Preface xi
Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction: The China Dream 1
Our Intent 7
The Country within a Country 7
PART I History, Culture, and Language
Matter—The Birth of Chinese Consumerism 11
Chapter 1 From Feudalism to Fendi 13
Back to the Future 14
Chinese Consumption: What’s Old Is New Again (Tenfold!) 16
China’s Growth Is Different 18
Chapter 2 Orientation 21
A Code to the Chinese Mind-set 24
Contradiction and Paradox 30
Summary 31
Chapter 3 A Self-Contained Empire 33
Chapter 4 The First Globalization 41
Chapter 5 Marco Polo and the Two Admirals of the Sea 43
The Two Admirals of the Sea 44
Chapter 6 An Insatiable Appetite 49
Freedom Creates Wealth in the West 51
Chapter 7 Opium, Imperialism, and Decay 53
Opium and War 54
A Century of Exploitation 54
End of War—Continuation of War 56
Chapter 8 The People’s Republic 57
The New China 58
Chapter 9 The Mandate of Heaven 61
Opening and Reform 65
Green Shoots 67
Chapter 10 A Boom Is Born 69
A Boom Starts with a Swoosh and a Shot of Espresso 71
Change at Hyper Speed 74
PART II The Chinese Super Consumer—From Birth to Adolescence and Maturity 77
Chapter 11 From Sandpaper to Sephora—The First Super Consumers 79
American Century Redux 80
Want. Need. Buy. Show Off. Keep Up. 82
Super Consumption Goes Global 82
Go West, Young Man 83
China’s Own Postwar Boom and Birth of the Chinese Super Consumer 85
In the Beginning 87
Chapter 12 The China Market + The China Global Demographic = China’s Super Consumers 91
The China Whisperer 93
Spinning in a Whirlpool 95
The Great Pizza Wars: In China, Everything Is Possible, but Nothing Is Easy 96
Listen to the Great One 97
Stay the Course, Even When the Seas Get Rough 98
Nestlé: Navigating the Teen Years 100
Chapter 13 The China Global Demographic 103
The Precious Gift of Time 104
Meet the Tangs 107
Chapter 14 Channels 113
Department Stores 114
Street-Level Stores 115
Malls 116
Grocery Stores/Supermarkets 118
Hypermarkets 119
Convenience Stores 120
Not Your Father’s Post Office 121
Lifestyle Stores 126
Specialty Retailers 127
Multibrand Retail 127
Chapter 15 E-commerce and the Rise of Alibaba 129
Alibaba 130
NFL Footballs “Sold Out” 132
Why E-commerce? 135
Chapter 16 Supply Chains to Satisfy China’s Super Consumers 139
Supply Chain Megaprocesses 140
Plan 141
Buy 142
Make 142
Distribute 143
Sell 144
Aligning Strategy, Structure, and Implementation 144
Chapter 17 Segmentation 147
Surveying China 147
A Most Discerning Consumer 152
Chapter 18 Marketing 155
Consumer Impulses and Desires 156
Lenovo’s Approach: The Best of Both Worlds 157
From East to West to Wei East 161
Baby Boom 164
Brand Advertising in China 169
Going Native—Tory Burch, Gossip Girl, and Made-for-China TV 170
The Role of Social Media in Marketing: United States versus China 173
Promotions 177
Chapter 19 The Chinese Luxury and Premium Market 179
The Nouveau Riche: Pebble Beach or Nothing 180
The Gifting Group 181
China’s Engine: The New Middle Class Seeks Quality and Value 182
Affordable Luxury: A Tiffany’s Tie Clip and an Entry-Level BMW 183
China’s Luxury Downturn: Myths and Realities 186
Chapter 20 Travel and Tourism 191
Take a Walk on Boardwalk—Pass Go, Collect $200 (Thousand!) 195
Chapter 21 Chinese Super Consumers Changing the World 203
The Microsoft Miracle 203
A Final Word about China’s Super Consumers 207
Index 213
