In 2013 3.5 million
Chinese couples filed for a divorce - an increase of 12.3% over the previous
year. The Chinese marriage is in a crisis and more and more Chinese are
choosing to part ways with their partners and live on their own. Of course many
more, particularly educated women (often referred to as shengnu - leftover
women or victorious women - depending on the character for "sheng"
and your point of view) are choosing not to cast their lot with anyone at all.
Similar statistics are hard to come by for the number of Chinese consumers who
divorce the brands they have been using, often after years of relationship.
However it is clear that the consumers' predilections in personal lives
are also reflected in their purchase behavior and brand choice. Chinese
purchase behavior is characterized by promiscuity and flirtatiousness, and
often resistant to settling down in a faithful and long lasting relationship.
What are the root causes of this Chinese detachment and is there a commonality
between what is causing the Chinese to shed their bonds with their partners and
with their brands?
Why do so many Chinese
marriages end up in a divorce? And do similar reasons prompt them to cast aside
the brands they were once in love with? Research shows that there are four main
reasons which prompt the Chinese couples to part ways.
First and foremost it is
an erosion of trust. It could be a lack of trust in the spouse's fidelity, or
financial conduct or the single-mindedness of the devotion. The brand marriage
is also rocked by a lack of trust. Chinese consumers are prompt in divorcing a
brand which they feel cannot be trusted - whether it is in terms of safety,
quality or honesty. Of special note here is the aspect of safety, where many
consumers feel let down by brands which offered products which could harm the
health of the consumers and their families.
The second cause of
marital discord and subsequent break-up is financial differences. Who should
pay the mortgage or the maintenance, where and how should the savings be
invested and who should command the household finances. Brand marriage is also
rocked by financial differences. Chinese consumers decide to divorce the brand
if they feel it is charging them too much and isn't really giving them a good
value for their money. Value assurance is perpetual challenge for brands and
they need to continuously monitor their perceived worth in the consumer mind.
Marriages also crumble
and the couple become distant when their interests and needs start diverging.
Brand marriages also crumble when the consumers' interests and needs change and
the brands are not able to adapt to the changing needs. Consumer needs are
evolving and becoming more sophisticated. Brands need to sharpen and
contemporize their proposition to keep up with these changes.
Finally marriages
flounder when the love starts to disappear and the relationship becomes a
functional dependency and loses the emotional bond which brought the couple
together. Couples keep their relationships vibrant and fresh by tender touches,
emotional gestures and meaningful communication. Brands in China also need to
learn to sustain the romance and keep the marriage healthy and long
lasting.
Managing consumer brand
relationships becomes so much easier when we try to understand them with the
metaphor of human relationships. Is your relationship with your consumers a
healthy and stable marriage or is it a marriage-on-the-rocks?
Written by Ashok Sethi
ashok.set@gmail.com
Ashok is the Managing Director for GfK Custom
Research in China
