Filed under: Comment
One of the things that annoys the hell out of me is how some agencies and clients think Chinese culture – especially Chinese youth culture – is so predictable and easily definable.
Of course in public they might have another story [though that’s not as often as you may think], but one look at the work they put out doesn’t just show how they think everyone is pretty much the same, but doesn’t even develop.
We hate this.
Actually, we despise this.
To counter this myopic and – let’s face it – prejudiced view, we produce a quarterly paper called Luandun.
The whole purpose of this paper is not to say we know what’s going on in the country, it’s basically to cause some conflict in the heads of marketers & agency people.
It’s to make them rethink what they think they know.
It’s to make them question what is happening across the country.
It’s to make them wonder if they’re really connecting with their audience.
It’s to make them think whether the beautifully produced books they get from the multinational agencies tell the whole truth, or the bits that make them feel better.
By no means are we claiming we know everything that’s going on in China – who the hell can – but like our Boomtown project and countless other little experiments we do … our goal is to highlight that approaching the Chinese audience – especially the Chinese youth audience – with a ‘one-size-fits-all’ mentality is not just wrong.
But stupid.
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Nice presentation. Genius explanation for why you do it.
Comment by Pete March 8, 2012 @ 6:47 amyou mean its a great explanation because it shows campbell for the manipulative fucker that he is? too fucking right. hes an evil fucking shit, but im glad hes still my evil fucking shit.
Comment by andy@cynic March 8, 2012 @ 8:37 amThe problem with the marketing world is they want the audience landscape to be convenient and simple to justify their blanket decisions, viewpoints and laziness. They were saying similar things about Chinese society when I lived there so it’s disappointing to hear its not changed which is why I like your “spanner in the works” strategy. Interesting read too.
Comment by Pete March 8, 2012 @ 6:52 amwe get it pete. you love campbell. you love him with all your planner passion. pervert.
Comment by andy@cynic March 8, 2012 @ 8:38 amBe nice Andy. Besides, what Pete has written is basically a verbatim overview of what you used to say to clients about their research practices … so really, you’re slagging off yourself.
Comment by Rob March 8, 2012 @ 9:24 amYou missed out an important point in this post Rob. You missed out that you don’t do it, you get the people listed at the end of the paper to do it. One persons delegation is another persons nightmare and having worked with you for 5 years, I know how they feel.
Comment by DH March 8, 2012 @ 7:09 amcampbell taking the credit for other fuckers hard work?
surely fucking not.
Comment by andy@cynic March 8, 2012 @ 8:40 amthats called sarcasm for any fucker who is too thick to get the point.
Comment by andy@cynic March 8, 2012 @ 8:40 amJealousssssssssssssssssss.
Comment by Rob March 8, 2012 @ 9:25 amIt’s heartening to know your devious strategy aproach is alive and well Robert. The explanation to your approach is as good a lesson in strategy as you’d find anywhere.
Comment by George March 8, 2012 @ 7:42 amLooking forward to reading what I am sure will be a respectfully review of Chinese mayhem and energy.
hey campbell, if you wrote about your real approach to strat it might be interesting. the police would certainly find it worth reading.
Comment by andy@cynic March 8, 2012 @ 8:51 amfor what its worth, i agree with auntie that this shows your evil manipulative strategy powers better than any of the other shit youve written on this bollocks for the past 1000 fucking years.
Comment by andy@cynic March 8, 2012 @ 8:54 amhave i just accidentally complimented you? time to break out the jackie d.
Comment by andy@cynic March 8, 2012 @ 8:55 amI think you did. Life is now complete.
Comment by Rob March 8, 2012 @ 9:28 ampage 3 could use some work..
other than that..
what Dave said..
Comment by niko March 8, 2012 @ 8:02 amyoure right niko, page 3 should always feature a big pair of tits.
Comment by andy@cynic March 8, 2012 @ 8:42 ambaz. your ipad 3 or whatever the fuck you are or arent calling is ok, but if you give me a freebie, ill make it look fucking great. with my influence i can turn doubters into big fucking fans so send a few over to my place and ill make you feel like youre standing 20 feet tall. or in your case, 20 inches tall.
Comment by andy@cynic March 8, 2012 @ 9:00 amYou can give him the one you would give me Baz.
But when you finally bring out the iPhone 5, then I’ll happily take that off your hands, ha.
Comment by Rob March 8, 2012 @ 9:30 amBTW Baz, whoever came up with the idea of calling the new iPad “resolutionary”, needs a good & hard kicking.
Comment by Rob March 8, 2012 @ 11:43 amExcellent. To presume a billion people are all pretty much the same is ignorant in the extreme. To work in planning and do that is to need a good kicking. (Andy… you free to kick some shit planners?)
Comment by Rob Mortimer March 8, 2012 @ 6:40 pmExcellent stuff.
Comment by northern March 8, 2012 @ 10:00 pm