Episodios
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We're thrilled to re-broadcast an insightful episode from the Sinica Podcast, where host Kaiser Kuo sits down with Bryce Whitwam to delve into the ever-evolving world of Chinese livestream e-commerce. Bryce's latest research highlights a fascinating shift: Chinese consumers increasingly gravitate toward smaller, more personalized livestream shows that foster greater interaction with hosts. While large-scale shows with millions of viewers still exist, they’re gradually being replaced by micro-targeted streams on platforms like Xiaohongshu and Douyin, which offer a more authentic and engaging experience. This evolution carries significant implications for brands looking to connect with highly targeted audiences in China. It could hint at the future of livestream shopping in the West, especially as TikTok explores similar trends.
1. How did you first engage with the livestream e-commerce trend in China?
2. What’s the history of livestream commerce, and how has it evolved since its inception?
3. How does livestreaming contribute to consumer engagement compared to traditional retail?
4. What differentiates Douyin, Xiaohongshu, and Taobao as livestream platforms?
5. What role does authenticity play in driving consumer trust in livestreaming?
6. How do demographics like age, gender, and location influence livestream shopping behavior?
7. What are the key differences between China’s livestream strategies and the U.S.’s early adoption of TikTok Shop?
8. How are niche and microtargeted livestreams reshaping consumer behavior?
9. What challenges or disruptions could affect livestream commerce’s growth in China?
10. What does the rise of livestreaming tell us about broader changes in Chinese consumer culture?
11. Recommendations -
We’re unpacking a critical issue affecting luxury and prestige brands operating in China’s discount-heavy e-commerce landscape. With platforms like Tmall and JD and emerging competitors like Douyin and Pinduoduo, brands are constantly pressured to use aggressive discounting strategies to boost sales and visibility.
Jacques Roizen, managing director of China Consulting at Digital Luxury Group, joins us as an industry expert who guides some of the world’s top prestige and luxury brands through these challenges. Together, we’ll explore the long-term impact of discount culture on brand equity, why some brands are starting to ‘detox’ from discounts, and how the rise of the gray market is reshaping consumer expectations.
1. How did you enter the e-commerce luxury business in China?
2. Give us the history of premium/luxury e-commerce and how it evolved from its early days.
3. How important is e-commerce for new consumers to learn about new brands?
4. Where's the pressure for brands to discount so much?
5. Is GMV still an effective measure of performance in e-commerce?
6. How can brands discount detox?
7. Who in the organization can orchestrate a discount detox?
8. What should brands do to improve brand equity? Is livestream a way to do this? -
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Chinese outbound travel is returning, which is great news for luxury brands. To many brands, overseas travel has always been a source of awareness, validation and purchase. How can brands take advantage of this opportunity? We speak to Subramania Bhatt, CEO of the China Trading Desk, a digital marketing and research firm targeting these travelers. Subbu's company recently published a travel insights study that shows a changing Chinese travel demographic. Joining Subramania is Mark Shrives. Mark leads Marriott Digital Services for Asia, which is based in Bangkok. Alongside his team of 35 digital consultants, Mark guides Marriott International's APEC portfolio of hotels in directly implementing cutting-edge digital strategies.
1. What's the latest about the Chinese overseas travel situation? Has it bounced back to its pre-COVID levels?
2. From the hotel side, how might travelers be changing?
3. How have influencers impacted travel experiences?
4. What's a typical traveler customer journey?
5. What's the hotel's strategy in targeting Chinese tour groups to overseas hotels?
6. How much differentiation can you offer on an OTA platform?
7. What motivates people to shop outside China? Is it all about saving money?
8. What is the importance of using influencers to target travel experiences?
9. How have hotels integrated their offerings to the new wave of Chinese tourists looking for experiences?
10. Are we seeing an overlap in age groups and craving experiences? And why so many Chinese women?
11. Are we seeing more Chinese taking advantage of hotel loyalty platforms?
12. Do you have a hidden gem travel destination?
13. Shanghai Zhan Mailbox: Will Xiaohongshu go global? -
What are China's technology opportunities for Chinese women? Are Chinese companies becoming more gender diverse, or are coveted STEM careers still largely avoided by Chinese women? We asked Dr. Susan Zhang about the state of Chinese women in tech. Dr. Zhang is a high-energy business executive and serial entrepreneur. Her journey has taken her to incredible heights in Australia, China and the UK. She has inspired many young entrepreneurs with her legacy at Google, ByteDance (TikTok), Amazon, and Canva. She is the book author of 'Life Outside My Comfort Zone', a TEDx speaker, and an award-winning role model for Women in Leadership and STEM Education.
