How do brands achieve widespread recognition and become market leaders in China? Sam Hua and Nan Hua, Founders of Shanghai consultancy, Hua and Hua, recommend harnessing the power of ‘super signs’
Is there a form of creativity so powerful that it takes only one look and one listen for millions of consumers to remember it, know it, like it, be happy to buy it and even talk about it with other people? That’s what we call a ‘super sign’. Hua and Hua has worked to help Chinese brands leverage the power of super signs. It has worked with brands in every industry, helping them achieve widespread recognition and goodwill – in other words, to become leading brands in the market in China. This was done by using a system of ideas and practices we call the ‘Hua and Hua way’.
What is a super sign?
The three main functions of signs are representation, condensing information and directing action. Super signs are signs that are maximally effective at all three of these functions. They are strong and clear in their representation and condense information in the most powerful and accurate way imaginable.
A super sign is a hugely effective and commanding tool when it comes to influencing people’s actions, and it reaches the most people possible.
The goal of marketing communications is to engage with the thoughts and actions of consumers so that they purchase your product, and when you use a super sign, you can make the communication of your brand most efficient.
What makes a sign super?
There are two major categories of super signs: public signs and cultural signs. Examples of public signs include road signs, traffic lights and restroom signs. These are the most powerful signs in existence, because everybody knows, and obeys, them. Every day, people are exposed to these signs without thinking about why they are there and how they came about – they simply see them and obey.
Attempts to challenge these super signs can be disastrous. In China, there have been two attempts to change the meaning of the red traffic light. The first was during the country’s Cultural Revolution. Red was the colour of revolution, so leaders thought that it should represent ‘go’ instead of ‘stop’. The meanings of red and green were reversed but were then changed back quickly because of the chaos that ensued.
The second attempt was when new rules regarding yellow [or amber] lights were introduced in 2012. The new rules specified that, when the lights turn yellow, all vehicles that have passed the stopping line should continue forward to clear the intersection, but vehicles that have not yet reached the stopping line should stop. Drivers trying to beat yellow lights were fined and given penalty points on their licence. The new rules confused everyone and ultimately, ended up disappearing unceremoniously.
Cultural signs, meanwhile, are archetypal signs of human culture. For example, the boat-like shape of the gold ingot is a cultural sign for the Chinese.
The value of super signs
Super signs are immensely valuable in brand communications. They can change the brand preferences of consumers easily, and can drive large-scale purchasing behaviour within very short timeframes. They can also help new brands seem like old friends to millions of consumers overnight. They can do this because consumers already know and like the associated super sign.
Super signs are infused with the force of human culture and, when a brand is connected to a super sign, it too is infused with this force. There is a place for this brand deep in everyone’s mind. It’s similar to what happens in the film, Inception – your brand has been planted as an idea deep into people’s subconscious.
Using super signs can help organisations to find a place for their brand in the minds of consumers.
How Chubang Soy Sauce rose from obscurity to become a heavyweight national brand
A classic example of using a super sign to great success is Chubang Soy Sauce. A major factor in its success was the brand sign our company created, that was based on the green-checked pattern found on tablecloths. This sign was used in the packaging of all Chubang products, as well as for the corporate image of the company itself.
Consumers might not know Chubang, but everyone in China knows the green-checked pattern and what it stands for – dining tables, food and a good appetite.
In one fell swoop, this green-checked pattern allowed the Chubang brand to be identified and remembered, and its value conveyed. The consumer’s positive impression of the green-checked pattern is connected to the Chubang brand, shaping his or her brand preferences. Packaging is the most important form of media you have; it is the most crucial strategic tool for a brand.
How powerful was the brand’s packaging design?
The visibility of Chubang products was greatly increased by its packaging. The green-checked pattern made for an attention-grabbing product display, particularly at the 45-degree angle at which consumers see bottled products on shelves as they walk down a supermarket aisle. The sides of an entire row of Chubang Soy Sauce form a solid block of the green-checked pattern. This is part of the Hua and Hua way – the goal of packaging design is to establish an advantage in product display.
Brand preferences were also shaped instantly by the design. We have explained that a super sign can turn a new brand into an old friend for consumers. In this example, consumers found the green-checked pattern familiar and friendly, so they found the Chubang brand familiar and friendly as well.
In addition, the packaging was appealing. When you’re selling a food product, the packaging needs to stimulate the appetite. And what better way to do this than to use a sign that evokes a tablecloth?
How long has the green-checked pattern used by this brand been around in human history, and how long has it been associated with tablecloths?
The pattern itself has probably been around for tens of thousands of years. In terms of its association with tablecloths, we don’t know precisely, but it has certainly been a long time. What we do know is that the association is so widely spread across China that it’s practically universal, and that people react to the pattern in the same way. This is the force of the collective subconscious – super signs can be used to harness this and tap into human culture.
Sam Hua and Nan Hua are the Founders of Shanghai branding and strategy consultancy, Hua and Hua Marketing. They are the authors of Super Signs: Taking your brand to the ultimate level (LID Publishing, 2019).
