CEO and Founder
Please don’t call Vladimir Djurovic “creative.” The founder of Labbrand, the China-originated brand consultancy, prefers to be known as a “problem solver.”
Vladimir says that Labbrand believes in “Brand (led) innovations,” or putting the brand idea at the center of the innovation process. “A strong brand stands for a Vision and ‘a reason to be.’” Over the past 9 years, he’s created more than 200 brand names to ensure that brands grow in China and around the world. Labbrand has worked with clients from all industries so they better comprehend the Chinese culture through semiotics, or the study of signs and symbols to understand their meaning and origins. The company’s Alphabet and Chinese brand naming tools have helped clients such as LinkedIn and Marvel to adapt to the local context.
The company also works on the creation of a name and logo for existing brands entering the market or new brands designed for China. He say, “Our clients come from all continents but we have a majority of American and European clients that want to firmly anchor their brands in China, including such as ClubMed, L’Oréal, P&G, Disney, Volkswagen, IKEA, Gucci Group, Häagen-Dazs, ING, Nestle, TESCO and many others.”
Vladimir speaks five languages including French, English, Mandarin, Russian and Serbian, but emphasizes how important it was for him to learn Chinese by studying the evolution of its script and anchoring his knowledge of characters to the pictorial forms that inspired them. He adds, “It is helpful to have a visual memory to learn Chinese. But, it is true that to speak Mandarin you need to master tones. I tend to mix some tones, even after 10 years, but I have noticed that it goes smoother after a beer.”
Labbrand was founded in 2005 and originally offered research and brand naming services. Throughout the years, the agency expanded to provide market research, brand & digital strategy, and creative implementations such as visual & verbal identities. Yet, the core concept for Labbrand remains the same: Brand Innovations. Its marketing strategy is based on content that demystifies the branding principles. And the company wants to change the way people perceive branding. As a result, they’ve created an innovative study called Best Branding Actions in China to evaluate and analyze the process of building brands across major Chinese cities. The results will debut later this year.
Vladimir holds degree in Applied Mathematics from Ecole Centrale de Paris and a Management Science degree from Shanghai Jiaotong University. He’s certain that his studies have influenced how he applies intricate problem solving to branding concepts. He admits, “I am an outsider to the industry, yet, and the beauty of working in China is that this is a positive, as our clients were also learning. Our more pedagogical and systematic approach is appreciated here. We look for underlying cultural structure in a very meticulous way, so that we can put order in random creative spaces.”
He adds, “What is great for many foreigners living in Shanghai, is that Chinese are not judgmental, and this gives a lot of positive energies to try new things and explore. I doubt I would have developed my entrepreneurial spirit that easily if I had stayed in France.” French-born of Serbian parents, he says, “Serbian and Chinese culture are quite close. For example, the time spent with family and celebrations, which makes me feel comfortable with much of local life in Shanghai.”
“I have been living in China since 2001 and we can certainly assert that China has grown more confident. The essential Chinese spirit and vigor have not changed, but the Chinese are now more experienced. In the last decade, China has digested a lot of foreign content and learned the codes. Now China is confident enough to put forward some of its own.”