Here is something that can be held close to the China-melamine issue. As you all know, more countries are being enticed to buy local and avoid the Chinese products. One glaring note you will find in such products is the existence of Chinese characters in the labeling of the packaging.

Some companies cannot take it out unless you are solely distributing it to your native land. Exclusive distribution is something that can help solve this issue. But others are hesitant to make it an investment, caring less of the impact of foreign characters in the packaging.

Take the case of this Chin Chin Black Gulaman. As a product it is a hit in places like Canada and the Philippines. However, people today are apprehensive because it is manufactured in Taiwan. Taiwan is far off from China but overall, they stick as the same for most consumers.

So how do you remedy it? Well you can either risk the exclusive distribution of the product or risk being ignored by the consumer until those Chinese characters are taken out. Leaving it at that not only points you towards potential product disaster but eventual waste of product development as well.

Brian Yalung is an Editor at Talent Zoo mainly contributing to latest news and issues on advertising and marketing. He is the editor for Beyond Madison Avenue and Beneath the Brand Blogs of Talent Zoo.

Article Tags: Branding | labeling | product placements
Filed under: Advertising, Brand Management, Branding, Marketing Trends, Product Sampling, Word of Mouth Marketing