Gordon Chang, Forbes contributor:1
Is Beijing beginning a campaign against Apple? The best way to avoid attention on 3.15 is to advertise on CCTV, so perhaps there is a simple explanation for this year’s attack on the brand: the broadcaster was giving the company a powerful incentive to purchase ad time on its channels. Unfortunately, that relatively benign—and cynical—interpretation is probably too optimistic. As we saw from Friday’s countrywide reporting on student purchasing habits, Beijing is continuing its attack on Apple. Executives in Cupertino should get worried that the 3.15 show is not a one-off.
Yum same-store sales fell 20% after similar attacks.
Who, to be clear, could be just about anyone ↩