Countries, from the US to Japan, regularly accuse China of copying designs. Indeed, multinational companies in these countries spend an inordinate amount of time and money trying to prevent their products from being copied. But Shanzhai — “copycat” design — represents a vast business opportunity.
Shanzhai is an open platform for grassroots innovation: Apple, Nokia, and Samsung smartphones get copied, but the knockoffs adapt the original designs in ways that appeal to Chinese customers. Shanzhai designers might add a flashlight, key in areas with unstable electricity.
The effect is to make products accessible to common folks in terms of price, aesthetics, values, and needs. Shanzhai designs are an opportunity for international companies to introduce Chinese consumers to their brands, and then observe how local Chinese culture adapts their offerings.
How might companies harness learning by observing Shanzhai designs?
One of the key design principles of Shanzhai is to make the assets of the product stand out. Shanzhai is not about being subtle. It’s about bringing up the distinctive character of a product and accentuating it.
Of the population, “80-90% are unsophisticated consumers,” explains Wang, a Shanzhai mobile phone manufacturer. “When they buy a mobile phone, they want to see values that they can understand. They’ll not understand subtle design or complicated technology.”
Whether it’s a big camera lens or speakers attached to the phone, these consumers want focal points, because they are the “face” of products. Chinese consumers call this quality liangdian, or “shiny points,” in the design. These exaggerated features attract the attention of others and explicitly state that those are what consumers have paid money for. Products become valuable partly through the confirmation of one’s peers.
How might companies design for liangdian, or shiny points?
Li is saving money to buy a QQ, the Shanzhai version of the economical GM Sparkle. He plans to customize it with a “Mercedes emblem.”
“It’s the Mercedes of ordinary folks,” says Li with a laugh. “With this car I will be a true ‘successful businessman’ like my mom always brags to her fellow villagers!”
A young migrant worker with only a high school diploma, Li is doing well to have found a job as a clerk in Shenzhen, but he is nowhere near the popular image of the “successful businessman” who gets driven around in a Mercedes. QQ adds color to everyday life by making fun of ordinary people’s reality. It’s the grassroots humor of Shanzhai culture that attracts consumers like Lee — people who work hard, whose lives are improving, and who are optimistic about the future.
How might brands get closer to ordinary people by using their sense of humor?
“Lecture Hall” is a well-known program on CCTV, the biggest national television network in China. It features scholars discussing various topics, from history to literature to art. Han is a businessman with a strong interest in history. Through CCTV’s application procedure, Han expressed his interest in offering a series of talks about the Song Dynasty but was told he was not qualified because he is not a professor. So he decided to make a Shanzhai version of “Lecture Hall” in a simple studio he set up.
Han posted his video on the Internet, and within weeks, the show had been watched more than half a million times. This quintessentially Chinese story reveals the strong need for popular participation and local legitimacy.
How might we create a platform where ordinary people feel comfortable adding a bit of themselves to the product?
Made up of the characters shan (山, “mountain”) + zhai (寨, “fortress”), Shanzhai implies banditry and lack of state control. The phrase suggests the value that runs through Chinese classics like Water Margin, the story of bandits who helped the poor by stealing from the rich. In this Chinese version of Robin Hood, “right” and “wrong” are presented in an ambiguous light. In this respect, perhaps, Shanzhai questions legitimacy and authenticity of design and blurs the line between cultural appropriation and outright theft.
Nokia recognized how Shanzhai can help us learn about other cultures when it created a design competition in three communities far beyond China: Dharavi (Mumbai, India), Favela Jacarezinho (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), and Buduburam (Accra, Ghana). Nokia’s “temporary design studio” is about learning how people improvise, use, and conceptualize a device in the context of their own communities. The open studio provided an alternative way for people to articulate their wants and needs.
Shanzhai mobile phones have at least 2 SIM card slots. This may not be an award-winning design concept, but it effectively addresses the needs of Chinese users who often use an additional local number when they travel. Shanzhai is about implementing user needs in a short period of time. It runs on the spirit of “put it out there and see how it goes.” Production cycles are very short and quality may be compromised, but over time the product is improved and becomes more stable.
There are many Shanzhai stars in the Chinese media, but in contrast with Elvis impersonators in the West, they are quasi-legitimate. Some, like Andy Lau and Jay Chou, are considered quite successful in their own right and have been invited to perform at local events. Embracing Shanzhai has created a business opportunity for performers to utilize their lookalike asset and build authentic fame. These impersonators have value for being Shanzhai, rather than because they can impersonate famous stars.
Julietta Cheung
April 14, 2010
Makiko and Eddie:
I looked into the same phenomenon and would like to share it with you. Please see: <a href= “http://www.freeformideas.com/vitalobjects/2009/10/can-knock-off-products-help-situate-modernity-in-chinas-emergent-culture/#content” target=“_blank”>this link</a> to read my version of the same topic.
