Anti-establishment branding trumps “family values” for China’s youth.

Celebrity endorsements are nothing new. However, one recent endorsement by Wentworth Miller, the star of “Prison Break” raises a few interesting questions. The first is you really don’t see many TV stars making waves in China, this is usually reserved for Hollywood A-list actors. I mean really, if we’re seeing “Michael Scofield” (Miller’s on-screen alias), should we also at the very least also see Jack Bauer (or Kiefer Sutherland of “24″ fame)? Both are action heroes, both have shows on FOX, and both are “tough guys + heart of gold”.

Personally I like Jack Bauer/Kiefer Sutherland more…why? The few episodes I did see of Prison Break featured Miller acting super cool while police cars and helicopters etc flew around trying to arrest him, and all his lines were delivered with this monotone sort of “blah”. Jack Bauer on the other hand… he gets his ass kicked here and there, tortured, beaten, he has to make crazy decisions all for a few fleeting wins; he’s cool under fire, but could just explode at any minute.

I think this was also the appeal of the Sopranos – it wasn’t about bad-ass mafia guys, it was about real guys, getting their assess handed to them, exploding from built up tension and frustration, and every now and then rising above it all to score a few wins. That made it real.

I digress. In China, Prison Break is very popular, and Miller has starred in a new Chevrolet Cruze and a Metersbonwe ad campaign. This begs the question… why?  Is it his chiseled good looks and icy blue eyed stare? I’m sure that’s part of it; but I’d make the argument its more than that – it gets down to Miller’s personal brand. A quick comparison between Sutherland and Miller shows Sutherland’s Bauer fights to protect authority (aka government); while Miller’s Scofield fights against authority. Anti-establishment symbolically relevant? Maybe yes, maybe no.

Branding: New vs. Old; Family Values vs. Getting Away.
Chevrolet and Metersbonwe recent campaigns understand this mentality; we see a stark contrast in previous campaigns; focus has shifted from bright colors and happy times to Miller’s darker, sexier, bad-boy-bucking-the-system brand.

Light and airy, love and freedom; a stark contrast to running away from secret servicemen to save obligatory woman in distress.

Before: Asian superstars as school kids magically juggling books…

After: Mr. Super Cool with Brazilian Supermodel.

Breaking out of mental, social prisons: “Mental Social Break”
Ok, so that subhead needs a bit more work, but you get the idea. Miller’s popularity among young Chinese ladies is probably not a huge mystery; I think the “bad boy with a heart of gold” personality will make ladies swoon regardless if they’re from the West , the East, or deep outer space. But what is it about Miller that sells Chinese men? This is a bit more interesting as we can strip away the “popular because of good looks” theory, and get down to the emotional appeal of this “man’s man”.

The average Chinese guy is in a very uncomfortable position. With Confucian culture acting as a guiding force, we see the Chinese man being pulled in two opposite directions; one, in the direction of conformity and respect to authority; the other in the direction of competition and individual achievement.

It’s hard enough having to attain one goal; how hard then to attain two goals that are seemingly exact opposites? When you add communism into the mix, what we generally see is a mental repression brought on by social conformity requirements; along with tension to bring home the bacon.

Taking this into account, lets think of the term “Prison Break”. Seems much more attractive now doesn’t it? To be Mr. Super Cool, and successfully buck authority, while looking suave and getting all the ladies (yes, looks still come into play, but are more secondary). To have no cares, to escape the sky’s ever increasing weight… the fantasy fits well with the Chinese male mass mentality.

While 24 and Sutherland represent taking on increasing amounts of responsibility, Prison Break, and Miller, represent sweet release from Chinese society’s oppressive expectations.

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Tagged as: Chinese Male Mindset, Wentworth Miller