Jenny Bai: Joining US & China Youth Pop Culture Markets

Jenny Bai wasn’t at Barcamp Shanghai 2009 to present a product or a company but rather a topic for discussion: How do we “brand” China and create a cross-border youth market?

According to Jenny, China doesn’t have a “cool factor” in the United States, despite often being in the news. It is stuck at a “niche” level, dominated by business, teaching English, and Chinese language learning because these are still the predominant reasons for why people come to China. People don’t come to China because it is “cool,” but rather because something needs to be done here. So, Jenny asks, how do we create buzz for China?

We need to “brand” China, she says. As one member of the audience later said, the current China “brand” is essentially all the “negative news” about China. By “branding” China, Jenny seems to be mean that we need uncover and deliver China’s “cool” to outside audiences. Toward this end, Jenny wants to tap into Chinese pop culture, and bridge it with the pop culture elsewhere, specifically the United States and thus create a “cross-border youth market.”  Yet, while this is where she says it must start, she believes pop culture is often in its own bubble, thus necessitating a “disruptive” force. This force needs to active and not passive, like merely importing a pop star and holding concerts. By active, she wants “engagement” from both sides.

This engagement, Jenny believes, will involve a lot of technology and creative ideas. One idea? Launching a virtual event such as a “ridiculously viral competition, something ridiculous but hasn’t been done before” between the youth in China and the United States. She’d keep the competitors amongst their own initially, “where they are most comfortable”, and then presumably bring them together. How? One way would be to record these competitions and allow both sides to watch each other over the internet.

In discussion with the audience, Jenny agreed that language is a major barrier and therefore believes it needs to be “visual”, also agreeing with audience members who suggested art, fashion, “looks”, etc. Music too could work. For Jenny, the “cool” in China already exists in its people, but it is a question of bringing it out, building the community around it, and ostensibly integrating that “cool” into a cross-border consciousness.

Some more interesting feedback from the audience:

• Japan seems to have more “cachet” than China. Why is this? Is it because Americans and American companies have appropriated Japanese concepts (ex. Gwen Stefani)? Can we export Chinese concepts to America?
• Maybe China isn’t interested in exporting its culture (pop or otherwise)?
• Pop culture takes time to develop, building upon layers of itself. Is there Chinese pop culture to export at all?
• Should we let it develop and evolve without the intercultural aspects Jenny suggests?
• There is innovation in China,  but how do we make it “cool” to Americans? What is it about China that we can brand, export, sell to America?

5 Responses to “Jenny Bai: Joining US & China Youth Pop Culture Markets”

1. NN says:

   June 26, 2009 at 6:21 am

   My dear,

   No offense to you but in my mind and the mind of million others – China has already made an impression – as people who skin, bludgeon, and boil live dogs to feed an entire dog-eating nation.

   Do you the youth of China dare change this?? Can you help make the diference. China can make no good impression on anyone who watches this video or the pictures.

   You cannot be fashionable and so cruel!!

   http://aspcacommunity.ning.com/group/helpinganimals/forum/topics/please-please-sign-this

   God bless you if you can do anything to help those poor animals

   NN

   Reply
2. 美花 says:

   September 2, 2009 at 5:24 pm

   How do I get in touch with this girl? I want to help from the US side!!!

   Reply
3. Yang says:

   December 29, 2009 at 7:38 pm

   Dude,
   I love China so much.
   I know this is.. somewhat paradoxical.
   But if people just went to China they’d want to go even more. Like, I hated Chinese when I started learning it in school. But then I went to China last year and it’s all I think about. Like, China is definitely cool. Eh.

   Reply

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