Saturday, March 26, 2011

March 19

Our first full day in Hong Kong was filled with a great mixture of business and pleasure along with a touch of rainy weather. It began at the Li & Fung office, one of the companies that have so generously sponsored our trip. We were exposed to their business model and got great insight to their successful marketing strategies.

For example, some of the more striking aspects of the presentation was how the divisions in Li & Fung, specifically the Toys “R” Us franchise, take innovations in social media to fast-forward their marketing strategies. In Hong Kong, where smart phone penetration is over 70% (wow!) Toys “R” Us has incorporated elements of Facebook, Four Square and QR Codes to create a fantastic social media strategy which trumps many strategies US companies are doing now.

As a combination of business, retailing, and design students we were able to see how Li & Fung incorporates all of these areas of study to form a global brand which ignores boundaries and creates some of the most well known products in the world. And on a side note, thank you so much Li & Fung for the gifts you gave us during the presentation!


Following the presentation, we were let loose for our first free afternoon in the incredible city of Hong Kong. This city offers a plethora of opportunities to really get to know Hong Kong. We spent the day eating delicious food and made a stop to the Hong Kong Museum of Art. Of course there was shopping involved. Unfortunately, the prices here in Hong Kong were a bit more than the prices in mainland China, making a few of us regret not shopping more there! Overall we had a great experience and are excited to bring back our gifts to our families and friends.

Our tour guide in Beijing had mentioned to us that the Chinese find beauty in misty, foggy landscapes. Today solidified that idea perfectly. Examples of these landscapes were found throughout the art museum, but most strikingly, outside of the museum. The heavy fog and mist hovering above the high-rises and mountains along the water made us fall in love with the scenery as well. We’ll let the video and photos speak for themselves.




-Natalie, Jacqueline, Jillian and Pam

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