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Chinese Brands Strike a Pose in Hollywood Films



Battling an austerity campaign at home, one high-end Chinese liquor brand is turning to another venue to boost growth: Hollywood.



Jiannanchun, a liquor known for its potent alcohol levels and distinct odor, makes an appearance in the latest sequel to Sony's “Amazing Spider-Man,” which is currently in theaters from the U.S. to China.



In the film, during a scene in which Spider-Man saves crowds from the villain, the brand's distinct red bottle and Chinese logo are prominently displayed on a large billboard in New York City's Times Square. It isn’t clear how much the company paid for the placement, although insiders estimated to China Real Time the price tag was likely more than 100 million yuan ($16 million).



This isn't the first time a Chinese brand has attracted attention by appearing in a Hollywood blockbuster. In 2009, a billboard ad for Chinese clothing retailer Meters/bonwe similarly appeared in Paramount's “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.” Likewise, in the sequel to the movie, an actor holds up a bottle of Yili milk, China's leading dairy brand.



Sirena Liu, president of a Beijing-based marketing firm that arranged these two product placements, said product placement in Hollywood films is becoming a popular form of marketing for Chinese companies.



“Appearing in Hollywood films can enhance a brand's awareness among local audiences, making the local brand look more high-end and cool,” Ms. Liu said.



The price tag is also tempting, she said, since the cost for a simple product placement in a Hollywood film is about the same as it would for a major domestic movie, usually in the “millions of yuan.”



Yili's appearance in the film certainly seemed to be a boon. The company attributes much of a 40% on-year increase of the drink featured in the movie to the product placement, according to a statement on its website.



And with strong demand in the world's second-largest film market, industry insiders predict even more appearances of this kind.



“American filmmakers are trying to attract local attention in China,” said Annie Li, president of a Beijing-based communications compay. “The American side is more willing to listen to Chinese companies’ opinions than before.”



Ms. Li, whose company helps clients facilitate product placements in Hollywood movies, said Chinese companies are rushing to get their products on the big screen. Her company recently was in charge of helping Zhouheiya—a local fast-food chain that serves duck that she said wants to promote itself as a kind of Chinese KFC or McDonald's—make it into the upcoming fourth installment of “Transformers.”



“Zhouheiya always wanted to be promoted as a high-end product,” she said.



Although it's hard to tell whether Jiannanchun's pricey marketing will pay off, it seems it has already attracted some eyeballs.



“The most impressive part in the movie for me is the ad of Jiannanchun at Times Square and Spider-Man's perfectly fitting outfit,” wrote one user on Weibo.



But China's myriad food-safety issues may prevent brands back from inking deals with Hollywood studios. Ms. Liu said after China suffered from several tainted-milk scandals in recent years, one leading American studio told her it would no longer cooperate with Chinese dairy or infant products.



– Lilian Lin.

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