Why do many Chinese advertisements prefer foreigners?

According to surging news reports, an American media article describes the experience of a foreign actor in Shanghai. Stephen Wades, the first time he was asked to audition, also taught literature and advertising in Shanghai, and he thought it might be possible to make some extra money by advertising, but after that, the invitation to advertise was followed. White-skinned, blue-eyed, tall, he met the Advertiser's most demanding requirements. "Since then, he quickly discovered the law," early on, almost all role-setting are foreign experts. "So I always wear lab coats and glasses and stay in the lab or design room." "Even when he was filming underwear commercials, he was a foreign expert," I thought I was going to wear their underwear, but they said, no no no, your image is the scientist who invented the fabric. ”

Tom Doctoroff, CEO of JWT JWT Advertising company in Greater China, said this kind of "expert appraisal" is due to the demand for security from Chinese consumers. "The Chinese lack security. "So some of the less famous local brands will use foreign actors in white coats to create a sense of trustworthiness and create a semblance of scientific progress." Some people go to town for the first time, buy a house for the first time, need to buy household cleaning supplies for the first, these are emerging consumers, they always need more detailed protection than the old customers.

"Fashionable goods also like to look for the European and American endorsement, such ads often need to throw a daughter, to strengthen its international image and status, the Chinese people are very good this." "Doctoroff said.

Sara Shen, who specializes in the selection of advertising actors in the United States, says there is so much demand for foreign actors that she even lets American-nationality husbands take part in advertising. One of his recent commercials was dancing in the kitchen with a group of grandmothers and a bottle of edible oil. In another job, Shen wants to find 120 foreigners. The only requirement is "short enough" because they are going to act as porters in a fashion show.

But as the consumer evolves, the foreigner gradually loses his market in the advertisement. "When I first started working, middle-aged foreign men who used to play foreign experts were very popular," he said. But maybe Chinese people are more confident of themselves, so there are many bosses who prefer to endorse their own products.

Now Shen's half of the customers are foreign brands, in order to attract Chinese consumers. She is now looking for mixed-race Chinese and Caucasian actors, just like her 4-year-old daughter, Lena (Reina). Recently, Lena and a Russian model, who played her mother, took a watch ad for a magazine, and Shen believed that the mixed-race of the Reina was red because her hybrid reflected the rising status of Chinese urban consumers and the increasingly cosmopolitan character.

Whether the real Yang or casually looking for the masses of actors, everyone's consumption awareness has begun to slowly awaken, the foreigner endorsement is no longer so popular.