Brands Revisited

Earlier on I had mentioned about the competition between Amazon's Kindle & Barnes & Noble's (B&N) Nook, which it turns out is still going strong. Not only have both competitors reduced their prices in a bid to gain customers, but B&N have put their bricks -and- mortar to good use, i.e. creating a 'nook'  where customers can 'experience' the Nook before they buy it, in other making the product so much more tangible, which is far from Amazon can do. By doing so, they are not only making good use of their store space, but engaging their market with good customer service and connecting with them on a personal level, while Amazon is little more than a click away.  Competition is still fierce, with both products having a wide array of features, but again let's not forget the iPad. Nook vs Kindle-The e-Reader Battle

I had recently also spoke about the use of celebrities to promote products, it's a tried and tested method, which has led China to jump on the celebrity bandwagon. Ok, I'll admit celebrity endorsements in China is not a new thing, but it's a new trend to have western celebrities endorse Chinese products in the home market. Japan has been doing it for years, but with China this is new and a reflection of it's open markets where for once they are actually importing a product - "celebrities". This is always a tricky choice as trying to decide which celebrity is the right one for your product and if it will be recognized by the target market. This is always a challenge and yet so much more on an international scale. You have also have to question whether this 'star' fits with the culture of the country. Celebrities Find Endorsement in China