Like many others in my age who didn’t grow up with his music, I didn’t care much about Michael Jackson. That is, until he died.

For the past few weeks, his performances have been literally all over the place. And I, seeing how many die-hard worshippers gather infront of those ubiquitous projector screens with blaring speakers of “Man in the Mirror,” and repeated fantastic performances of his infamous moonwalk, suddenly realized that I love his music.

This is not because it’s pleasant to my ears. But after seeing communities, tribes, nations and practically the whole world follow this man to his grave, I saw a glimpse of the meaning of Michael Jackson.

Haven’t you experienced liking a song not because of how it sounds, but what it meant to you?

Haven’t you gone to a place not because it’s beautiful, but because of the meaning of the memories you’ve had with it?

The strongest brands are those where people derive meaning from. When a product suddenly develops a motivational and emotional attachment, it ceases to be one—it metamorphosizes into a brand.

I’m Chinese and I was raised with the typical Chinese businessman mentality—go abroad, look for money-making opportunities, copy them, bring them home, make money, copy others again, prevent others from copying, and bring more money in. It’s already common knowledge in the world that the Chinese are notorious for making cheap knock-offs from really good brands.

Check these out:

The Original BYD T8

Mercedes Benz CLK

Geely GE Concept

Rollys Royce Phantom

Chinese automakers BYD (Build Your Dreams, seriously) and Geely have been blatantly ripping-off designs from Mercedes-Benz and Rolls Royce, two of the most prestigious auto brands in the world.

It’s shameful.

It’s undignified. 

But does it even matter? Read the rest of this entry…