M800. China Vanity Number White Paper

Transcription

1 M800 China Vanity Number White Paper

2 01 Choosing a Vanity China Number It s phone-etic! Getting a vanity number can make a huge difference to your business, because customers are more likely to call numbers that they remember. When it comes to choosing a toll free number, there are differences in the selection process by businesses operating in the US market versus those operating in the Asian markets. Asians love lucky numbers, but they don't use numbers to spell words, they choose them to remind them of lucky words like "get rich", "success", or "I love you". Here we will try to explain some of the fascinating secrets of Chinese numerology to help you catch the next gold rush! The rich phonology of the Chinese languages Chinese has relatively few phonemes or sounds compared to European languages such as English. To understand this, think of the words right, write and rite. Now imagine a language in which every word has multiple meanings. To the Chinese, numbers have meanings, just as 8 sounds like ate (or hate) and 1 sounds like won. Every number in Chinese sounds the same as several words and sounds similar to many other words. When numbers are combined then the possible number of meanings explodes. Japanese and Koreans also like lucky numbers Japanese and Koreans also like Chinese lucky numbers. Because historically they have borrowed a lot of vocabulary and their numbering systems from China, Chinese lucky numbers are often also lucky in Japanese, and unlucky numbers are also unlucky. For example four is taboo and eight is lucky in both Japan and China. However there are differences; for example the number nine is a lucky number in China but not in Japan. Consult us for more details.

3 02 The M800 Guide to Vanity Numbers in China Lucky 8 is the most popular by far; a company once paid RMB2.33 million for this number: The Chinese government chose 8 August at 8:08 PM to kick off the Beijing Olympics. 九 Seven Lucky nine Nine is also a lucky number because it sounds like long-lasting or eternal in Chinese. Seven symbolizes "togetherness" so it can also be a lucky number for relationships. It is also recognized as the luckiest number in the West, and is one of the rare numbers that is good in both Chinese and many Western cultures. It is a lucky number in Chinese culture, because it sounds like qi (means arise ) and qi (means life or essence ); but it can be unlucky as well depending on the combination, qu si ( 74 means go die ) or qi si ( 74 means infuriated ). Or it may stand for something mundane like chi (means eat ). 517 which sounds like I want to eat is considered an auspicious number since it metaphorically implies your business would do well. 6 Six Six is a number that sounds like smooth or flowing, symbolizing continuity in Chinese. In Chinese means that everything is going smoothly. In choosing telephone numbers and vehicle identification numbers, people often prefer a number with 6 in it. This is not by any means the most paid for a license plate. In 2005 a Hong Kong man paid the equivalent of $910,000 for a license plate with the number 12, which sounds like certainly easy in Cantonese. Source :

4 03 Number combinations 6, 7, 8, and 9 are definitely lucky numbers and 5, 4, 1, 2, 3 vary, they are usually unlucky numbers, depending on context. When choosing a telephone number, remember that 8 is best, 6 and 9 are also good. But remember that it s the combination of numbers which matters most. 8 ( sounds like get rich), 6 (sounds like flow, road), 9 ( long, or wine), (7 together) Try to avoid the unlucky numbers such as 4 (death), 5 (none), especially 4. To choose a good number, it s not enough to simply know which numbers are lucky and which are not individually. When combined numbers have more meanings. For example, 1314 sounds like forever/ eternal. There are unlimited permutations, please consult us if you are in doubt. Here are some well-known number combinations which businesses like to use in China: 521 or 520, sounds like wo ai ni = I love you 13 or 1314 sounds like forever, eternal 138 sounds like stay eternally rich 16 sounds like all the way, so 168 means all the way to get rich/ the way to prosperity 51 sounds like I want, so 517 means I want to go or I want to eat Just as in English, certain numbers also memorable because they are memorable years, for example 1949, 1976, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2008, are all memorable years in Chinese history. One date to avoid: 64 or 8964 ( June 4th 1989) Of course repeated numbers are good, and easy to remember: 777, 888, 999, etc. Foreign numbers Vanity numbers of the American kind such as 800 FLOWERS do not work well in China, because phone numbers are not directly associated with the alphabet. Pure numeric numbers such as 007 (a number associated with James Bond) or same number repetition such as are well-received in China.

5 04 Use case examples A successful Shanghai fast food delivery service whose phone number, in Chinese it sounds like I eat, I eat, I eat eat eat, was so memorable they paid to play it in every Shanghai taxi. Bond Education is a tutoring agency for school children based in Shenzhen, in South China, which provides after school tutorial services and exam cramming courses. In order to promote their company they chose a memorable number , one of the foreign numbers which every Chinese knows. Just in case you didn't know, was the code no. of special agent James Bond in Ian Fleming's novels. It is a number which sounds good in Chinese and the double pattern is easy to remember. Bond Education have used the number successfully for several years, building up their education business brand in virtual association with the Bond theme and number. It is a good example of how a well-chosen number can help a brand to grow its business in the world's biggest market. Source: Bond Education (weibo.com/bond520)

6 05 A Selection of Our Finest Numbers Boost your business with a lucky number! The following are a handful of numbers which we offer, with an explanation of the feeling they give to Chinese listeners: All the way to fortune Love you, love you, love you Get rich easily Note that these numbers consist of a two or a three figure number repeated; this makes it easier for the customer to remember! Get your Vanity 4001 LO-CALL China number from M800 while stocks last We are the only company which can offer 4001 International LO-CALL vanity numbers in China. LO-CALL numbers are in limited supply, especially for memorable numbers, so we plan to offer customers a choice of numbers in our phase two launch in Q2, Based in China, we know the numbers that Chinese customers prefer here. We can provide a choice of lucky-sounding and memorable numbers which will be easy for your customers to remember and sound good to the Chinese people. We have a lot of number patterns composed of lucky numbers, so for more help choosing your LO-CALL Free number, please don't hesitate to consult us. Note: Cantonese and other dialects have different meanings. We employ speakers of all Chinese dialects and can also advise on specific regional associations of numbers. Additional Reading: