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What Are Western Marketers Learning from Their Chinese Peers?

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"