Aigo is a consumer electroncs company whose Chinese name, 爱国者 (literally translated as “patriot”), taps into the nationalist feelings often associated with domestic brands.
It’s a clever bit of marketing, but a rally at Beijing Institute of Technology last week has people wondering whether it might be a bit too clever.
As part of military training for students who entered BIT in 2006, the university invited Aigo president Feng Jun to give presentations on the evenings of the 25th and 26th. During his speech, Feng led the assembled student body in cheers: “BIT, love the country! College students, love the country!”
The fact that 爱国, “love the country,” was part of the company’s name was not lost on the students. The Beijing News quotes a few students who believe that Feng’s cheers were inappropriate, that there were “ulterior motives” to his call to patriotism, and that it was “corporate self-promotion in the guise of patriotism.” Another student said, “It may not be clear from the text, but everyone knew in their hearts what it meant.”
A BIT party administrator said that the slogans were suggested by Aigo; a company representative said that the slogans were not commercial at all. Instead, the exercise was intended be a practice session for cheers to be used at next year’s Olympics.
TBN also consulted a Beijing resident, who said that while there’s nothing wrong students using patriotic slogans, having Aigo’s president lead the cheers leaves a bad taste in your mouth.
- The Beijing News (Chinese): Shouts of “Patriotism” during military training criticized as commercial promotion