Smart - Cognac, Beer, Red Wine or Soft Drinks (3)

Although surveys over a long period of time state that there is and always was a low level of alcohol consumption in Hong Kong, in her article, Smart tells us that in the mid-1990's there was an extremely high consumption of cognac. She compares Hong Kong's consumption of 15.2 bottles per capita to the United States' consumption of 1.2 bottles per capita.

Smart says that there have to be reasons why and how it comes about for cultures to try and then adopt new food and drink that is not culturally familiar to them. She says that drinking in the Chinese culture was always a social act or a ritual for a ceremony. They did not drink to get drunk. So she talks about cognac, which is an imported French liquor, and how it is the most popular drink at wedding banqets in the Hong Kong culture.

Cognac is not a cheap drink. It can cost from $300 to $1400 HK dollars per bottle. Smart tells us that it was the expensive cognac that Hong Kong had a high consumption rate for drinking. Due to economics, cognac is less socially consumed now but is still popular at wedding banquets. They choose to drink the more expensive brands because they felt that drinking or serving cheaper brands hurt your reputation.

French cognac was a symbol of status and prestige in the second half of the 20th century, we are told. Smart tells us that this is one of the reasons why cognac has become a part of their wedding banquets. She tells us that another reason is that Hong Kong residents feel that it distinguishes them from Chinese in other places. They think that the use of cognac shows that they are more affluent and sophisticated than the Chinese people in other parts of China and Taiwan.

This social peer pressure to make yourself feel or look better than others or at least to be as good as others is seen everywhere in the world. Do you think that everyone that goes to Harvard or Yale only go there because of the programs offered? No, because those same programs are offered at other universities but not with the same prestige. Lots of people that go there probably can't afford to go there but will make the sacrafice for the sake of status and reputation. The students and graduates that go to these schools feel better than their counterparts that go to lesser reputable schools. This is the same feeling that the Chinese in Hong Kong get when they consume cognac. They feel better than their counterparts in China. They will make the sacrafice of spending more than they may be able to afford for name's sake only. We can also see this as the reason why people are trying to out-do each other with designer clothing and designer wedding gowns and rings as part of their wedding customs. They will not only look better but be better because they feel better than others.

Unfortunately, most people associate status with expensive material possessions and luxuries. Companies can market their products as much as they can but it will be for social reasons more often that people will buy products. In order to make it appealing to people they should link the product to something of importance to them. Whether we all want to admit it or not, it's all about "What's in it for me?"