inspired’ by Crocs on the right. Sold on most streets and buildings specifically setup for knock-offs. Look, I've asked people in China who admitted to be wearing the fraud version and they know they're not getting the real shoe. In fact, they say their "feet sweat in them, but heck, they only costed a buck or two." Too bad for Crocs, huh?
Fake on left: no varnished denomination as on the right.
100 RMB note – Chinese currency (equivalent to about $15.87 at time of writing)
Last, but still a famous brand. Let’s take a look at the good old 100 RMB note ‘alternative’ (it makes for a great souvenir which could be worth more than the RMB itself). Taking money out of an ATM, most people feel pretty comfortable that they’re getting the real thing. Well, lo and behold, fraudulent 100 RMB notes are showing up in the ATMs (oops, there’s that f-word again). Not some backcountry ATM in the middle of Hunan province but in the middle of Beijing at well-known international banks. Don't try to return/exchange it for the real thing though. You’ll just get the ubiquitous “Buhaoyisi” reply from the manager. This implies “Sorry, I’m a bit embarrassed, but really can’t do anything about it. Oh well.”
Fake on left: “printed” watermark on surface unlike embedded on the right.
There’s probably a very funny bank security video on China’s version of YouTube called ‘YouKu.’ (YouTube is not allowed into the country anymore.) Just type in: foreigner screaming bank teller window.
Oh well, buhaoyisi...
*** See an updated article here from TimeOut Beijing magazine announcing a new 100RMB note coming in November 2015.
