Monthly Archives: June 2020

Why Does Beijing Allow Chinese Exporters To Sell Goods Within the Border?

Unusual times call for Unusual measures. After being battered by COVID-19 since late January, China is quickly adapting to a new normal. Chinese local governments are now hosting shopping festivals, officials are attending livestreaming sessions to drive sales of merchants and are also championing “street stall economy” despite it being previously against city regulations. This […]

How Will L’Oréal’s Elimination of “Whitening” From Skincare Products Impact Its Chinese Beauty Market?

The French cosmetic giant L’Oréal announced they will be removing words like “whitening” and “lightening” from all their skin care products. The move comes on the heels of a backlash that a number of beauty brands received for their skin lightening products amidst ongoing protests for racial equality. Another global cosmetic giant, Uniliver, has already […]

A New Crackdown on Livestreaming Content

This post originally appeared on Content Commerce Insider, our sister publication on branded entertainment. On Tuesday, June 23, the Cyberspace Administration of China named ten livestreaming platforms for disseminating “vulgar content” and directed local authorities to take punitive action against them, including freezing content uploads, suspending the registration of new users, and blacklisting offending livestream hosts. Among […]

The Clock Is Ticking For Luxury Brands Post-COVID-19

We are living in an ever-accelerating business world, and that applies to brands, competitors, technology shifts, consumer preferences, insights, and demands. Yet many brands are not prepared to address these challenges, and roughly half of them will simply vanish over the next few years. Complacency and underestimating the growing speed of changing consumer perception left […]

Op Ed: Is CSR The Key To Surviving COVID-19?

Pre-COVID-19, it seemed like the global business community was starting to engage in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The market was witnessing a flow of investments into environmental and Social & Governance (ESG)-themed funds. Then, in August, The Business Roundtable famously announced a new Statement of Purpose of a Corporation, which was signed by 181 CEOs, […]

In China, Body Positivity Still Wrestles With The Skinny Aesthetic

The hashtag #TestIfYouCanRockTheBMStyle, along with a picture named “BM Girls’ Ideal Weight Chart,” have taken the Chinese Internet by storm, even sparking controversy on Facebook. “BM” is short for Brandy Melville, an Italian clothing brand targeting teenage girls and young women. The look — consisting of crop tops, tank tops and skirts — was popularized […]