However, as the ballet feet indicate, few people know how hard it is to promote a local brand internationally. Things may look pretty from the outside, but to come this far has involved unimaginable hardship. For one thing, many outward-bound Chinese products are still low-end and cheap items, and very few of them even have any kind of brand presence. This lack of creativity and innovation is now the biggest obstacle stopping Chinese business from "going global". For another thing, it is even harder for a Chinese brand to go abroad than a Chinese product. Lacking familiarity with local culture, law, and policies, it is hard to promote the brand effectively. A report from an analysis subsidary of the international brand management company WPP showed that only 22 percent of global consumers outside China know even one Chinese brand. In the US, that percentage is just 9.

People's Daily has observed that using Chinese brands to tell Chinese stories is an art form. Chinese business must learn to tell the story in an articulate and captivating manner, if Chinese brands are to become the polish that puts the shine on China's global image. 

This article is edited and translated from 《华为“烂脚”广告折射中国品牌“走出去”努力》，source: People's Daily Online, author: Pan Jingyao