洋品牌冰激凌打响中国市场美味冷战

    北京市中心，一家芭斯罗缤（Baskin-Robbins）冰激凌连锁店的菜单上写着这样的宣传语：“追本溯源。”这家连锁店的宣传单上，一位头戴便帽的卡通溜冰人物正沿着斜坡向下滑去，他头上的一行字是：“休息的时间到了。”

    芭斯罗缤正在大张旗鼓地重返中国市场，对它来说这些宣传文字带有一种古怪的预见色彩。

    一位经理下班后告诉我们，芭斯罗缤从2005年左右开始使用这些宣传语。当时这家总部设在马萨诸塞州坎顿的冰激凌连锁店还在另一批经营者的管理之下，在中国的名字也还是“31种美国风味”（31 American Flavors）。

    作为母公司唐恩品牌公司（Dunkin' Brands）的子品牌之一，芭斯罗缤已经把中国作为开拓新兴市场的核心目标。唐恩品牌公司首席执行官奈杰尔·特拉维斯说：“我们想找到真正能在中国市场取得成功的途径。目前这项工作处于初步阶段，而且是我们的发展策略中最重要的一部分。”

    20年前，进入中国的美国公司还寥寥无几。鉴于中国市场不断变化的政治和经济风险，这样的行为显得很鲁莽。那时，美国公司的目标是在北京和上海这样的一线城市立足。现在情况则截然不同，芭斯罗缤表示它将以郑州、成都和南京等二线城市为重点，原因是这些地区的房地产价格不那么高，而且有足够的商机。

    芭斯罗缤在中国的发展一直挫折不断。唐恩品牌国际（Dunkin' Brands International）总裁乔治·米纳尔迪承认：“和以往相比，中国目前的商业环境有了非常大的变化。1993年进入中国后，芭斯罗缤已经数次调整管理结构。”

    但并不是所有进入中国的冰激凌连锁店都遭遇了“冻伤”。软冰激凌品牌冰雪皇后（Dairy Queen）已在中国各地设立了500多家连锁店。它进入中国的时间只比芭斯罗缤早两年。它还宣布，它的目标是到2016年让中国连锁店的数量达到1,000家。

    冰雪皇后一直马不停蹄地在中国发展。2007-2012年凯文·李曾负责冰雪皇后国际（Dairy Queen International）的中国和东南亚业务。据他介绍，单2011年，该公司就在中国开了271家连锁店。

    冰雪皇后在中国顺利发展的窍门在哪里？李指出，连锁经营企业要在中国取得成功，最重要的因素有两个，首先是找对总加盟商，也就是那些希望扩大规模的公司；其次是找对开店的地点。

    接下来的挑战是通过本地化，推出消费者能够接受的菜单。李说：“必须了解消费者，推出适应当地市场的口味。中国北方人的口味比较重，喜欢水果做的冰激凌，吃的巧克力较少；而在南方，绿茶口味更受欢迎，人们吃的巧克力也多一些，但绝不能以巧克力味为主。”

    "Get to the bottom of things," urges a Baskin-Robbins menu at one of its central Beijing shops. The same flyer features a cartoon skater wearing a beanie, sliding down a ramp just beneath the words, "Time to re-treat."

    The message seems oddly prescient for the ice cream chain, which is gearing up for a major China reboot.

    An off-duty store manager says the slogans are from the mid-2000s, back when the Canton, Mass.-based brand was under different management and known in Chinese as "31 American Flavors."

    Under parent company Dunkin' Brands (DNKN), Baskin-Robbins has made China the centerpiece of its push into emerging markets. "We're in the first stages of working out how to be really successful in China, and it's at the forefront of our growth strategy," says Nigel Travis, CEO of Dunkin' Brands.

    Just 20 years ago, few American companies had made it into China. Going into the region, with its shifting political and economic risks, was a considered bold move. Back then, the goal was to build a presence in first-tier cities like Beijing and Shanghai. By contrast, today, Baskin-Robbins says it will focus on China's second-tier cities like Zhengzhou, Chengdu, and Nanjing, where real estate is less expensive and opportunities are plentiful.

    It's been a tough road for Baskin-Robbins in China. "China had a very different business environment in the past than it does today, and Baskin-Robbins has operated under several different management structures since entering China in 1993," admits Giorgio Minardi, president of Dunkin' Brands International.

    But not all ice cream operators have encountered freezer burn in China. Soft-serve chain Dairy Queen International has opened over 500 stores across China. The company, which entered the region just two years before Baskin-Robbins, says it plans to have 1,000 stores in China by 2016.

    DQ isn't wasting much time. In 2011 alone, it opened 271 stores in China, according to Kevin Lee, who was manager for China and Southeast Asia at Dairy Queen International from 2007 to 2012.

    What has worked for Dairy Queen? Lee says the most important element to a franchise's success in China is, firstly, finding the right master franchisees, the kind who want to grow their operations; and secondly, choosing the right store locations.

    Then there's the challenge of developing localized menus that make sense to customers. "You have to get to know your customer and offer flavors that cater to the local market. In northern China, people love strong flavors but enjoy fruit-based desserts and less chocolate," Lee says. "In southern China, green tea-based flavors are more popular, and there's more consumption of chocolate, but it can't be the central flavor."