I've just come back from a holiday to Hong Kong and China with my family. Well, I did say it was a holiday but as a qualitative market and social researcher who loves exploring and talking to people, it's hard to be suppress my natural inclinations, so I'd like to share with you some of my observations and reflections.
China has definitely transformed in the turn of the century. The city landscape is dominated by skyscrapers with the latest Shanghai World Finance Centre boasting at 101 floors with the world's highest roof at 487 metres. High-rise residential apartments are everywhere even in the country tourist town of Suzhou, renowned for its natural garden landscape. Zhongshan, a relatively smaller town by Chinese standard with a population of two million people, is abound with self-contained apartment blocks with modern sports, shopping and entertainment facilities. Our local Chinese contacts were eager to share with us the changes in their lifestyle, and proud to be owners of their very own new residences. It's hard to believe that just over ten years ago, most Chinese people were living in modest units owned by the communist government.
Hong Kong remains a busy metropolitan city. What I'd like to share with you from a market and social research perspective is our experience in Hong Kong Disneyland... no, no, it's not just about kids having fun but there's art and science involved in learning about the life values of the target market and how best to cater for their needs and desires…
Thank you for the feedback from my associates who have asked me to write more about my specialty of researching life values and its applications in response to the last newsletter.
Hope you enjoy this edition of WHYS Views.
Helping you to Explore, Acquire and Excel,
Betty Southgate
The Power of Life Values - A Holiday Experience
In a previous edition of WHYS Views, I've briefly shared with you the research technique of story telling and analysis and how close-ended quantitative measures may not suffice in certain circumstances. Interesting enough, this perfectly describes my evaluation of our Disneyland trip, so I'll elaborate on our experience in a narrative form before shifting to my normal researcher mode in analysing Disneyland's branding.
The Story of A Happy Customer
Our visit to Hong Kong Disneyland started on a Thursday evening after a very busy week in Zhongshan, Shanghai, Suzhou and Zhouzhuang in mainland China. After checking in to the hotel and unloading our luggage, we hopped in a shuttle bus and were just minutes away from this "magical" land.
Our trip was initially planned based on a visit to the website. I was convinced that Disneyland would be a good treat for the kids to finish our trip before returning to Sydney. "Magical" was indeed the experience that lived up to its promise from both Disneyland's and the hotel's online marketing communications - from the fountain with Mickey on a surfboard welcoming us at the entrance, to the impressive fireworks, parades and musical productions, not to mention the thrilling rides and demons scare.
The quality of the shows was far beyond our expectations. We started off with Lion King on Friday morning, delighted by the superb live musical performance and then decided to see Mickey Philharmonic and Golden Mickey Award Ceremony, despite some initial doubts that our kids have outgrown Mickey. We didn't come out with any disappointment, not at all. In the theatre you could see 3-D images of sea treasures approaching you so you feel you could touch them and interact with the characters, hear timeless Disney tunes, feel water splashing on you in the deep ocean, and celebrate with golden streamers landing on you.
The strongest impact however comes from the messages entwined in all the productions and ageless classical stories passed on from generation to generation - there's a hero in you, follow your dreams, make your wishes and allow them to come true. Sounds like an inner voice speaking to you, doesn't it?
The Secrets of Branding
Now after narrating my experience from a customer perspective, let me switch back to a researcher mode. In fact, some of my associates have asked me to write more about my specialty - researching life values and how it applies to a real case study. So here we are. Hong Kong Disneyland has definitely passed the test in creating a satisfying experience for my family and many more. I shall evaluate Disneyland's branding on two levels - tangible and intangible. On the tangible level, the musical productions, the rides, the fireworks and the whole physical structure of Disneyland impress the senses of its customers in a unique way that no other amusement parks do. More importantly, on the intangible level, Disneyland answers people's life values and even nurture their life perspectives. To put it simply, the life values are the importance of family, social life, having fun, life balance, personal strength, having a positive outlook in life and realising your dreams...
You'll know what I mean if you'd been there round the clock and were at the shops close to midnight. The crowd was incredible, probably not too different from a post Christmas sale in a major Sydney department store, only that it's not a sale that has drawn the crowd in. The desire to bring home some mementos to relive the experience was oozing everywhere. You wouldn't have imagined the roller coaster ride of the world economy outside this magical land if you were there.
For You
Whether you're a small business or a corporation, a commercial or a social organisation, a product or a service provider, it's important to know the core values of your customers, both in good times and bad. There is a social responsibility as branding has the power to mode the life values and ideals of the present and future generations. Do you know your customers' life values? What is your role and are you creating a positive influence on their life values?
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Contact: Betty Southgate Call: 0422 656 870 International: +61 422 656 870
Email: whys@go.com.au Web: www.whysResearch.com Post: PO Box 778, Lane Cove, NSW 1595, Australia
A Replica of a Chinese Teahouse with
Live Opera Performances, Shanghai History Museum
- Have social needs changed amidst the city's structural transformations?
Disneyland's Magical Brand Identities
- Is there a magic spell?
