This bar will be opened shortly,
but it's already clear wlch beer
it will serve.
characterised by a process of liberalisation. In 1986 an
opposition party was legally recognised. This liberalisation
resulted in the first free presidential elections in the histo
ry of the Republic of China, which were held last year.
In the political arena Taiwan may have played a back
seat role over the past decades, but this was definitely not
the case economically. The former image of the country was
not all too good; for many Westerners the words 'made in
Taiwan' stood for inferior quality. But, over the decades,
Taiwan has become a highly developed country with high-
quality industries. The International Monetary Fund recent
ly further underlined that strong development by according
Taiwan developed nation status. Taiwanese businessmen
are increasingly looking beyond their own national borders.
They are seeking expansion, for instance, in the Chinese
province of Fujian and in Hong Kong. A Taiwanese bicycle
factory has even decided to build an assembly unit in the
Netherlands!
The Taiwanese are prospering and in the capital Taipei
the differences compared to eight years ago are clear to see.
The (gridlocked) traffic flow is no longer a constant source
of frustration, as the government has invested enormous
sums in improving the infrastructure. The number of cars
driving over newly constructed fly-overs has increased
strongly.
APPLES
The furnishings of the ninth-floor office have the same
modern look as the building itself. The interior, though
designed in taut, functional lines, also radiates an atmos
phere of abundant creativity. On top of the reception desk
at the entrance to the advertising agency stands a bowl
with polished apples. The apples can be found in each of
the agency's eighty offices throughout the world. This is
the Leo Burnett advertising agency. Its office in Taiwan con
centrates on several major clients, including Heineken.
The story behind the apples is quickly explained by
account director Jennifer Brumage: "Leo Burnett started his
advertising agency in the United States in the 1930s during
the economic depression. People around Burnett had little
confidence in his chances of success. 'Soon he'll be back on
the streets selling apples' was their verdict about his ambi
tious plan. But Burnett won through and the bowl of apples
has become the symbol for our perseverance", says Jennifer.
Today, Leo Burnett can boast a total of 679,000 apples
world-wide.
The relationship between Heineken and Leo Burnett in
Taiwan is still young. At the beginning of 1997 Burnett
added Heineken to its list of clients and the agency spent
the first few months on research. All sorts of groups were
approached by the agency. Bartenders, for example, were
asked to sketch a profile of the Heineken drinker. In-depth
interviews were also conducted with a total of sixty consu-
i mers. "IVventy of them were specifically asked what they
understood by the term sophistication and which brands
they felt fitted that description. Jennifer: "For the
z Taiwanese sophistication means status and money but it
definitely also stands for environmental concern and
respect for the local culture."
The conclusion from the research survey was that no
single message could be distilled from the stream of an
swers and reactions. And yet there were two words that
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