Digital Crew took over the Digital International Marketing Solutions Seminar held by AustCham South China at Servcorp, level 54 on Thursday, the 19th of July.
Cheryl Chen’s cumulative experience and expertise of over 10 years in the industry, contributed insights from the fashion, travel, hotel, event, art, wholesale and retail industries in both Australia and China. Carmen Zhao’s background brought to the table her expertise in interactive communication, foreign digital marketing & perceptions about the exploding demand for Chinese brands overseas.
Emphasis on the importance of understanding the fast-paced digital landscape in China, a country with the largest population in the world and the ever-growing international trade curve backed by the importance of communication and technology, was the highlight of the seminar. 772 million internet users with 527 million mobile payment users dominate the Chinese M-commerce scenario and Digital Crew taps into this pipeline of communication. The digital world in china is a brewery of apps that cater to different tastes according to industry requirements and Digital Crew brews the perfect communication concoction bridging this diversifying gap.
Cheryl reiterated a broader understanding of the ingredients of the Chinese marketing mix as:
Who – The Chinese Audience
-Millennials that grew up in a digital environment spread across China and the world
-The large middle-class population with a spending capacity
What – Your Brand Positioning
-According to a survey released by the ABC index, very few Chinese customers understand Australian brands like Australian Creams, Quantas, Mirvac, Weet-bix & EMU Australia. Australian brands are considered to be reliable, professional, high in quality, trendy and socially responsible. These brand attributes vary according to different demographics.
How – Chinese Digital Media Landscape
-The top six digital channels that foreign companies need to consider in the Chinese market are: WeChat, Weibo, Tmall/Taobao, Baidu, Youku and an official Chinese website
-Key Opinion Leaders; guide their followers towards brand consumption with their credibility. According to the China Business Network data, the KOLs ecosystem generated 5.8 billion RMB in 2016
Why – New Market
International brands like Lancôme, EY, L’Oréal, Western Union etc have captured their audience in China successfully through KOL campaigns, WeChat Moments Marketing, Weibo and Baidu ads establishing their presence among these 772 million Chinese internet users
Carmen broke down foreign marketing assumptions in terms of:
Who – American Youngsters
-The age group between 18-24 are open to using Chinese brands as opposed to the older generation
What – Perception Of Chinese Brands Overseas
-American consumers have low confidence in Chinese brands
-Chinese companies have to rebrand themselves for an improved brand positioning in the foreign market
How – Brand Building For Chinese Companies Overseas
-Building a first impression with the far-sighted quotient must be taken into consideration while entering a foreign market
-The ‘being simple’ approach strategy will make a Chinese brand stand out in this era of information explosion
-The TV, Website and recommendations by friends are the top channels for awareness among American people
-Foreign customers are not as engaged with their mobile phones and opt for desktop and laptops as opposed to their Chinese counterparts
-Social media marketing – Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and WhatsApp are the most popular platforms, along with email and search engine marketing with Google as the search engine leader in the field
-Europeans value and pay for credible news
Why – The Mobile Phone Market Breakthrough
-There lies a huge potential in mobile phone marketing in Asian and Latin American countries
-Chinese brands like Huawei, China Southern Airlines, Xiaomi and Techno have understood local markets and developed targeted strategies
The seminar ended with a productive Q & A session with enquiries about the future of digital marketing and challenges faced with foreign communication.
