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蘋果產品已經風靡中國。在沿海及內陸城市的主要街道幾乎都能找到星巴克。從耐克、別克到西門子，中國消費者對西方品牌的喜愛遠遠勝過國內的競爭品牌。微博的興起，胡同拳頭(Hutong Fist)和麥田守望者(Catcher in the Rye)等搖滾樂隊的流行，甚至是圣誕節的備受追捧，似乎都表明中國正越來越西化。
但千萬別被表象所迷惑。中國的消費者并沒有變得“西方化”。他們越來越現代化和國際化，但他們依然很“中國”。如果說我從自己在中國20年擔任廣告高管的經歷中學到了什么的話，那就是，成功的西方品牌灌輸給中國的信息是“全球化”而不是“外來者”──這樣他們就能成為中國文化的載體。
隨著中國迅速邁向超級大國，理解其消費文化是理解這個國家的良好開端。盡管這個國家的經濟和社會正經歷急速演變，但根本的文化底蘊卻經歷數千年基本沒變。 中國是儒家社會，是自上而下的家長[微博]制度與自下而上的社會流動性匪夷所思的結合體。在中國，彰顯個性總是與適應融入相沖突，野心勃勃與嚴守克己相矛盾，中國 人就是被這些矛盾驅動著。在中國社會，除了對他人的義務以及他人對自己的認可，個人是沒有特性的。集體和國家是個人身份的永恒支柱。西方的個人主義，即賦予個人獨立于社會之外意義的概念，在中國是不存在的。
各種各樣的青年群體時不時地浮出水面，看看“都市玉男”以及“淘寶狂人”的興起就知道了。但自我表達一般都會遭到反感，社會認可仍等同于“成功”。文科生被認為不如擁有工程或財會學位的畢業生。因為擔心“丟臉”或被打上有病的標簽，很少人敢去看心理醫生。不能生孩子是令人失望的嚴重問題。
中國人接納數字產品的速度是這個國家在變化的一個跡象。但改變零售商與消費者力量制衡的電子商務卻直到中國人追求放心感的需求得到滿足才開始起步。即便交易是在線上安排的，多數消費也都是當面完成，購買者查驗產品并用現金付款。
就連數字化的自我表達也需要安全，需要匿名的掩護。新浪微博(中國版Twitter)、人人網和開心網(中國版Facebook)等社交網站迅速發展。但用戶卻躲在假身份和化名背后。我供職的智威湯遜廣告公司(J. Walter Thompson)與互聯網控股公司IAC所做的一項調查發現，不到三分之一的年輕美國人贊同“現實生活中不能說的不能做的我都可以在網上實現”這句話，41%的人不贊同。而在中國的受調查者中，73%的人贊同，只有9%不贊同。
各個社會經濟階層的中國人都在努力“贏”──也就是攀爬成功的階梯──他們都在適應著體制，而不是去對抗它。在中國人的消費文化中，一直存在著自我保護 和彰顯身份的矛盾。這種掙扎解釋了兩種貌似沖突的發展趨勢的存在：一方面，我們看到驚人的高儲蓄率、對物價的極度敏感和對信用卡支付利息的排斥；另一方面，中國人又癡迷于奢侈品，愿意花年收入1.2倍的錢買一輛車。
每天，中國人都面臨著被撕碎的社會安全保護網，保護個人財富制度的缺乏，被污染的食品，還有無數對家庭和健康構成的威脅。消費者通過物質展示來彰顯身份的 本能對保守的購買行為起到了平衡作用。保護自身利益是消費者考慮的首要因素。即便是高檔涂料也必須確認無毒才能展示顏色鮮艷的優點。無論是什么價位，安全是所有購車者主要考慮的因素。
要贏得中國的消費者，品牌需遵循三個規則。第一點也是最重要的，公開使用的產品，無論是直接公開還是間接公開，價格溢價都要比私下使用的產品高。領先的手機產品都是國際品牌。而家用電器領跑者則是廉價的國貨，比如TCL、長虹和小天鵝。根據英國零售商百安居(B&Q)的一項研究，中國中產階級平均只花1.5萬美元為一套1，000平方英尺(約92平方米)的毛坯房進行裝修。
購買奢侈品更多的是身份投資，而不是為了其本身的美觀或工藝。中國目前是世界胃口最大的奢侈品買家，把前往香港和巴黎等城市的出境游算上的話至少是這樣。據免稅購物公司Global Refund統計，在法國，占游客總數不到2%的中國游客消費了15%的奢侈品。（www.erdostxps.com）
Apple has taken China by storm. A Starbucks can be found on practically every major street corner in coastal cities and beyond. From Nike to Buick to Siemens, Chinese consumers actively prefer Western brands over their domestic competitors. The rise of microbloggers, the popularity of rock bands with names like Hutong Fist and Catcher in the Rye, and even the newfound popularity of Christmas all seem to point toward a growing Westernization。
But don't be deceived by appearances. Consumers in China aren't becoming "Western." They are increasingly modern and international, but they remain distinctly Chinese. If I've learned anything from my 20 years working as an advertising executive in China, it is that successful Western brands craft their message here to be "global," not "foreign"—so that they can become vessels of Chinese culture。
Understanding China's consumer culture is a good starting point for understanding the nation itself, as it races toward superpower status. Though the country's economy and society are evolving rapidly, the underlying cultural blueprint has remained more or less constant for thousands of years. China is a Confucian society, a quixotic combination of top-down patriarchy and bottom-up social mobility. Citizens are driven by an ever-present conflict between standing out and fitting in, between ambition and regimentation. In Chinese society, individuals have no identity apart from obligations to, and acknowledgment by, others. The clan and nation are the eternal pillars of identity. Western individualism—the idea of defining oneself independent of society—doesn't exist。
