Founded in 2013 as a family-driven start-up in Guangzhou, MINISO was conceived at the intersection of Japanese minimalism and contemporary pop culture. From its earliest days, the brand has offered a kaleidoscopic range of lifestyle products, from stationery and home goods to beauty and tech accessories, curated with urban Gen Z and millennial sensibilities in mind. In China, MINISO leans into energetic, youth-first messaging. Taglines like “Life is meant to be fun” and “Everyday good things, all at MINISO” highlight the convenience and joy of shopping for young consumers. Chinese visual branding bursts with vivid colours, cartoon mascots, app-style in-store displays and “buy more, save more” promotions on Tmall. Digital outreach hinges on KOL livestreams, WeChat mini-programs and Red community stories, keeping engagement hyper-local.

By contrast, MINISO began its European expansion in 2021, positioning itself as a premium “Japanese-inspired” lifestyle brand. Indeed, MINISO’s very name was crafted to feel “Japanese”, borrowing credibility from the global reputation of MUJI, Daiso, and UNIQLO, especially in markets like Europe, where Japanese aesthetics are associated with quality and simplicity. Hence, the company decided to keep the same brand name, easy to pronounce, and resonant in any language. Slogans like “Life is for fun” and “Useful but cute” spotlight both the functionality and aesthetic appeal of their products. Moreover, stores feature clean layouts, pastel tones, and structured shelving that evoke MUJI’s calm, minimalist aesthetic, highly aligned with the visual harmony appreciated by Europeans.

Meanwhile, the marketing communication strategy leans on collaborations with local influencers, flagship boutiques in high-street districts and pop-up events. One of the reasons why MINISO had success in Europe is the combination of Asian kawaii-style products with European pop-culture franchises, enabling the brand to meet local tastes through strategic collaborations with beloved IPs (e.g., Peanuts, We Bare Bears), and making each product launch feel both familiar and fresh.

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Founded in 1990 by the former Olympic gymnast Li-Ning, this successful Chinese brand was specialised in sportswear, athletic footwear & apparel. Its first attempts to enter Europe started in 2010, and in particular, Li-Ning tried to expand in markets like Germany, the UK, and Italy from 2012 to 2015 with little success due to several localised communication mistakes.

Why did Li-Ning’s much-anticipated European debut stumble out of the gate? Could its domestic slogan “Anything Is Possible” have backfired by sounding too familiar and too reminiscent of Adidas’s “Impossible Is Nothing”? And by leaning heavily on Chinese Olympic heritage, a narrative that electrifies in China, did Li-Ning overestimate its emotional appeal on foreign soil?

Among the visual mistakes can be identified the bold Chinese characters left untranslated, and the product imagery that offered no clear signal whether Li-Ning was pitching hardcore athletic performance or casual streetwear. What message does such ambiguity convey to a consumer deciding between a well-established European brand and an unfamiliar newcomer? Without local influencers to lend authenticity or a coherent in-market story to guide the customer journey, how can any brand hope to carve out space in a crowded landscape? Moreover, retail and distribution in Europe were fragmented. Without a cohesive retail presence, a weak e-commerce push, and only scattered shelf space in multi-brand retailers, the brand perception and consumer accessibility were hurt.

These missteps underscore a vital lesson: localisation is far more than literal translation. It is cultural empathy, the willingness to reimagine every campaign element, and the strategic insight to let local values drive global campaigns. As Chinese companies continue to expand into international markets, those that embrace this holistic approach will truly transform what “Made in China” signifies both at home and abroad.

Final Takeaways – Winning Localised Campaigns Require:

1. Cultural fluency: Beyond translation - it’s about meaning and emotion.
2. Audience segmentation: What resonates in Paris doesn’t in Chengdu.
3. Local partnerships: Influencers, festivals, retail formats
4. Tone matters: Softening individualism, or elevating prestige, tone defines relatability.
5. Learn from failure: Missteps often stem from copy-paste strategies without market fit.