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What Are Western Marketers Learning from Their Chinese Peers?

· One min read

The Vast Differences Between Western and Chinese Marketing Markets

RegionChinaWest
Channel GranularityHighly concentrated on platforms of giants like BATFragmented across multiple channels
User Data IntelligenceComes from a single closed-loop data source, where one company can control all aspects of personal dataComes from dispersed data sources, with data on daily life held by different companies
Market FocusMobile, with 90% of purchases during Double Eleven coming from mobileA wide variety of channels: TV, email, magazines, radio, billboards, newspapers, websites, etc.
PaceFast, optimizing revenueSlower, optimizing profit

How Western Marketers Can Learn from Their Chinese Peers

  1. Build good relationships with major companies like BAT
  2. Prioritize mobile
  3. Embrace all-in KOL-driven viral marketing on social networks
  4. Focus on content marketing rather than simple promotions and collaborations
  5. Manage multiple channels in the West while navigating large companies' multi-platforms in China
  6. Balance "thoughtful planning" with "plans not keeping up with changes"
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