charts/Mast19.jpg

CHANGING CURRENTS
20 YEARS of REFLECTIONS
BIRDS IN CHINA - PHOTOS
CYCLING to XANADU
THE CHINESE DREAM
CHINESE NEW YEAR ADS
The MEDIUM, the MESSAGE and the SAUSAGE DOG
ANYONE FOR TENNIS?
VIEWS FROM ABOARD THE CHINA EXPRESS:
1 Zola and Retail Marketing
2 Playing the Waiting Game
3 Beware the Ides of March
4 The county not on a map
5 Chinese Chess in Beijing
6 Build it and They'll Come
7 Riding the Water Dragon
8 The Best of Both Worlds
9 Storming the Great Wall
10 Welcome to the Wangba
11 The Catcher in the Rice
12 The Marriage Business
13 The Crouching Dragon
14 Counting the Numbers
15 A Century of Migration
16 Shooting for the Stars
17 Rise of Yorkshire Puds
18 Harry Potter in Beijing
19 Standing Out in China
20 Self-pandactualisation
21 Strolling on the Moon
22 Tea with the Brothers
23 Animated Guangzhou
24 Trouble on the Farms
25 Christmas in Haerbin
26 Dave pops into Tesco
27 A Breath of Fresh Air
28 The Boys from Brazil
29 Rolls-Royce on a roll
30 The Great Exhibition
31 Spreading the Word
32 On Top of the World
33 Moonlight Madness
34 Beijing's Wild West
35 Avatar vs Confucius
36 Brand Ambassadors
37 Inspiring Adventure
38 China's Sweet Spot
39 Spinning the Wheel
40 Winter Wonderland
41 The End of the Sky
42 Ticket to Ride High
43 Turning the Corner
44 Trouble in Toytown
45 Watch with Mother
46 Red-crowned Alert
47 In a Barbie World
48 Domestic Arrivals
49 Tale of Two Taxis
50 Land of Extremes
51 Of 'Mice' and Men
52 Tour of the South
53 Brooding Clouds?
54 The Nabang Test
55 Guanxi Building
56 Apple Blossoms
57 New Romantics
58 The Rose Seller
59 Rural Shanghai
60 Forbidden Fruit
61 Exotic Flavours
62 Picking up Pace
63 New Year, 2008
64 Shedding Tiers
65 Olympic Prince
66 London Calling
67 A Soulful Song
68 Paradise Lost?
69 Brandopolises
70 Red, red wine
71 Finding Nemo
72 Rogue Dealer
73 Juicy Carrots
74 Bad Air Days
75 Golden Week
76 Master Class
77 Noodle Wars
78 Yes We Can!
79 Mr Blue Sky
80 Keep Riding
81 Wise Words
82 Hair Today
83 Easy Rider
84 Aftershock
85 Bread vans
86 Pick a card
87 The 60th
88 Ox Tales
CHARTS
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2001 to 2007
BIRDING in CHINA
PORTS of CALL
FROM BEYOND THE WALL
ABOUT

New Romantics


"One day... I'd like to work there."

Wherever you go in China, you are likely to be not far away from a salesperson.  Twenty years ago you could wander around any shop or public place unhindered (or unloved, depending on your state of mind). These days, spurred on by commission structures that can make a huge difference to their pay, salespeople tend to take a keen interest in any prospective customer. The good ones have also worked out that professionalism, enthusiasm, knowledge and a "good ear", are more likely to impress than 'in-yer-face' persistence.  At the professional end of the scale, its hard to imagine a more impressive ambassador for a brand than Cherry, at the Ferrari dealership in one of the "Bohai cities".   


  I've never fancied a 430 myself - the sea air of my hometown would turn the "Ferrari Red" into a "Barbie pink" in no time – also I would prefer to keep the arm and the leg they would cost where they belong.  Cherry told me that it could be mine for 2.8 million yuan.  In other words you would just about be able to buy a couple of car seat covers with the change from 200 thousand pounds sterling.  She very kindly offered me a coffee – but it really must have been out of the kindness of her heart, because the well-worn fleece I was wearing was a dead giveaway that I was the type of chap who only keeps Ferraris in the garage of his mind. 

ChineseCurrents.com17.JPG
Any colour as long as it's red

    “What kind of person buys a Ferrari," I asked.  

   “Rich people,” she teased.

  “How rich?”  

  “Very rich.”  She was the consummate professional.  Polite, but giving nothing away.  So I tried a different tact: “How many do you sell a year?”

   “15.”     

   “What, the dealership sells 15 cars in total?”

   “No, we sell 15 430s a year. All Ferrari Red of course.”

   “Who to?”

 

   “Mostly men, but in recent months we have been selling quite a few to women.”

 

   “What kind of women?”

 

   “One as young as 19.”

 

   “What!?”

 

  “She was 19.  She came in with her mother and father.  She really liked it, and her Dad paid by Visa.” (And I was worried about my credit card bill a few months ago because I had ordered a stack of books from Amazon.)

 

  Most people who buy Ferraris, it seems, pay by credit card.

 

  I asked Cherry about herself.  She told me that she is from a city several hours by train north of here (I passed through it a few days ago).  She came to study at the top university here, where she graduated with a degree in history.


  “Do you have a car?”, I asked.

   “No, I can’t afford one.”

  “Do you have a one?”, she asked.

 

  “Yes, similar to this one”, I said, pointing to the Ferrari.

 

  She realised that I was of course joking.

 

  “In what way similar?” she asked with a smile.

 

  “Well, it’s red, and has four wheels.”

 

  “If you don’t have a car, then what do you like to spend your money on?”, I asked.

 

  “After I have made the mortgage payment to the Bank of China, there’s not a lot left over.”

 

  The vast majority of young people live with their parents until their late 20s, usually until – or even after – they’ve got married; but increasingly young people are renting and even buying their own property.  But the young people who have moved away from their hometown for economic reasons have no choice – they have to find a place (quite often with friends in the same boat).  But Cherry’s situation is, of course, not typical.  I was polite enough not to ask her how much commission she received per sale, but it was clear that a Ferrari salesperson earns more than a Starbuck’s employee. 


  “Wow,” I said.  I’m sure the place has increased in value since you bought it. 


  She beamed.  “It certainly has. I bought it in 2004 with a 15 year mortgage.  Since then it has doubled in price”.


  “But what do you do with your spare cash?”


  “What little spare money I have, I love to spend on shopping… I like to buy fashionable clothes, shoes and accessories… The best place to go for these is the Plaza, just opposite the train station.  There are hundreds of little boutiques – all underground; so it’s an ideal place to go when it’s cold outside.”


  “What brands do you like,”  I asked. 


  “I usually buy good quality clothes that are stylish”


  That is clearly the case.  She wore a very smart pin-striped charcoal two-piece suit, a white silk blouse with a leather tie-up holding a silver pendant.  Her hair literally shone under the bright lights of the dealership. 


  “I can’t afford the brands I really like,” she confided.

 

  “I love LV” (she said “LV” in English, and then said the name in full, in long drawn-out syllables, to emphasise the point):  

  "LOU-IS VUIT-TON."  

  "Why do you like LOU-IS VUIT-TON?" I asked.  

  "Because of its history.  I love its history.  Its SO Romantic."  

  Cherry, as with many young people I have spoken with, is drawn to brands that have a story to tell, as well as a unique heritage.  But, as with Ferrari, heritage only works if the brand has stayed ahead of the competition where it really matters: in terms of quality, reliability and performance.  Cherry, although a history graduate, displays a science graduate's understanding of the brands she loves.

ChineseCurrents.com7.JPG
Heritage and science in perfect harmony