The comparison between peak Madison Avenue mascots and modern Chinese advertising is such a smart lens for looking at cultural shifts in consumerism. Its fascinating how these antropomorphic characters carry diferent weight depending on the economic moment. I spent time in Shenzhen a few years back and was struck by how joyful the packaging felt compared to the more muted minimalism taking over Western shelves.
I love this post and I know Jonah will as well. I think I recognized Qoo from the one fermenting in our pantry. Thanks for the images, they made my day!
A while ago my son in law, a writer, was working at the Dow. My mother and I switched our cleaning products to those cute scrubby bubbles 🫧 One day he was talking about the 📈 stock market and I asked how he knew so much about it. He answered, “I write for them.” So, my daughter had left off one word, Jones. Meanwhile, I had assumed Chemical.
What a strange cultural adaptation! Great article.
Thanks! This is one of those instances of I got obsessed and just couldn’t stop taking pictures.
The comparison between peak Madison Avenue mascots and modern Chinese advertising is such a smart lens for looking at cultural shifts in consumerism. Its fascinating how these antropomorphic characters carry diferent weight depending on the economic moment. I spent time in Shenzhen a few years back and was struck by how joyful the packaging felt compared to the more muted minimalism taking over Western shelves.
Yeah, I was struck by the joy. Even the ones that are supposed to look angry and intimidating do it with a kind of glee.
I love this post and I know Jonah will as well. I think I recognized Qoo from the one fermenting in our pantry. Thanks for the images, they made my day!
Let me know what Jonah thinks! If this can give him a little bit of joy, my work here is done.
A while ago my son in law, a writer, was working at the Dow. My mother and I switched our cleaning products to those cute scrubby bubbles 🫧 One day he was talking about the 📈 stock market and I asked how he knew so much about it. He answered, “I write for them.” So, my daughter had left off one word, Jones. Meanwhile, I had assumed Chemical.
Enjoyed your walk down memory lane.
This is a great story.