BRANDishing your wealth.

“Artistic, wise, and enjoys a good life.”

That was the market segment my marketing professor asked to create 2 print ads for Abosolut Vodka.

Putting it simply, creating an Abosolut ad for “Apple-users”.
Just create an ad for the people who always brandish their Macbook’s in campus, posting their “Iphone-taken” photos on Facebook. Simple.

My local teammates stared at me with goo-goo eyes; “Who are Apple-users” is written all over their face. No locals in CityU campus carry Macbooks in campus. No Iphone’s, no Ipods. Mindblown.

Hong Kong teens, however, do know their stuff. I saw a couple at Stanley beach, wearing Silly Thing caps, Mastermind X Japan T-shirts, sporting Y-3 sneakers. If you still have doubts, go here: http://www.style-tips.com/hunting/.

Purchasing branded street-wear feels like pasting money on to your clothes. And it is.

Not everyone can afford to cough out $4000HKD per month to spend on clothes and accessories. A large portion of “normal” teens get their fix in Mong Kok or in Tsim Sha Tsui, getting unbranded items that look just as good.

“No $ lah,” my friend told me through MSN. The locals I talked to were very open to confess when something is too expensive to them. Be it food, fashion, or even opting out to buy textbooks.

Going frugal, however, does not mean appearing in lecture halls wearing pyjamas (like a certain Singaporean university). Stepping into City U alone feels like stepping into a Hip-hop dance performance. Hong Kong people tend to be very picky in how they are dressed.

The attractiveness of street-fashion is that it is easy to pick up. You can pick up cheaper alternatives, and how you look relies greatly on your own fashion sense. Not how fashion designer Mr. X in Milan deciding how you should look. And it is also easy to “top-up” with branded T-shirts and accessories.

Some say it is the availability of the boutiques in Hong Kong. Others say it is the close proximity to South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan: the “top hip areas” of Asia. Some even might attribute it to the “rebel” factor that Hong Kong teens have in their blood.

A definite factor would be the established street-fashion publications in Hong Kong. “Milk” is the one of the top magazines for anything hip in Hong Kong. It showcases the latest street wear, the most “IN” events, electronic products, and even toys. Most HK teens grew up reading these, wanting to be dressed like the next most hip thing. Advertorials done right.

Is this truly the impact of the media? Or could it just be the coincidence of taste and brand presence?