Chinese consumers are obsessive about brands and the popularity of Western luxury and lifestyle brands is high (although slightly decreasing lately). A week ago, I passed by a small clothing store in Xiamen with a big sale sign in front and decided to take a look. At first glance I didn't pay much attention to the brand since I'm a pretty brand unconscious shopper, but it didn't take long for me to see that I was about to buy some pfamous (typo intended) brand shirts.
 |
| Yes, that's right, not Playboy but Pfulyboy |
There are actually lots of stores in China called Playboy, but instead of selling anything to do with nude women, they sell clothes. In fact, I'd guess that the majority of Chinese people (other than some boys/men who spend too much time online) have no idea of what the Playboy brand means to the rest of the world. Instead, the brand is so popular because of the bunny logo - cute sells here in China and throughout most of Asia (to adults as well as children) as the Hello Kitty phenomenon firmly established years ago.
 |
| Playboy logo |
 |
| Pfulyboy logo on the shopping bag |
I imagine Playboy licenses the use of its very famous trademarked name and bunny logo to various clothing companies and retail outlets. I also imagine that Pfulyboy is a Chinese attempt to avoid licensing and related legal concerns. In China, just about any famous brand is copied or mimicked and Hugh Hefner's venerable bunny brand is no exception. Since trademark laws are much more flexible here in China than the U.S. (and rarely enforced), Pfulyboy might be a perfectly legal brand. For me, the purchase decision turned on finding what seem to be some decent quality shirts at a pretty low price. So sorry Hef, I'm afraid I'm not much of a Playboy, but possibly more a Pfulyboy.
Posts
