1. The definition of cultural derivatives
Brand cultural derivatives are products made mainly for marketing and profits besides main products by famous companies. Brand cultural derivatives are the extension of brand marketing.
Disney is a typical successful company who produces brand cultural derivatives. Disney was established in 1922, whose main businesses include media and entertainment, media internet, theme parks, resorts and all kinds of commodities. Those cute symbols and brand characters have been applied to many products, which have made enormous profit. The main profit of Disney comes from the end of industrial chain of media and entertainment, which is from the derivatives after movie releasing. In 2010, Disney’s operation revenue exceeded USD 38 billion, among which movies contributed less than 20%, while extended business including commodities, theme parks, resorts and media accounted for more than 80%.
We could find brand cultural derivatives in other industries such as automobiles, clothing, electrical appliance, jewelry, watches. In fact, famous companies pay more attention to the expansion of brand cultural derivatives, either in the form of self-management or authorized operation. Brand derivatives bring profit for the main brand and also help to increase brands influence.
2. Brand derivatives’ function as a media
Brand derivatives have strong media characters. So brand derivatives could be deemed as a segment market of advertising as well as an important form of new media. Brand derivatives will gradually seize part of traditional advertising market and help companies to share profit from the huge advertising market.
Brand culture could be delivered through brand derivatives. Each brand could represent a specific modern lifestyle which could attract a specific group of people with shared values and ideals. Brand cultural derivatives could successfully attract customers if this specific lifestyle and ideal are successfully interpreted through products.
3. Relationship between brand derivatives and creative products
At the early stage of brand derivatives, most products are just combination of brand elements and sophisticated products on the market, and even more products are made by OEMs. This traditional production method cannot meet higher requirement of brands and customers for product design.
The biggest influence of brand derivatives lies in the promotion of brand’s unique characters. The integration of brand elements, brand characters and products of different traits requires deep understanding of brand culture and creativity. Interpretation ability of brand culture and innovation are the two key elements for successful brand cultural derivatives.
On the other hand, development of creative products has seen huge progress. Almost all companies employ creativity to attract customers. So we can say that all enterprises are making huge efforts to seize market by creativity. And in this period, the combination of great ideas and second design based on brand interpretation could help to promote brand products and meet customers’ requirement at the same time, which is also a character of brand derivatives’ development.
