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Strategies & Market Trends : China Warehouse- More Than Crockery -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: RealMuLan who wrote (4843)	5/23/2005 2:21:31 PM
From: RealMuLan	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 6370

Editor's note 2005-05-23 06:18 Much has been said about the importance of branding during numerous business seminars, forums and television talk shows in Shanghai and other major cities around the country. But little attention has been paid to the core element that underscores every enduring brand. That core element is, of course, creativity. Many business leaders and management gurus from consulting firms and universities have repeatedly talked about the need for Chinese enterprises to build their own brand names as they climb up the value-added chain. They understand all too well the big profits are in the front end, design and development, and the back end, packaging and marketing, of the manufacturing process. To widen their profit margins, Chinese mainland enterprises must be more creative, not only in designing their products, but also in packaging and marketing. They need creative people. Shanghai's municipal government, together with some of the leading universities in the city, has taken the initiative in training and nurturing such talents. The investment is large, and the return may not be immediate. But such investments are essential and none too soon. Hundreds of millions of yuan have been set aside for design colleges to provide professional training to the future industrial, fashion and graphic designers. The newly established Institute of Visual Design at Fudan University is a case in point. Despite some criticism of the institute's ambitious plan to enroll 300 students in the first year, there is no denying its sense of urgency in satisfying the projected strong demand for design talents by China's vast business sector in the coming years. Such is the trend that has not been ignored by many young people. Thousands of youth have enrolled in the city's numerous design schools, and many more are apparently planning to do so despite the low starting salaries and lack of corporate recognition of the profession so far. Just as important as education, Shanghai's authorities have set out to provide a suitable environment in which young practising designers can thrive. Small areas in the city are being made available to fledgling designers in various different disciplines to nurture "pockets" of creativity (see story on page 6) that can one day blossom into world-class design centres to service China's industrialists and entrepreneurs. The maturing pool of local design talents is already making an impact on the fast-growing advertising industry. Many large foreign advertising companies are having their China advertising materials produced in Shanghai by local designers, under the supervision of expatriate professionals. In time, these local talents should be able to perform supervisory roles, and assume the responsibility to train future generations of designers. This was the pattern of development in Hong Kong, where local talents have by now taken over the management of the offices of many international advertising agencies. It is fitting that Shanghai, the undisputed centre of industry, trade and finance for the industrial heartland of Central China, should also be leading the race to bring the nation's economy to a new phase of development. (China Daily 05/23/2005 page1) chinadaily.com.cn