Thank you Barry Katz for pointing me to this study.
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Max
July 17, 2010
I have something to tell on the first point of this article, about ‘shiny spots’. I live in Kiev, Ukraine. Drivers here are very, very unconcious, and the accident rate is extremely high. And our road police has a stupid thing about the cameras. Instead of making them subtle and invisible, they put a huge sign 100 meters before every camera: “Attention, this section of the road is monitored by a camera”. This makes crazy drivers slow down for a bit while they are in camera sight, and hit is as soon as the second cam is behind. This is a detail in our city design that I could never understand.
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Denes
August 25, 2010
When it comes to this sort of city design, I believe cameras are installed with two very different goals in mind.
In one of the cases they obviously to spot speeders, create the evidence on spot and charge the driver.
In the other case they are merely a psychological reinforcements of the signs asking for a lower speed. A 50km/h sign is something perfectly neglected by the Ukrainians, but a camera (even a dummy) will make sure they drive slow around it.
This is especially commonly used around high accident rate areas, where the goal really is “just” to increase local safety there.
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Chris Sparshott
August 20, 2010
Patterns:
Everyone wants to make a difference.
Everyone is dissatisfied and any glimmer of satisfaction is grabbed and consumed.
The Sun and chicks are the only good things that are the colour yellow
The most successful people (in their own terms) are those who take responsibility
Design often represents the designers reality, Good design is empathic and aligns to consumers known needs, Great design delivers to the consumers unknown needs and creates delight
I have observed that success comes when you do the simple things well or do new things first (and well)
Over consumption is spawned in a place where there is a perceived absence of love
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WDT
February 14, 2011
High school diploma online
January 10, 2012
I have read a few of the articles on your website now, and I really like your style of blogging. I added it to my favorites blog site list and will be checking back soon.
Great information once again. I am looking forward for your next post.
You have a great blog here, I really love the way you write very simple and to the point. Keep your good work coming.
Your blog is very unique, I do practice this Thanks.
84 people agree with this comment
Paul
January 28, 2012
Jill Cobber
March 7, 2012
I’m looking for Copycat design. Can anyone please help me? I kinda worry but impressed to read that impression indeed. robin hood Thanks!
74 people agree with this comment
Hamberson andy
April 13, 2012
Thanks for excellent reading indeed. Sounds surprised me in the Copycat design issue bcoz it’s inspiration open platform for innovation. artist promotion tools Keep it up!
58 people agree with this comment
Phillip Smith
August 27, 2012
Copycat design isn’t free if I remember correctly, just google it and you’ll find it for packing crates sure.
47 people agree with this comment
nobelboy
November 7, 2012
There is so much that the students are able to get from this. I really love the work and the ideas here. Keep up the good work.
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30 people agree with this comment
Mike Ucles
May 8, 2013
If legitimate manufactures could harness this giant prototyping environment, then it seems much would be gained What an interesting way to look at Shanzhai or knock-offs. rasoir electrique homme
12 people agree with this comment
George Ules
May 15, 2013
I have observed that success comes when you do the simple things well or do new things first (and well) Top Eleven Hack
11 people agree with this comment
fred otes
June 2, 2013
Whether it’s a big camera lens or speakers attached to the phone, these consumers want focal points, because they are the “face” of products. cây tài lộc
0 people agree with this comment
denny kules
June 4, 2013
Shanzhai designs are an opportunity for international companies to introduce Chinese consumers to their brands barok spiegel
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June 7, 2013
Basic courses are ideal for employees who are relatively new to the role of credit controller as well as those who’ve had no formal training in collecting money from trade customers.
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June 7, 2013
Online clothing stores offer a variety of items for men, women, teens, children and infants that include everyday wear, sleepwear, outdoor clothing and accessories, business and business casual attire, evening wear and designer fashions.
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roger noxcles
June 14, 2013
It has to make a clear statement of what consumers have paid money for. Be bold and explicit about the value proposition of a product. calcium deficiency
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sally madsen
February 17, 2010
I love these examples! One compelling design challenge is to enable companies like Nokia and Samsung to learn from these grassroots innovations, and share the solutions with other markets.
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Woodear Z. Wang
February 24, 2010
Hi, Sally, ShanZhai is actually a perfect example about how to design for the BoP market (which I guess you are into) in China. Big companies do brainstorming in their design process, here, at grass root, people do prototype-storming…
It would be really interesting to compare Nokia 1100’s global success and MTK (a Taiwanese company which produces the motherboards)‘s success inside China. Do it yourself or create a platform and enable everyone at the grass root to make a fortune?
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