In the 8th second, of the 8th minute, of the 8th hour, on the 8th day, of the 8th month, of the 8th year, the 2008 Summer Olympics will begin in Beijing, China. Far from being just a catchy marketing strategy by the many companies who are hoping to bank gold on this year’s summer games, the number 8 means quite a bit to the Chinese people.
In Mandarin, the word “eight” sounds similar to the word that means “prosper” or “wealth.” In Cantonese, another dialect in China, the words “eight” and “fortune” are even very similar. The luck that this number can bring is clearly taken very seriously. The telephone number 8888-8888 was sold to China’s Sichuan Airlines for almost $280,000USD. When asked if it was worth the high price, Xing Bing, a spokesperson for Sichuan Airlines, told the Associated Press, “The number is easy to remember. It’s a number that will make customers happy when they call.”
Jacqui Zhou, chief blogger for the Direct2Dell Chinese blog, shared an interesting perspective, “The richer you are, the more superstitious you are likely to be. Why? Because you have more things to lose as a rich person, you would rather believe in more things just to play it safe. That’s why rich people are willing to pay so much for 88888 numbers. That is my theory.”
Given the chance for luck and strong tie to prosperity and wealth, it is no wonder that a fashion designer like Gucci has designed an entire collection in honor of this year’s Olympics and all around this lucky number. Gucci Creative Director Frida Giannini noted, “Not only does red evoke ‘Happiness’ and ‘Celebration’ - two emotions that couldn’t be more appropriate to describe the excitement in the world of sports - but it also happens to be a very fashionable color for 2008! I also designed just 8 products for this collection, which mirror the lucky number 8 in Chinese culture.”
The limited-edition collection includes: a watch; a bike; gorgeous GG leather luggage; a Mah Jong set covered in the famous “La Pelle Guccissima” for those who would like a break from their computers and phones; fashionable yet comfortable sneakers, and my favorite, a Gucci panda made of supple leather. What a collection for the superstitious Chic Geek, or for the gal just wanting to sport some Haute Olympic Style.
How superstitious are you? Do you have a lucky number? Looking forward to your thoughts and comments.
June 24th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
I`ve never been very superstitious. Friday the 13th`s have actually been good days for me. I like the looks of the red bike. It`s a fashion statement on it`s own.