Midea (美的) is one of the largest white household appliance production bases and export bases in China. It was established in 1968, and has grown from being a small company manufacturing electric fans to a major organisation that produces and sells a whole range of white goods.
The organisation has released a series of amusing print ads to encourage Chinese customers to switch energy saving light-bulbs.
For those wondering about the Chinese copy (words in the ad), it states: “如此好吃懒做赶快换掉吧！换成每的节能灯，它比一般白炽灯节省电源80%” This translates into English as:
“As it is so gluttonous and lazy, change it! Switch to a Midea energy saving light-bulb, it is 80% more efficient than the incandescent light-bulb.“
Having requested Fauna‘s input on the translation, there is also a clever pun to be aware of. The Chinese for “incandescent bulb” is bái chì dēng (白炽灯), and the term bái chì sounds a lot like bái chī (白吃) aka a ‘free-rider’ or a useless person.
For those unfamiliar with Mandarin, the difference between the two ‘bai chi’ phrases, if you look closely is the intonation of ‘chi’.
Agency credit to: Guangdong Advertising (Guangzhou)