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Welcome to the world of Clienteling: it's a world where the brand manages the client relationship. It's an online/offline integration ecosystem that is alive in China, but the West has no equivalent. In the clienteling world, retail sales become online sales associates, and brands promote their products directly to the customer database, all possible thanks to WeChat. Aurelien Rigart, managing director and co-founder of Shanghai-based digital transformation consultancy IT Consultis (ITC), takes us on this journey. When will Clienteling come to the rest of the world?
Listen and discover!
1. What are the biggest challenges for foreign brands embracing digital transformation in China?
2. Is there an equivalent to the Chinese ecosystem in the West? Will WhatsApp catch up?
3. Is Clienteling only for luxury and high-end brands? Will it work for FMCG?
4. How do you calculate ROI in Clienteling? Answer: It depends
5. Are there more luxury buyers, or have luxury brands kept their loyal followers?
6. Who owns the data in a Clienteling relationship?
7. Is there a separate Clienteling app for store personnel, or do they all connect through WeCom?
8. How do the stores get involved, and what's the social media connection?
9. Is Xiaohongshu more for awareness and WeChat more for the bottom funnel?
10. I don't have much money; where do I start?
11. Why are brands still behind in digital transformation? It's China!
12. Should the CRM manager run the sales department?
13. A/B Test: Ye all the way! (sorry, Taylor) -
What opportunities exist for Chinese brands post-Olympics? In this world of micro-targeting and community building, smaller brands can take advantage of sponsoring Chinese athletes who may not be as expensive as sports celebrities like Eileen Gu. Did the Paris Olympics help break China's overseas travel slump? Ali and Bryce take a China marketing take on the recent Paris games.
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In 2023, over 1 million Chinese students went abroad to study, and this number is increasing as the job market sours back home. Today, we speak with Sydney-based Jimmy Lim, co-founder and Managing Director of AIG Education Group, about the Chinese overseas education phenomenon and why it shows no signs of slowing down. AI will come into play in the application process as Australian universities are now flooded with applications.
1. Why is Australia still popular for Chinese students studying abroad?
2. Who is applying? What are the roles of the international schools in China?
3. How do you get into a competitive program in Australia?
4. Are they coming from the Chinese Gaokao or the "international track school"?
5. How important is a "ranked university" in China?
6. Why is Australia restricting the number of international students?
7. is international education important in China, given increased competition?
8. How is AI going to improve the education recruitment process?
9. How will new AI tools change how Chinese students prepare for university?
10. Why do Chinese parents still use consultants to help their children get into university?
11. How can international schools in China do better to prepare students?
12. What are the biggest educational AI innovations coming out of China? -
What's the new evolution of Chinese e-commerce, and why will it impact how Westerners shop?
Today, Ali and Bryce discuss China's new livestream e-commerce transformation. It has evolved from the days of the big livestreamers to hundreds of thousands of mini-livestreamers competing for attention with only several hundred viewers. This evolution is happening on Douyin, TikTok China's cousin, which has used its sophisticated algorithm to serve just-in-time content that intuitively knows what you might just want to buy.
1. Overview of Bryce's recent trip back to Shanghai
2. Who did Bryce interview for his live stream study? What were some of the key findings?
3. What channels do they use to engage live stream commerce?
4. Why are people gravitating towards Xiaonhongshu and Douyin?
5. The growth of mini-livestream influencers (and the decline of the big players)
6. How do mini-influencers disrupt the mass influencer model in China?
7. The importance and definition of authenticity in live stream has changed.
8. What do people buy on Douyin and what's the role of brands in this space?
9. How do brands make money on Douyin/TikTok these days?
10. Will Livestream 2.0 Commerce impact the West?
11. What will happen when we have AI influencers? Will this impact China's live stream experience? -
Have you ever considered working for a local Chinese company? We thought we would ask 20-plus-year PR expert, ultra-marathon runner, and ethnic musicologist Harriet Gaywood, who previously worked at Blue Focus and recently was the VP of Public Relations at Huawei. How is it different from working at a foreign firm? What are the challenges? Is this a viable career option for new recruits?
