Luxury brand building in China: Eight case studies and eight lessons learned

Abstract

Today the Chinese luxury market stands at the beginning of a new era, which relies on some interrelated trends: As the Chinese government aims at increasing the country’s share of value added in the global production chain, the cultural and creative sector was elevated to a superior status in the national economy in their recent 5-year plan. This plan is thoroughly implemented, for instance, by the Shanghai Creative Industries Association, which actively sets up and supports creative industry spaces. As a result, China is shifting its economic orientation from low-end production to higher-end and creative industries — in other words, from capital-driven to innovation-driven and from ‘Made in China’ to ‘Designed in China’ (Wuwei, 2011).