Various youth subtribes intermittently bubble to the surface—see the recent rise of "vegetable males" (Chinese metrosexuals) and "Taobao maniacs" (aficionados of the auction website Taobao). But self-expression is generally frowned upon, and societal acknowledgment is still tantamount to success. Liberal arts majors are considered inferior to graduates with engineering or accounting degrees. Few dare to see a psychologist for fear of losing "face"—the respect or deference of others—or being branded sick. Failure to have a child is a grave disappointment。
The speed with which China's citizens have embraced all things digital is one sign that things are in motion in the country. But e-commerce, which has changed the balance of power between retailers and consumers, didn't take off until the Chinese need for reassurance was satisfied. Even when transactions are arranged online, most purchases are completed in person, with shoppers examining the product and handing over their cash offline。
Even digital self-expression needs to be safe, cloaked in anonymity. Social networking sites such as Sina Weibo (a Chinese version of Twitter)， Renren and Kaixing Wang (Chinese versions of Facebook) have exploded. But users hide behind avatars and pseudonyms. A survey conducted by the advertising firm JWT, wher I work, and IAC, the Internet holding company, found that less than a third of young Americans agreed with the statement "I feel free to do and say things [online] I wouldn't do or say offline," and 41% disagreed. Among Chinese respondents, 73% agreed, and just 9% disagreed。
Chinese at all socioeconomic levels try to "win"—that is, climb the ladder of success—while working within the system, not against it. In Chinese consumer culture, there is a constant tension between self-protection and displaying status. This struggle explains the existence of two seemingly conflicting lines of development. On the one hand, we see stratospheric savings rates, extreme price sensitivity and aversion to credit-card interest payments. On the other, there is the Chinese fixation with luxury goods and a willingness to pay as much as 120% of one's yearly income for a car。
Every day, the Chinese confront shredded social safety nets, a lack of institutions that protect individual wealth, contaminated food products and myriad other risks to home and health. The instinct of consumers to project status through material display is counterbalanced by conservative buying behavior. Protective benefits are the primary consideration for consumers. Even high-end paints must establish their lack of toxicity before touting the virtues of colorful self-expression. Safety is a big concern for all car buyers, at either end of the price spectrum。
To win a following among Chinese buyers, brands have to follow three rules. First and most important, products that are consumed in public, directly or indirectly, command huge price premiums relative to goods used in private. The leading mobile phone brands are international. The leading household appliance brands, by contrast, are cheaply priced domestic makers such as TCL, Changhong and Little Swan. According to a study by the U.K.-based retailer B&Q, the average middle-class Chinese spends only $15,000 to fit out a completely bare 1,000-square-foot apartment。
Luxury items are desired more as status investments than for their inherent beauty or craftsmanship. The Chinese are now the world's most avid luxury shoppers, at least if trips abroad to cities like Hong Kong and Paris are taken into account. According to Global Refund, a company specializing in tax-free shopping for tourists, the Chinese account for 15% of all luxury items purchased in France but less than 2% of its visitors.
