Naming and branding in China: anatomy of a Chinese brand

Labbrand, a leading Chinese global branding consultancy, published an article about the brand naming done for Haribo, the German confectionery giant.  For those unfamiliar with the brand, Haribo is the world's first manufacturer of gummy candies, the iconic gummy bears that inspired all gummy treats that followed worldwide. I have been a fan of Haribo since I was very young and I learned about how Labbrand adapted the Haribo brand name to the Chinese market. In this article, you will discover Labbrand's labour, along with my own commentary throughout.

Since 2012, Labbrand has worked closely with Haribo to register and create more than 20 names for its brands and products, as well as the brand's slogan and advertising jingle.  The Chinese names 萌桃仔 [méng táo zǎi] for the Peaches, 趣缤纷 [qù bīn fēn] for the Super Mix and 甜莓狂想 [tián méi kuáng xiǎng] for the Berry Dream products were part of the brand's first innovations.

Take special notice to the verbs used in the following sentence: Haribo's Chinese brand names have not only been created but also registered. Creating a brand without protecting it would not make any sense. As I explained in an article published in 2015, "If you care about your brand in China, it’s not enough just to register your English-language brand. You also should select a Chinese name and register that as a trademark in China as well. Otherwise, you will forfeit not only the right to use your Chinese brand name, but the ability to choose it in the first place."  See Don’t Be Like Mike: Register Your Trademarks In CHINESE.

After a quick check in the China Trademark Office (CTMO) database, I am relieved to find that all the brands we have talked about earlier have already been registered. (Otherwise, it would have been a very short blog!)

The three new projects launched are:

Peaches, a two-toned gummy candy sprinkled with sugar and is peach-flavoured.  The Chinese name 萌桃仔 [méng táo zǎi] (cute/peach/young) personifies the peaches as small cute creatures by adding 仔 [zǎi] at the end. Derived from internet slang, 萌 [méng] conveys the sense of cute and adorable.

Super Mix, a mix of fruit gummy candies.  The name 趣缤纷 [qù bīn fēn] (interesting/colourful) links pleasure and joy by translating the concept of ‘mix’.
Berry Dream, a collection of berry-flavoured candies.  The unique and striking Chinese name 甜莓狂想 [tián méi kuáng xiǎng] (sweet/berry/fantasy) arouses curiosity and imagination, perfectly matching the characteristics of the brand and its products.
I will not comment on these brand names, but will only point out that they are well-chosen combinations of characters and literal translations, charged with positive and appropriate connotations. This is where the interest in working with professionals with expertise in brand strategy lies.  Sometimes, clients come to us with a Chinese name taken from Google Translate and ask for our opinion. I am a lawyer and not a brand image specialist. However, you don't need to be a specialist to know when a machine translation doesn't work, which is quite often.

Apart from product names, Labbrand also adapted Haribo's slogan,“Kids and grown-ups love it so – the happy world of Haribo,” to allow the brand to communicate better with the Chinese public.  The Chinese version of slogan “大人小孩都说好, 快乐品尝哈瑞宝 [dà rén xiǎo hái dōu shuō hǎo, kuài lè pǐn cháng hā ruì bǎo]” could be translated as “Grown-ups and kids all say it’s good, and happily enjoy Haribo.” This adapted slogan is direct, rhythmic and easy to remember. The structure has two parts and each ends with the same rhyme [ǎo], forming a melodic, attractive and unforgettable slogan. The Chinese slogan, easy to remember, remains faithful to the original slogan.

I find it strange that Labbrand worked so hard to capture the rhythm and meaning of the original slogan: “Kids and grown-ups love it so – the happy world of HARIBO.” I always found it a bit clumsy and assumed it was the result of a translation into German that over decades had become something memorable, even beautiful. This is what a tremendously successful product can do: turn something tacky into something wonderful.

Sometimes the best brands are those created by chance. Haribo was founded by Hans Riegel in Bonn, Germany in 1920, and the brand name is simply an acronym created with the first two letters of HAns, RIegel, and BOnn. Now, Haribo is an internationally famous brand, with trademark registrations in numerous classes worldwide.

One last comment:  the official Chinese name for “Haribo” has a similar consonance “哈瑞宝” (hā ruì bǎo).  Haribo was duly registered as a brand name in China, but it also registered a few Chinese-sounding brand names with similar consonance, including 嗨乐宝, 哈莱宝, and 好乐纷. Not because Haribo wants to use those brands later but because it wants to prevent an infringer from doing so. Sometimes the best offence is a good defence. See “China Trademarks, Brand Names, Copycats, and Soundalikes.”