中国品牌成也网络败也网络

 　With 420 million people now online, the Internet can make or break a brand in China, according to the report by Roland Berger Strategy Consultants¹ July 19, as far more people use the web to help decide what to buy than in the west。

　　Online buzz has the power to build up - or significantly damage- a brand very quickly. Chinese people are sharing their opinions and experiences about brands by the millions on online bulletin board services and local social media channels. Around 13 million consumer comments, for example, are published every month on automobile² bulletin boards alone。

　　"Proportionally, Chinese consumers rely on the Internet in making purchase decisions much more than their counterparts in the West," said Charles Edouard Bouée, Roland Berger's Asia President. Almost 60 percent of Internet users in China said that consumer review sites, as well as discussion forums³ and blogs, influence their purchasing decisions, compared with less than 20 percent in the US。

　　But it's not just talk, according to the report. Consumers are organizing themselves for group purchasing discounts and even online and offline "protests"。

　　"The Internet aspect in China represents both an opportunity and a challenge," said Alain Lecouedic, a partner in the consultancy firm. "Companies need to raise the bar of their products and anticipate their strategy. If things go wrong, it can quickly damage a brand."

　　Chinese consumers are also "displaying more individualism than before, striving not only to be fashionable but to be able to express their individual style," the report found. And it is not just in the big cities. Consumer sophistication is rising just as much - or perhaps even faster - in the less developed smaller cities than in the booming economic centers。

 

1 consultants   

顾问( consultant的名词复数 )； 高级顾问医生，会诊医生

参考例句：

• a firm of management consultants 管理咨询公司
• There're many consultants in hospital. 医院里有很多会诊医生。

2 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

3 forums   

讨论会； 座谈会； 广播专题讲话节目； 集会的公共场所( forum的名词复数 )； 论坛，讨论会，专题讨论节目； 法庭

参考例句：

• A few of the forums were being closely monitored by the administrators. 有些论坛被管理员严密监控。
• It can cast a dark cloud over these forums. 它将是的论坛上空布满乌云。