DAY 6 – Smith Students Learn about Advertising and Retail in Shanghai, China

By: Ja’Nel Edens, MBA Candidate 2018 

Leo Burnett

From Leo Burnett’s view, creativity has the power to change people’s behavior. Smith students took a deep dive into understanding local consumer behavior with a meeting at Leo Burnett, an American advertising company which launched in Shanghai in 1994.

For China, consumption is the new norm and there is growth in the life-quality enhancement categories such as personal image, travel, entertainment and lifestyle. During our visit, we examined advertising within the beverage industry in China and discussed the successes and failures beverage campaigns. An interesting insight shared was that advertisers often face challenges with determining how to charge a premium for similar drinks and redefine beverage categories while trying to stand out at the same time.

Toward the end our visit we got to taste a popular drink in China which included a variety of flavors such as green tea, orange tea and lemon ice tea.

“I liked this visit the best and truly enjoyed learning more about Leo Burnett’s business approach. It was interesting to learn about their many campaigns especially the #LikeAGirl campaign in which it is questioned when did ‘like a girl’ become an insult. I think this company delivers powerful messages, and I respected the principles I learned about.” Nisha Baxi

Florentia Village

Our final stop for the day was at Florentia Village where students got a sweet taste of Italy. Florentia village brings luxury retail to the middle of Shanghai with a twist – destination shopping. The name of the establishment hints that a different experience is to be expected. Standing as a retail outlet mall, the village mimics ancient Roman style architecture and delivers an overall European atmosphere surrounding brand-name stores and family friendly spaces.