Hello Professor Li. Thank you for being here with us today. I know you have done a lot of work on strong brands. I am glad you are here to share with us today. So can you tell us more about how China consumers perceive strong brands. Are they different? >> Thank you Professor Quan. Yes, we have some started to test the cross cultural differences in brand strength evaluation. And we found that actually Chinese consumers and American consumers they have a different characteristic descriptions of the strong brands. And that tells what kind of features are linked to strong brand image. Actually, Chinese consumers and American consumers have different judgments. For Chinese consumers, they require stricter relational attributes are linked to a strong brand image, but for American consumers they can say that personal attributes are linked to strong brand image. >> So I heard that you mentioned relational and personal characteristics. Can you give us some specific examples on those? In one study we ask Chinese consumers and American consumers to list the attributes that will differentiate strong brands from weak ones. And in this study we found that for, both Chinese consumers and American consumers, they would consider a strong band should have some general attributes. For example, high quality, and fashionable, but in addition to these similarities, Chinese consumers they would consider a strong brand should embody some relational attributes. For example, being socially responsible, being environmentally friendly and signal social status to others, and it's very useful to economic development. And for American consumers, they would consider a strong brand should embody some personal attributes. For example, being smart and being reliable, and honest, and elegant. And a lot of study which show a consumer report to both the Chinese consumers and American consumers. And we found that if the report, it contains some personal attributes of the brand, American consumers, we can say that this brand is a strong brand. And if the report contains some relational attributes of the brand, Chinese consumers can say that this brand is a strong brand. So there are some things for American consumers they tend to link personal attributes to a strong brand image. But for Chinese consumers they tend to link relational attributes to a strong brand image. And besides, we also found that these cross cultural differences will disappear when the self brands connection is weak. But the cross cultural differences will be very salient if their self brand connection is very strong. >> I see, so from what you've mentioned just now, it seems self brand connection is also very important. So can you tell us more what is self brand connection, and more about how to build strong brands in China via the self brand connection link for Chinese consumers. >> Yes. Self brand connection, it means that the brand can reflect who I am. So, in other words, the consumers are identifying with the brand. They have a very strong identification with the brand. And it all started, we found that, if consumers have a very strong connection with a brand, for Chinese consumers they will perceive the brand with relational attributes to be a strong brand. But for American consumers, they will perceive a brand with personal attributes to be a strong brand. And if the consumers have a very low connection with the brand then this cross cultural difference will disappear. In other words, for both the Chinese consumers and American consumers relational brands and personal brands are perceived to be equally strong among them. >> I see, so it seems that building strong brand in China is very difficult. You need to look at the personal characteristics. You need to look at the self brand connection. So it seems to be a very complex and dynamic topic. For viewers that do not have a lot of Chinese experience, could you give them some key points to follow, so they can better manage and be a strong brand in China? >> Yes, maybe we can do these practice from these following steps. Step one, if the American companies, or global brands, if they want to enter China market then they should emphasize is relational attributes. For example, being socially responsible, being environmentally friendly, and can signal social status to others. So, through this way, they can build a strong image among Chinese consumers. And step two, if the brands happen to have these attributes that match Chinese consumers' expectations. Then, actually, they can further strengthen the connection between consumer's self-concept and the brand to elevate its brand strength. And step three, if the brand doesn't have these attributes that match with the Chinese consumer's expectations, so maybe they can emphasis on some general attributes. For example, high quality and fashionable and besides they can be associate between the consumers self concept and the brand. Through this was they can build up the strong brand image step by step. >> I see, thank you for being here with us today. I think the viewers have learned a lot on how to build strong brands in China.
