2022 Global Branding Strategy & Fashion Industry White Paper: the Commercial Value of Culture from a Global Strategy Perspective

The CEIBS-Shui On Global Branding Strategy & Fashion Industry Research Fund initiated a research project on cultural consumption among young people in collaboration with China Youthology, a consulting firm that digs deeper into Chinese youth and youth culture from a sociological and anthropological perspective. We have conducted research at both the societal and individual levels. At a societal level, changes in consumer perceptions and behaviors should be accounted for by values and self-identity in the context of social relations. At the individual level, we have tracked the evolution of individualization across generations to analyze how young people’s values have changed in the post-COVID era.
To provide a wide range of perspectives in our qualitative research on youth anxieties and expectations, we have conducted in-depth interviews with five experts in urban culture, art curation, and brand culture, in addition to 16 consumers. To test the validity of our qualitative research hypothesis, we have conducted an online survey covering 1,000 people nationwide.
Our research sheds light on young people’s three primary needs for cultural consumption: an “inspiring”, “immersive”, and “empathic” consumer experience.