On 24 May, UIC welcomed Dr Du Yuping, a distinguished professor from Guangdong University of Foreign Studies (GDUFS), to deliver a lecture on Integrated Marketing Communication and Brand Equity Creation. Over 80 students joined and shared ideas as Dr Du led them through her vast knowledge and experience across the world of brands.
Dr Du talks about her experiences
Sharing her academic and industrial experience, Dr Du briefly talked about the changes and importance of global marketing communication and brand equity building.
Then, she further explained and evaluated the application of Integrated Marketing Communication, showing how brand building is an indispensable step for companies that would like to win both domestic and overseas markets. After introducing several communication models, Dr Du offered an in-depth explanation of how consumer insights are discovered and brand equity is built by studying how consumers receive, interpret, and respond to information. “A brand can’t just have market share, it must first have share of heart and share of mind. If the consumer doesn’t love the brand, it will not succeed.”
Dr Du brought real-world examples to her lecture, adding a unique context of Chinese culture, based on her scholarship and knowledge of Chinese history, culture, and communication. Time ran out in the Q&A session of her lecture, a good indication of the impact her words had on UIC students.
Students engaged in the lecture
Notably, during the Q&A session, a student raised the popular question facing Chinese companies today, that of the challenges faced in entering overseas markets and building authentically global brands. Dr Du deemed that Chinese companies still have many obstacles to overcome as China shifts from a manufacturing-centric society to a consumer-centric society, something she believes will be solved by companies seriously considering sophisticated methods of creating brand positioning.
Public Relations and Advertising (PRA) Assistant Professor, Dr Renata Wojtczak, commented during the Q&A session on her home country of Poland being an example of a potential overseas market for Chinese brands. From Dr Wojtczak’s point of view, it’s not that Polish consumers and Chinese companies can’t get together to have trade, it is that they first must find ways to get to know each other through other cooperative efforts. “Poland has one foot in the west, and one foot in the east. Our trading status should grow quickly, and we can learn from each other easily," said Dr Wojtczak.
This thought-provoking lecture given by Dr Du inspired students to learn more, with many staying after the lecture to engage in further discussion. In closing, PRA Associate Professor, Prof James Ebel expressed his gratitude to Dr Du, and a representative of the Year Three PRA class presented a gift of appreciation.
(Back) Prof James Ebel; (Front) Dr Kelly Lau, Dr Li Kang, Dr Richard Xu, Dr Du Yuping, student representative, Dr Renata Wojtczak
(from DHSS)
Editor: Samantha Burns (MPRO)
