Stella L.M. So

Perceptions of Relationship Marketing Among Account Managers of Commercial Banks in a Chinese Environment

Relationship marketing is widely regarded as effective in developing competitive advantage. But views on exactly what activities constitute relationship marketing may differ in various cultural settings. In‐depth interviews with account managers in commercial banks in Hong Kong yielded a list of activities considered critical to building relationships. In a following survey, account managers in Asian banks rated the importance of the various social activities higher than did account managers in Western banks, although all respondents were ethnic Chinese. The Western banks rated business activities more important than did the Asian banks. Factor analysis shows that managers in Western banks perceive dimensions of business activities consistent with recent thinking about relationship marketing. Respondents in the Asian banks do not view social activities and business activities to be distinct, nor do they distinguish strongly differentiated dimensions of business activity elements.

A Comparative Content Analysis of Women's Magazine Advertisements from Hong Kong and Australia on Advertising Expressions

Abstract There is an increasing desire among advertisers to utilize similar advertising campaigns throughout the world to achieve the benefits of uniform brand image and cost saving. However, cultural differences in advertising expressions and the different perceptions of the information received are barriers for advertising effectiveness. Therefore, it is challenging for advertising creative to be able to communicate to audiences of diverse cultural backgrounds. This study focuses on the cross-cultural advertising by comparing print advertisements from Hong Kong and Australia in terms of information content and emotional appeals. A content analysis of advertisements from the top circulated womens magazines of Hong Kong and Australia revealed that Hong Kong advertisements contain more information cues, sexier and less emotional content compared to the Australian advertisements.

Chinese women at the crossroads: an empirical study on their role orientations and consumption values in Chinese society

Women’s current high levels of education and participation in the labor force have focused attention on their changing lifestyles and consumption patterns, which create a challenge to marketers who are desperate to explore this new market opportunity. This study investigates the significance of the emerging roles of Chinese women in Hong Kong to marketers and also helps to identify some common roles held by Hong Kong females, who are influenced by Chinese and western cultures. Through personal interviews, data were collected in the form of a structured questionnaire from a sample which consisted of 1,000 Chinese females randomly selected in Hong Kong – one of the most important cities in Southern China. This study successfully segmented Hong Kong’s females into three different groups based on six female role orientation dimensions: individualists, traditionalists, and pro‐docietalists. These three groups were found to be statistically significant in demographic characteristics, such as age, educational level, martial status, and number of children, as well as in consumption values associated with purchase decisions. Implications were drawn for marketing practitioners and directions for future research were provided.

Crisis management and recovery: how restaurants in Hong Kong responded to SARS.

Abstract The 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak constitutes an example of the many crises that a restaurant may encounter. This article reviews a typology of crises, examines the crisis response of restaurants in Hong Kong, illustrates how local restaurants deal with this unprecedented situation and develop strategies for management and recovery. The lessons and experience gained from dealing with the SARS crisis serve as references for restaurants in other destinations when they face similar crises in future.

An Assessment of Theoretical and Methodological Development in Advertising Research on Mainland China: A Twenty-Year Review

Abstract Notwithstanding the increase research interest in advertising in China in the past two decades, there has been no comprehensive review of this literature that assesses contributions and guides future research endeavors. This paper attempts to examine the state of research in the area over the 1979–98 period. Our findings suggest that the research/publication on advertising in China is in the early stage of development as evidenced by a wide range of topics remained under-researched, a deficiency of theoretical- or conceptual-based research and the utilization of relatively less advanced research methods and analytical techniques.

Research on advertising in mainland China: a review and assessment

Examines the recent research on advertising in mainland China over the 1979‐1998 period. Suggests that findings show a sustained effort in academic research/publications on advertising in China is in the early stage of its development and whilst many areas have been researched, there are many more yet to be touched. Concludes that the research is seldom based on established theoretical or conceptual framework and the research methods and types of analysis used have not been very advanced when compared to general advertising research.

Imported Beer in the Hong Kong Market

Argues that successful exporting to East Asian markets requires a good understanding of local conditions. One important issue is how consumers decide on products and how they view products from various countries. Hong Kong is representative of newly affluent markets which are growing throughout East Asia. In the beer market, Hong Kong consumers choose brands based on quality characteristics, especially taste. Other important aspects include the beer′s image and the country‐of‐origin. Brand loyalty is strong. Price is relatively unimportant to most consumers. Many beer drinkers believe that German beer is the best, though they may not always buy beer from Germany.

Advertising in Hong Kong

Hong Kong, once a British colony, has been handed back to the Republic of China in 1997 after 150 years under British rule. It became a special administrative region (SAR) of China as stipulated in the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984 and the subsequent Basic Law. These legal instruments allowed Hong Kong to enjoy a high degree of autonomy, and China agreed to implement the principle of “one country, two systems”. Thus, Hong Kong has continued to maintain its free and open economic system.

Advertising in China

The Economic reform implemented in China during the last two decades has significantly improved the living standards of the Chinese Mainland. The rapid pace of economic development has brought about an increasing purchasing power of the Chinese population who is more willing to spend. Until the economic reform, the Chinese Mainlanders had largely been isolated from foreign goods and services. However, changing from a socialist economy to a planned economy supplemented by market forces, China as a huge potential consumer market is flooded with a tremendous number of foreign imported goods for consumers to choose from. As the market becomes competitive, it is crucial for companies to be able to quickly create product awareness among the potential consumers in order to secure a share-of-mind of the consumers and subsequently influence their choice decision among competing brands. Advertising is an effective marketing element to assist companies to make their brands known to the market.