SHANGHAI, January 22, 2017 — Labbrand worked with Schöfferhofer to develop its Chinese brand name 星琥 [xīng hǔ] with strong brand differentiation in China.

Schöfferhofer is a sub-brand of Radeberger Group, the largest brewery group in Germany. As the first wheat beer brewed outside of Bavaria, Schöfferhofer has proved to be one of the most successful German wheat beer brands, which include numerous award-winning and innovative variations in flavor.

Schöfferhofer entered China with its initial Chinese name 雪芙豪夫 [xuě fú háofū], which was a direct transliteration of its original brand name. However, it faced issue of brand recognition due to a similar name 雪夫 [xuě fū] of its competitor Schaumhof. In order to establish strong development in the Chinese market, Schöfferhofer commissioned Labbrand to create a new Chinese brand name that could convey the unique identity and values of the brand.

Labbrand, the leading China-originated global brand consultancy, worked closely with Schöfferhofer to create the new Chinese brand name. After three rounds of creation and linguistic check, the name 星琥 [xīng hǔ] was selected from more than 30 candidates. 星 [xīng] means “star” and “sparkling”, while 琥 [hǔ] suggests “amber”, associating with the color and packaging of beer brand. It is also a symbol of fortune and status, giving the beer a premium sense. As a whole, this name carries a simple yet rich connotation of “the sparkling amber”, communicating a glorious and beautiful brand image of a premium German beer to Chinese consumers.

About Labbrand

Labbrand is the leading China-originated global brand consultancy. Through brand innovations, we create, grow, and disrupt to be strong and resilient in dynamic markets. We are multi-cultural in approach and cross-disciplinary in research, strategy, naming, design, and digital. Together this gives us the foresight and ability to build brand equity.

About Radeberger Gruppe AG

Radeberger Gruppe AG, formerly known as Binding Brauerei, is one of the largest brewery groups in the highly fragmented German beer market. The company controls a number of top national, regional, and local and “trend” breweries and brands as well as other beverage brands, and produces a total of more than 9.2 million hectoliters per year. Radeberger’s national brands include company flagship Radeberger Pilsner, one of Germany’s oldest and best-selling pilsner beers; Clausthaler, a nonalcoholic beer developed by the company in the 1970s; Schöfferhofer Weizen, the fourth best-selling wheat beer in Germany; and the mineral water brand Selters Mineralwasser.