We tested a shortlist of Chinese name candidates for Marc Jacobs across Chinese cities.
The challenge
A brand gets one chance to choose its name in a new market. As Chinese spending power grew, luxury brands had to sharpen their verbal and visual identity. Marc Jacobs asked us to test five shortlisted Chinese names.
Our approach
Focus groups across Tier-1 to Tier-3 cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Shenzhen, assessed each name’s brand relevance, fit, pronunciation and recognition, and revealed the reasons behind consumers’ choices.
The result
Consumers linked most strongly with a name whose sounds mirror “Marc” and “Jacobs”, which kept the brand’s origins clear and carried a classic, Western, premium image. We recommended it as the most suitable Chinese name, grounded in consumer needs and cultural context.
Brand-wide figures reflect the client’s overall performance, not this project alone.
