Reference no: EM131284056
Expo 2010: The Assignment At one time Shanghai was known as the "Paris of the Orient." After the Cultural Revolution, however, glamour and individuality gave way to uniforms and conformity. Things have come full circle now, with Shanghai once again celebrating its status as China's financial center and an up-and-coming cosmopolitan city. China as a whole now represents the world's second largest market for luxury goods. It is no surprise, therefore, that numerous global fashion companies and brands were present at Expo 2010. Chanel, Prada, and Versace were among the exhibitors; staff at the Italian Pavilion wore Prada. Prada created a special line of Expo-themed consumer products, including windbreakers, baseball caps, and key chains.
The theme of Expo 2010 was "Better City, Better Life," and many exhibits by corporate and national sponsors were designed to show how technology can improve quality of life. Exhibits in the Urban Best Practices Area embodied this overarching theme. For example, the German city of Hamburg chose the theme "Balancity"-a city in balance-and showcased a "passive house" designed to maintain year-round comfortable interior temperatures without conventional heating or air conditioning systems. The guiding philosophy was that "A city can be a good place to live-if it provides a balance between renewal and preservation, innovation and tradition, urbanity and nature, community and individual development, and work and leisure."
Among the innovations that held promise for everyday living were "ecological toilets" that collect rainwater for flushing; these were particularly welcome in a country where public sanitation is problematic. The Swiss Pavilion, which was sponsored in part by Nestlé, was keyed to the theme "Rural-Urban Interaction" and featured walls made of soybeans. The "intelligent facade" was covered with 10,000 solar cells; when the pavilion was dismantled, the cells were given away. Spain's $2.6 million pavilion offered 8,500 square feet of floor space encased by a steel structure covered with wicker that was hand woven into various patterns. Spain's exhibit also included a five-story house made from bamboo. The queues and visitor tallies at the various exhibits were indicative of the interest. People would sometimes wait 8 hours to see Saudi Arabia's IMAX theatre attraction, which offered an immersive flight over the Kingdom's treasures. Saudi Arabia's pavilion also showcased four types of cities, including the "City of Energy" and the "City of Fast-Growing Economy."
Chinese visitors referred to Japan's exhibit as "Purple Silkworm Island"; the semi-circular structure was covered with a double-layered, purple membrane. Solar collectors were incorporated into the membrane, and indentations called "caves" collected rainwater, which was then sprayed on the membrane to promote cooling. The exhibit was designed to express "harmony between the human heart and technology." A total of 5.5 million visitors poured into Denmark's pavilion to see the iconic Little Mermaid statue. Chile showcased the Phoenix 1 capsule that had been used in the dramatic rescue of 33 miners trapped in a collapsed mine. General Motors has been an exhibitor at many previous expos. At the 1939 New York World's Fair, GM proposed the interstate highway system that was eventually built by the U.S. government. Airbags and car seats for children are two GM innovations from the 1974 Spokane Expo that have become commonplace.
In Shanghai, General Motors and its Chinese joint venture partner, SAIC, showcased electric mini-cars so compact and light that they could park themselves in the closets of high-rise apartments. GM was not the only Western corporate exhibitor with a branded Pavilion at Expo 2010. Cisco, the California-based maker of Internet networking equipment, created the SMARTCONNECTED LIFE (SCL) Pavilion. SCL was created to showcase a triple bottom line of economic, social, and environmental benefits.
The Cisco exhibit included an automated drink dispenser that can offer refreshments when, say, a child returns home from school. Coca-Cola's red-and-white pavilion-"The Happiness Factory"- featured animated characters and creatures that introduced visitors to "a world refreshed by happiness." In addition, Coke showcased PlantBottle, a packaging innovation that uses plastic and plant-based material. Visitors were also treated to cans of Coke that freeze when they are opened. Why was Coke represented at Expo 2010?
As Ted Ryan, a manager at Coca-Cola, said, "Our goal is to be considered the premier drinks brand; who else would be there? It has got to be Coca-Cola." Of course, Chinese companies were also very much in evidence at the Expo. The exterior of their pavilion, dubbed the Dream Cube, changed its exterior colors in response to movement of the people inside. What kind of return on investment will exhibitors enjoy? National exhibitors hoped for a tourism boost; although only about 3 percent of Chinese citizens have passports, there is a growing trend towards global travel. Paris is one city that is experiencing a big increase in the number of Chinese visitors.
According to the French tourism agency Atout, in 2010 alone, 550,000 tourists visited from China and spent $890 billion. Popular shopping destinations include Galeries Lafayette and Au Printemps, two department stores that are very well known in China. Both stores advertise in China; in addition, they employ Chinese-speaking staff members and distribute store maps that have been translated into Chinese.
Discussion Questions
1. Some critics asserted that because the Chinese government was deeply involved with Expo 2010 Shanghai China it was simply an exercise in propaganda. Do you agree or disagree?
2. Which of the futuristic innovations described in the case are likely to be commercialized as products or services that make a "Better City, Better Life"?
3. Do you think that the corporate and national pavilions at Expo 2010 represent money well spent in terms of return on investment?