<img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-2827 alignnone" title="BrianBlog" src="/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/BrianBlog-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="40" height="40" />
Branding is a team sport, and one of the star players is the consumer. If you don't attempt to know your consumers, you can't build great brands together. Several weeks ago I had the opportunity to travel to Shanghai to learn from Chinese consumers. As part of my field research, I walked as far as I could and took as many pictures as I could to get a feel for the city and the people. My goal was to have a fraction more understanding when approaching the development of meaningful, relevant brands. At the end of my travels I find myself back at the beginning, faced with the realization that there is so much more to learn beyond the conspicuous contrasts of modern and traditional, megalithic and minuscule, and Eastern and Western. I can't wait for the next opportunity and my next lesson.  Enjoy the snaps!

<span style="color: #888888;"><em>Click on the pictures to view the sideshow, then click the arrows that appear to the left and right of each slide.</em></span>

<img class="size-full wp-image-2780" title="header2" src="/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/header2.jpg" alt="" width="539" height="425" />

<a class="lightbox" title="METRO CITY MALL. You might expect Shanghai to be filled with big futuristic skyscrapers and crazy-looking shopping malls shaped like Biosphere and you'd be completely right." href="http://cbxblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/13.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-2746 alignnone" style="margin-right: 14px;" title="METRO CITY MALL. You might expect Shanghai to be filled with big futuristic skyscrapers and crazy-looking shopping malls shaped like Biosphere and you'd be completely right." src="/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/13.jpg" alt="" width="140" height="140" /></a><a href="http://cbxblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/21.jpg"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-2743" style="margin-right: 14px;" title="NEAR RUIJIN ROAD (No.1) And, there are also plenty of smaller, random everyday moments to be found just walking down the street. I personally found the latter much more interesting from a cultural perspective and hope you do too." src="/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/21-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="140" height="140" /></a><a href="http://cbxblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/15.jpg"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-2772" title="PUBLIC ART: However, lest I get all Disney on you, there are some You Don't See That Everyday things that caught my attention for being a bit, well, foreign." src="/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/15-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="140" height="140" /></a>

<a href="http://cbxblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/3.jpg"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-2748" style="margin-right: 14px;" title="UNIVERSAL CELL PHONE CHARGER" src="/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/3-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="140" height="140" /></a><a href="http://cbxblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/4.jpg"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-2750" style="margin-right: 14px;" title="CHAIR DISTRIBUTION" src="/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/4-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="140" height="140" /></a><a href="http://cbxblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/5.jpg"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-2752" title="STREET FRUIT" src="/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/5-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="140" height="140" /></a>

<a href="http://cbxblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/7.jpg"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-2756" style="margin-right: 14px;" title="GRAFFITI" src="/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/7-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="140" height="140" /></a><a href="http://cbxblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/8.jpg"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-2758" style="margin-right: 14px;" title="BAMBOO SCAFFOLDING" src="/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/8-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="140" height="140" /></a><a href="http://cbxblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/9.jpg"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-2760" title="SCAFFOLDING THAT LOOKS LIKE BAMBOO" src="/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/9-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="140" height="140" /></a>

<a href="http://cbxblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/10.jpg"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-2762" style="margin-right: 14px;" title="FAST FOOD" src="/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/10-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="140" height="140" /></a><a href="http://cbxblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/112.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-2822" style="margin-right: 14px;" title="FAST FRESH FOOD" src="/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/112.jpg" alt="" width="140" height="140" /></a><a href="http://cbxblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/bank3.jpg"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-2853" title="TRUTH IN BRANDING" src="/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/bank3-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="140" height="140" /></a>

<a href="http://cbxblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/131.jpg"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-2768" style="margin-right: 14px;" title="BRAND EXPERIENCE TRAINING" src="/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/131-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="140" height="140" /></a><a href="http://cbxblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/14.jpg"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-2770" style="margin-right: 14px;" title="CHINA'S ANSWER TO DIESEL" src="/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/14-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="140" height="140" /></a><a href="http://cbxblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/6.jpg"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-2754" title="GRATUITOUS MONKEY SHOT" src="/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/6-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="140" height="140" /></a>