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About
I started as an English teacher in the university and have come across interdisciplinary areas, editing and translating architecture monograph, serving the patrons in vegetarian bistro, while working in marketing agencies serving local and international brands on insights, design and strategy. Currently, a trend and culture spotter for luxury and premium brands.
My past years of “mass” mutation have empowered me to see the clarity in the complexity with a savvy sense of culture and trends and identify the patterns through connecting the dots to help brands defy the odds in this ever-changing business world.
City Observer: The Magical Scent of Autumn
I still remember vividly a moment from long ago, when I first started my career working on a coffee project, helping Suntory’s RTD coffee brand enter the Chinese market for the very first time. Our team head, a true maven in branding and consumer insight, leaned over and shared his thoughts with me quietly: “The first thing that attracts you, the thing you remember most when you step into a café, is the aroma from the coffee beans in the machine. Long before you are ever enti
gracemu1020
15 minutes ago3 min read
As the Economy Slows, China Turns Into a Paradise for the Frugal.
There is not nothing good about an economic slowdown or consumer downgrading. Yet after being bombarded with apocalyptic forecasts about China’s economy by major global think tanks over the past three years, Chinese people have finally learned how to find a small pothole to curl up in and make peace with this harsh reality. One unexpected boon of the slowdown is the incubation and mushrooming of warehouse-style discount stores that have crawled into every corner of the city.
gracemu1020
5 days ago2 min read
City Observer | France: The Best Place to Taste Authentic French Gastronomy? The Marché.
Like most people who have never set foot on the land of France before, I believed the best place to experience authentic French cuisine must be in a Michelin-star restaurant in Paris, or at least at a well-known Parisian table. Listening to My Life in France by Julia Child on the flight to Europe, I fantasized that I would have the best gastronomic experience of my life in Julia’s favorite city - Paris. However, the food in Paris was a disappointment for me. I deliberately c
gracemu1020
Nov 94 min read
Two Tales of Coffee: From Milano’s Rituals to Shanghai’s Innovation
Milan was my first stop in Europe, which left me with a lasting impression that a typical European day starts with a freshly brewed cup of coffee in the morning. I stayed in a charming attic loft in a lively neighborhood near Centrale. This community is brimming with small bistros, bakeries, and a fresh market where you can experience authentic local life. Across the street from the loft was a local bakery offering a cup of espresso or Americano for around €1.5 to €2, along w
gracemu1020
Nov 44 min read
Which Matters More for a Car Brand: Building Trust or Splurging on Technology?
Not long ago, I co-drove an engaging conversation with John Jörn Stech from The Auto Ethnographer on the dynamics of global car markets — exploring the trends and innovations driving the shift from conventional cars to EVs, and the resulting impact on global giants such as BMW Group, Mercedes-Benz AG, and Tesla. (If you haven’t listened to it yet, don’t miss it. Here is link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prXpu8f4Ovk ) Credit: Luciano Consolini After that thought-provoki
gracemu1020
Oct 152 min read
Trend, Culture & Brand Weekly: From “Virgin Hair” and China Chic to the Haven for Building the Next It Brands
During the past week, China celebrated the combined Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays, a rare pause that gave me time to...
gracemu1020
Oct 95 min read
What Can Brands Learn from K-pop Demon Hunters?
A Playbook for Achieving Global Influence In my previous weekly articles, I have repeatedly delved into the topic of China’s soft power...
gracemu1020
Oct 25 min read
What We Can Learn from Arc’teryx’s Fall from Grace
Recap Arc’teryx, the Canadian outdoor brand now controlled by China’s Anta Group, has been thrown into the rage of fire and may soon...
gracemu1020
Sep 253 min read
Trend, Culture, and Brand: The Compact Strategy for a Chaotic World
From compact solutions to future-proof strategies that never surrender agency to AI Part 3 In the previous parts, I elaborated on the...
gracemu1020
Sep 173 min read
Trend, Culture, and Brand - Part 2
Seeing clarity in chaos, building order from patterns Part 2: The Path to Clarity credit: The WanderingSoul from Behance Why focus on...
gracemu1020
Sep 92 min read
Trend, Culture, and Brand: Seeing Clarity in Truth, Building Order and System
Part 1 In my years as a marketing consultant, I have strived to provide solutions, constantly moving between insight, design, and...
gracemu1020
Sep 44 min read
“China Shock 3.0”: Is It Soft Power After EV, AI, Biotech?
The mythic magic behind the meteoric rise of Laopu Gold The term "China Shock," coined by economists David H. Autor, David Dorn, and...
gracemu1020
Aug 296 min read
City Observer: From Outsider To Insider
T he dazzling, the Haipai culture, and the hidden gems of Shanghai credit: Xiao Hongshu Last week, I came across a book at Sisyphe...
gracemu1020
Aug 216 min read
Behind The Burgeoning Chinese Nostalgia Sentiment: A New Zeitgeist For Our Time
When we talk about “the time of economic upswings 经济上行期”, what are we reminiscing collectively? Credit: Xiao Hongshu Nostalgia is a...
gracemu1020
Aug 135 min read
China's Instant Commerce War: A Global Playbook
How an Epic Clash is Rewriting the Global Future of Retail The ongoing intense competition in China's instant commerce market is not just...
gracemu1020
Aug 75 min read
Sam's Club's Product Predicament: A Wake-Up Call for Global Brands in China
For the truly savvy global brands, there's a palpable void waiting to be filled, an opportunity to capture the discerning hearts and...
gracemu1020
Jul 295 min read
Decoding "Pride and Prejudice": Beyond the Romance
The Overlooked Nuances: Mrs. Bennet's Nerves, Charlotte's Room, and Mr. Darcy's Reticence I recently started binge-watching "Too Much,"...
gracemu1020
Jul 235 min read
Ne Zha 2 vs. Elio: When Cultures Meet on Screen
Will this be "when East meets West, they never understand each other "? What have we learned from transporting narratives rooted in one...
gracemu1020
Jul 154 min read
Beyond Guochao: How China’s Second Cultural Wave Is Reshaping Global Branding
From Labubu, vertical dramas, to century egg, Chinese cultural exports are moving fast, and brands going global must rethink how to build...
gracemu1020
Jul 95 min read
“The Louis”: Sailing Us Toward the Future of Branding
The future of branding will be built on culture, entertainment, and even imagination A cruise ship named The Louis — in fact, a...
gracemu1020
Jul 14 min read
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