Why is a $3 gold-color phone sticker so popular in China?

According to Apple, the new gold colored iPhone 5S has proved popular everywhere, but nowhere more so than China. Marketers know this country for being very label conscious. More than many other places, people want to boast about brands and flaunt social signifiers that are thought to bestow respect and status. One reason for this is because everyone in China who can afford a status brand is newly rich. It is only in the last decade or two that consumerism and the wealth that is associated with it has taken hold. Enter the gold-color iPhone, a bright beacon that virtually shouts to others that its owner can afford top-of-the-line mobile technology. Now, enterprising retailers in Beijing and beyond are selling cheap gold colored decals that turn any old iPhone 5 into a gold iPhone 5, no upgrade necessary. Will these stickers come to the United States and Europe? Probably yes, but it is unlikely they will prove to be quite as popular.