'Swarmonomics' and the Chinese shopper – seven things to learn
Saurabh Sharma Ogilvy & Mather Beijing
In the past three weeks we have seen two examples of swarm-style purchase frenzies by Chinese shoppers.
The first occasion was the panic-buying of common salt. Shoppers were under the impression that the iodine in salt could help in protecting them from the negative effects of nuclear radiation coming out of Japan following the earthquake-related nuclear emergency.
Stocking up on salt was also viewed as a good idea because some shoppers were convinced that the sea salt due to hit shelves in the...