No luxury on TV in China.

[mikedt]

China bans television ads for luxury goods | World | News | National Post

"The Chinese government has banned television and radio advertisements that promote expensive gifts as part of its campaign against corruption and excess.

Radio and television channels should fully exert their role of educating the people, carrying forward good Chinese traditions and civilised lifestyles, and taking the lead to implement the requirements of central authorities."

I don't wear a Rolex and I often ride a bicycle to school. So I must be living by "good Chinese traditions".

 

[breadnatty08]

Call me naive, but a) are there THAT many very wealthy people in China to begin with and b) are people who can afford those luxury goods that persuaded by TV ads?

 

[zuben el genub]

A lot of the shows have houses and sets that look like designer.

The last show I ever saw that looked like it was furnished from second hand was All in the Family.

Even catching parts of shows like the "Big Bang Theory" - the stuff is too clean, organized and whatever for a bunch of college kids.

Makes it look like they have a maid service which is a luxury.

I've also never seen a house of any kind, unless you have a 24/7 maid or a couple of read neat freaks where there isn't some kind of minor clutter in a kitchen.

You get a walk-through on some ads, and the houses look like the parade of homes in the commercial. The family is shown with a couple of kids. Doesn't look like the place is lived in.

 

[Bob Maxey]

Call me naive, but a) are there THAT many very wealthy people in China to begin with and b) are people who can afford those luxury goods that persuaded by TV ads?

According to Magazine 'O Forbes:


China now has more billionaires than any other country besides the United States, according to Forbes magazine.
There are a total of 64 people in that bracket in mainland China, the magazine says in its annual list of the world's richest people.

The figure is perhaps not surprising considering that China's economy has seen rapid growth over recent years.

China is set to overtake Japan as the world's second-biggest economy sometime this year.

According to Forbes, the world now has 1,011 billionaires."

BBC News - Number of Chinese billionaires 'second only to US'

 

[9to5cynic]

Being that I'm not in China, I don't have a strong opinion on this one way or the other, but it seems like a decent idea. Why promote excessive spending habits?

 

[MoodyBlues]

I kind of get the feeling China can't make up its mind about how it wants to be perceived.

 

[mikedt]

I kind of get the feeling China can't make up its mind about how it wants to be perceived.

I don't think China is particularly concerned about how it wants to be perceived overall. This is for The People.

 

[mikedt]

Call me naive, but a) are there THAT many very wealthy people in China to begin with and

China has a very significant and rapidly increasing nouveau riche population. Money gained by both honest and dishonest means, with corruption etc.

b) are people who can afford those luxury goods that persuaded by TV ads?

Wealthy Mainland Chinese can be very brand aware, with glamorous ads on TV, radio, printed media, billboards, etc. And are often not afraid to show their affluence as well, with blatant brand whoring, extravagance, etc.

I was trying to work out what exactly constitutes a luxury brand or product, that would have the ads banned. I can think of $20,000 Swiss wristwatches and expensive German cars straight away.
However since January I've not seen a single Apple ad on TV, and these used to be on daily on most channels. So I guess iPhones, iPads and Macs are included in the luxury product ads ban.

This is from a Beijing fashion blog. Not sure if true or not though.
http://www.stylites.net/2013/02/09/no-luxury-on-tv/
"Stocks in Swiss watch brands plummeted yesterday as the Chinese government “banned advertising for luxury brands”."

I know that they love expensive watches，And that China is probably Rolex's best and most lucrative market by far.


There's a few things changed in the last year or so here. Since Christmas I've noticed most people are now wearing seatbelts in cars, that never happened before. And there's been a huge clampdown on illegal and unlicensed motorcycles in the cities. On the other hand, there's supposed to be a smoking ban in restaurants, bars, and other indoor public places. Places will have "No Smoking" notices, but most will still smoke regardless and don't really care.