Are you listening, Steve Jobs? Fake Apple Stores in Kunming, China.

[Vihzel]

I think East Asians in general are brand crazy. I can only really speak for Koreans in that they definitely love brand names and the statuses that are associated with them, especially the women in Seoul. Appearance tends to be a lot more important to Korean women than American women.

A general common example: Korean women wear high heels everywhere. Going hiking this weekend? Heels for hikers! Going flying this weekend? Have to find those comfy heels for flying! hehe

 

[lordofthereef]

But it's fake... that is what I don't get. The name brand is a status symbol, yet the name brands are fakes. How does a fake item provide status?

 

[mikedt]

But it's fake... that is what I don't get. The name brand is a status symbol, yet the name brands are fakes. How does a fake item provide status?

It's not really seen as a 'status symbol' as such, not when almost everyone has or is wearing western brands or logos. I think they wear them because they think it looks nice.

One will often see garments which have some Chinese brand on the tags, i.e. they're not pretending to be genuine, but they have obvious LV, Gucci, D&G, Prada, Burberry, Armani, etc, branding on them, especially shirts and jackets. Garments will also often have dictionary words like fashion, style, vogue, polo, golf, sports, etc. on them. Similar with putting an Apple logo on whatever mobile phone, tablet or laptop, they think it looks nice.

In Xilinhot where I am, one can't actually buy genuine western brands, well not much at all. Similar for most smaller Chinese cities, towns and villages.

Although much of it, I wouldn't really call a counterfeit or replica. Louis Vuitton doesn't actually make 'LV' logo t-shirts and houses and Burberry doen't make plaid patterned wheelchairs. Yet things like this are a common sight throughout China.

BTW the number of people who have looked in awe at my 2008 Macbook Pro with its glowing Apple logo, probably most of them have never seen a real Apple product before.

I'm sure it also comes down to the fact, that before the early to mid '80s there was NO western brands in China and nobody was aware of them. Everyone was wearing blue Mao suits and carrying their little red books, Cultural Revolution, Gang of Four and all that. Mao suits are still quite a common sight amongst the older generations.

 

[Remordere]

Filipino people associate brand names with the actual kind of product.

We have a general goods store and this is what I usually hear.

"Can I have a one Coke, the Sprite one." Coke = softdrinks
"Two packs of Pampers please, the huggies." Pampers= diapers.

In my cellphone store...

"How much is your Nokia? I want the Captivate!" Nokia = cell phone.


I don't really know why people are so obsessed with "brand" products. Here, they want the branded ones but yet they rather want the fake ones. Because if you buy an expensive bag here, people look at you like you are crazy. Some filipinos are both frugal and a brand whore, hence the fake obsession.

 

[mikedt]

Filipino people associate brand names with the actual kind of product.

We have a general goods store and this is what I usually hear.

"Can I have a one Coke, the Sprite one." Coke = softdrinks
"Two packs of Pampers please, the huggies." Pampers= diapers.

In my cellphone store...

"How much is your Nokia? I want the Captivate!" Nokia = cell phone.

I think trademark genericising happens pretty much everywhere.

Hoover = vacuum cleaner.
iPod = MP3 player (an old friend of mine is terrible for this).
Tipp-Ex = correction fluid.
Biro = ballpoint pen.
Tannoy = PA system.
Band-Aid = sticking plaster.
Muzak = background and elevator music.

Also using trademarks as verbs. e.g. "Can you Google that for me please?", "I'll Hoover the carpet using my Electrolux vacuum cleaner."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_(verb)
"Fearing the genericizing and potential loss of its trademark, Google has discouraged use of the word as a verb, particularly when used as a synonym for general web searching."

 

[mikedt]

I just bought myself a new t-shirt.

Steve Jobs would approve of course.

Purchased from this fine boutique.

They even managed to spell 'genuine' correctly.

 

[Squidilicious]

Why is the apple bite backwards?

 

[mikedt]

Why is the apple bite backwards?

Because it's left handed?

 

[Squidilicious]

Then the iPhone 4 should have the bite backwards, too. Since you should hold it with your left hand to avoid the death grip.

 

[lordofthereef]

That LV house just made my day. What a different world from the one I live in...

 

[mikedt]

Customers angry, staff defiant at fake Apple Store CCTV News - CNTV English

"KUNMING - Customers at an Apple Store in the Chinese city of Kunming berated staff and demanded refunds on Friday after the shop was revealed to be an elaborate fake, sparking a media and Internet frenzy.
Long a target of counterfeiters and unauthorised resellers, Apple Inc was alerted to the near flawless fake shop by an American blogger living in the southwestern city, more than 1,000 miles (1,600 km) from the nearest genuine Apple stores in Beijing and Shanghai.
"When I heard the news I rushed here immediately to get the receipt, I am so upset," a customer surnamed Wang told Reuters, near tears. "With a store this big, it looks so believable who would have thought it was fake?"
Wang, a petite, 23-year-old office worker who would not give her first name, spent 14,000 yuan ($2,170) last month buying a Macbook Pro 13-inch and a 3G iPhone from the Kunming store. She wasn't issued a receipt at the time, with staff telling her to come back later.
"Where's my receipt, you promised me my receipt last month!" Wang shouted at employees, before being whisked away to an upstairs room.
Staff were also angry at the unwanted attention after more than 1,000 media outlets picked up the story and pictures of the store from the BirdAbroad blog.
"The media is painting us to be a fake store but we don't sell fakes, all our products are real, you can check it yourself," said one employee, who didn't want to give his name.
"There is no Chinese law that says I can't decorate my shop the way I want to decorate it.""

That LV house just made my day. What a different world from the one I live in...

It was a culture shock for me when I first came here, two years ago. So used to it now though. Things are somewhat different in Hong Kong and Macau, much less in your face brand whoring. The culture there is different to the mainland.

The students at my school wear a yellow and black tracksuit type school uniform. They'll often write the names and draw the logos of famous western brands on their uniforms, using laundry marker, e.g. the Armani eagle, LV, D&G.

BTW some of these people are my students:
BBC News - China Mongols protest in Xilinhot over shepherd's death
Probably the only time most of the world had ever heard of Xilinhot.

 

[mikedt]

See my latest Tumblr post... there's no less than four fake Apple Stores in my neighbourhood now.
Welcome to my China. - Fake Apple Stores in Xilinhot. There

Note how the Apple logo is fixed with sticky tape.