Liuyanghe gets creative as it markets liquor

As a pioneer in cultural marketing, the Hunan-based Liuyanghe Liquor Industry Co is drawing on the traditional Chinese arts of painting and calligraphy to promote its products.

On Sept 21, the company unveiled its new product - the classical white and blue porcelain series. The liquor bottle is inspired by the shape and design of traditional Chinese porcelain, and it features inscriptions by Wang Deshui, a top name among contemporary Chinese painters and calligraphers.

Born in 1954 in East China's Shaoxing city, Zhejiang province, Wang is the descendant of one of the nation's greatest calligraphers - Wang Xizhi of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420).

The company has also used other cultural elements, such as sports and music and combined them with its promotional strategies. It has sponsored theme concerts and evening galas with world-class singers, and it was China's first liquor manufacturer to invite Olympic champions to endorse its products.

Xu Xianzhong, general manager of Hunan Zhongshang Liuyanghe Liquor Marketing Co, said the development of Chinese liquors has gone through different eras -- from production in small family workshops to manufacturing in industrialized plants. The industry has also shifted from an era of advertising to the promotion of high culture.

"The consumers have changed a lot in their thinking," he said. "They tend to pursue a more emotional life and commodities that can meet their cultural demands.

"In this age of culture, what people drink is actually culture, and what we sell is culture, too."

The classical white and blue porcelain series liquor is targeted at high-end consumers, and so the brand-building and marketing strategies have highlighted an elite and elegant culture. By combining the liquor with traditional painting and calligraphy, the company aims to "add some cultural aspects and increase the value of the products", Xu said.

Liquor has been regarded as the spirit of painting and calligraphy since the time of Wang Xizhi because it has always brought inspiration to artists.

"The tie between art and liquor is not just a coincidence," said Wang Deshui. "They create a perfect harmony of humanity and power in the mind."

Hunan Zhongshang Group has built an International Wine City in Liuyang with a production capacity of 100,000 tons of liquor a year, and it expects annual output value to total 5 billion yuan ($802.5 million). In addition to liquor manufacturing facilities, there is also an exhibition center, a liquor and wine museum, and a theater.

Contact the writers at fengzhiwei@chinadaily.com.cn and zhangzhao@chinadaily.com.cn.

(China Daily 12/19/2012 page24)