Mid-Autumn festival is near, meaning traditional eats are being prepared for mass consumption. Big brands have been known to get in on the action using the popular moon cake as an advertising medium. Starbucks presents its moon cakes simply branded while Hagen Dazs has had an ice-cream version and Nokia phone cakes.

Twitter has been inaccessible to most in China due to government censorship, preventing chatter around controversial events like the anniversary of Tiananmen back in June. There are ways of gaining access however, methods other than the use of proxy servers. Jason Zhanjia of in2marcom has spotted Twitter notebooks that bring the social network to the physical world. Twit, twat, or tweet away in 140 characters using pencil and paper.

via in2marcom

This is a repost from PSFK.

The LA Times has published an interesting gallery of images showing Beijing consumers using their local IKEA store as a space to relax and socialize. Beyond shopping, the store has become a destination for Saturday afternoon family outings, naps, and photo shoots.

Only with China’s recent economic growth have branded retail experiences become more common. For most Chinese the concept is still fairly foreign, making visiting these locations a form of entertainment.

[via LA Times]

Design, fashion, and lifestyle publication *Wallpaper put out a “Made in China” issue back in May. Using two pop up offices, one in Shanghai and one in Beijing, the company researched and produced content in country.

Our China special has literally been Made in China. We produced the content there, looking out from the country, not just looking in. It was an adventure that very few magazines would be able to embark on, and the result is a truer, deeper take on the forces driving China forward. It’s an issue our readers will devour.

Curated by New York’s Plus et plus a globetrotting exhibition of customized slipmats is making its way to Shanghai. The work of emerging Chinese artists will be presented for the first time in addition to that of many other international artists. Among the many included are 96k, Rubberpixy, and Yan Wei.

via neochaedge

To celebrate China’s 60th birthday Pepsi is launching a campaign called “The Resonance of China.” In the television commercial the traditional song 大中国 (literally: big China) is rocked out on stage in an effort to promote both the beverage and patriotism. Pepsi recently involved itself in American politics with its latest campaign and rebranding which by the looks of it has not rolled out in China.

via madisonboom

Early in 2009 Nike celebrated the grand opening of its TPE 6453 gallery, a showcase of the company’s latest technological advancements and freshest gear. Even more recently the location has been used to house Nike’s IAM1 Journey Exhibition, a promotion for their Air Max family. Artists like Alien, Ano, Phalanx Studios, and Hong Kong’s SILLY THING were invited to help out. Fashion blog Hypebeast took some time to interview the artists discussing their roles, inspiration, and favorite sneakers.

via hypebeast & sneakerfiles

Examples of creative work out of China often appear on the top Western advertising blogs. Here is the beginning of a mission to put it all in one place. Keep in mind that most of these are by transnational outposts such as Ogilvy and Wieden + Kennedy.

There will be more in this series so click here to subscribe and be notified when they are posted. Oh and you can click on any of the images for a closer look.

via adgoodness and ibelieveinadvertising

As you can see in the above E-trade spot some a lot of people are psyched about China. In 2008 Brand China came out through the Beijing Olympics and stirred up hype all over the planet. In the United States this is/was presented throughout the media from news, obviously, to Hollywood films and advertising. This post is the first of a series, China in American Media, which will present exactly that. First up, advertising spotted over the course of the past year or so. Videos after the jump.

SalesGenie.com Super Bowl Ad

This one sparked some controversy. Click here.

T-Mobile Spot Featuring Yao Ming, Charles Barkley

GE Health Care Reimagined

Click here for a previous post about this one.

Coca-Cola Expat

Calgon Water Softener Commercial from the 1970s

An oldie to compare today’s ads to.

Subscribe to Design Brand China by clicking here to be updated when the next part of the series is published. Stay tuned!

We’ve all seen or heard about the piracy and copyright violation going on in China, its not really anything new. Here is something that does stand out from the clutter of fake iPhones and DVDs, an entire street of fake brands including:

McDnoald’s
Watons
Bucksstar Coffee
Pizza Hutt

All of these lined up next door to each other in Nanjing. This could become a tourist trap…

via