Samsung Sponsors Chinese Cultural Events Amid Intense Localization Campaign

Success Of Samsung-Sponsored Play “Dream Flower” May Encourage More Global Companies To Invest In Arts

"Dream Flower," sponsored by Samsung, played in Beijing from June 4-6

Earlier this year, Jing Daily looked at the phenomenon of major companies sponsoring art exhibitions and cultural activities in China, looking at recent arts-business partnerships like the Ullens Center for Chinese Art and Minsheng Bank and Deutsche Bank’s sponsorship of the recent Hong Kong International Art Fair (ART HK10). For companies — particularly foreign names looking to make a name for themselves among Chinese consumers or domestic upstarts looking for third-party validation — strategic investment in the arts is worth its weight in good PR.

This week, Samsung became the latest company to sponsor a large-scale cultural event in China, lending its name to the production of the opera “Dream Flower” (梦里落花) at Beijing’s National Center for Performing Arts. The timing of this sponsorship, however, is what really takes this story from the sort-of-interesting to the fascinating, since — according to an interview with Samsung Marketing President Jin Rongxia (Korean name transliterated to 金荣夏 in Chinese-language articles) — it is all part of a more intensive, sustained push on the part of Samsung to localize its products by imbuing them with Chinese cultural elements.

From the interview with Jin, via 163.com (translation by Jing Daily team):

Interviewer: Why did Samsung decide to sponsor the production of ["Dream Flower"]? “Dream Flower” is a work that’s filled with the essence of ancient Chinese literature. We can say it’s “very China.” As a Korean company, is there any particular reason why Samsung chose this play?

Jin Rongxia: Samsung Electronics has been deeply involved with Chinese cultural and sporting events for a long time, from the Beijing Olympics, Paralympic games and torch relay to the preservation of cultural relics from the Silk Road. Samsung has always poured its great enthusiasm into these events, not only due to our love and support for art but also out of our identification with and respect for Chinese culture.

As you said, “Dream Flower” is “very China.” It displays a thriving vitality and is infused with Chinese culture, and it coincides with Samsung’s pursuit of a “China Disposition” (中国气质) strategy, in which the design of many of our products pulls inspiration from traditional Chinese culture.

Jin goes on to say that Samsung intends to take “Dream Flower” — which wrapped in Beijing on June 6, to more domestic Chinese audiences in Shanghai, Wuhan and Guangzhou over the course of the year as part of its ongoing cultural sponsorship program. All very interesting, but what we were intrigued by in Jin’s interview was his mention of Samsung’s so-called “China Disposition” strategy, since we’re suckers for a good localization story.

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