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Episode 60! To talk to beauty consumers on social media, beauty brands have to be adept at Chinese social media beauty slang. What's the difference between the #Boiled Water Look (白开水妆容) and #Rich Daughter Makeup (富家千金妆) )? Elisa Harca, Co-Founder and Asia CEO of Red Ant, and Ching Xie, Client Partner at Red Ant Asia, join us to unpack the important lingo. Red Ant is an award-winning agency that specializes in fashion and beauty, working with some of the world's coolest brands, including LUSH, tarte, CREED, and Amika, to name a few.
1. What's the deal with Red Ant? How did you get into myrmecology?
2. Tell us more about Chinese internet beauty slang. Are these slang terms important for connecting with Chinese consumers?
3. Where did these terms originate from? Can they be artificially created by celebrities and influencers?
4. Give us some examples of how brands may use beauty slang in their social media campaigns.
5. Can my looks have different slang references, or am I tied to one of them?
6. You deal with a lot of niche beauty brands? What's the secret to launching a beauty brand in China these days?
7. Which beauty categories provide the greatest opportunity for growth?
8. Beauty in China is still dominated by the big global players but the local brands are catching up. Which local brands do you see as truly stand out? What are they doing that impresses you?
9. A/B Test: Red Book or TikTok, Brands or Products, Speed or Strength? -
How do you bring a product idea to life in the area of the world that produces over 80% of the world's electronic consumer products? Meet Troublemakers' founder, Henk Werner. He's lived in Shenzhen for almost 12 years and guides many worldwide who might have a cool product idea but don't know how to make it a reality. Henk serves as their guide to the Greater Bay network of over 270,000 factories, connecting them with experts in product design, product development, and manufacturing. He's not called "The Map" for nothing.
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According to this week's guest, automobile industry expert Bill Russo, this year's Autoshow China, held in Beijing, was a wake-up call to the global automobile industry. China has clearly leapfrogged the global auto industry, making products that aren't just transportation vehicles but literally smartphones on wheels. According to Russo, the global auto industry is still living in the 20th century. With the EV tariffs looming in the U.S., are Westerners deprived of owning the next and best iPhone?
1. What was big at this year's Beijing auto show compared to previous ones? What made this year's show a real "wake-up call" to the auto industry?
2. What is "smartness" in EVs, and how does it differ from putting a simple plug-in EV car?
3. Why is Tesla falling behind the curve?
4. What is the smartness experience? Can you describe what it's like inside a truly smart Chinese EV?
5. What's the difference between "national security" and a "security blanket?" Will the tariffs deprive Western automakers of competition that will lead to better and more competitive innovation for their customers?
6. What is a more practical solution besides tariffs for the U.S. and Europe? Bill calls it " flipping the script."
7. How can Chinese EV auto companies stay competitive With so many new NEV brands? -
Welcome to the latest invasion, no it's not TikTok but Shein & Temu!
It's hard to imagine that 4 of the top 8 U.S. iPhone App Store apps are from China. While TikTok and Capcut make the list, the two big surprises are e-commerce juggernauts Temu and Shein. These companies operate unique, manufacturer-to-customer business models and do not manufacture products but simply work with armies of factories throughout China to use powerful algorithms to serve up a plethora of options. Shein reached an estimated $24 billion in revenue in 2022, while Temu reached 161 million users throughout the world. What's the future of these two platforms? How will Amazon respond?
1. Why have these two platforms become so popular? How do they work? How are they different?
2. What makes these platforms uniquely Chinese? What things are similar to their Chinese platforms?
3. How is Temu disrupting the market, given that it doesn't sell recognized brands and people have to wait to get its stuff?
4. Advantage Shein: consumer-responsive fashion
5. Given its incredibly responsive manufacturing model, will Shein develop more up-market products, or will it stay on the low end?
6. Morgan Stanley says that Temu's growth is non-sustainable. Will Amazon pick up the slack?
7. How will Temu impact China's manufacturing tiers? Will it enable them to sell name brands and compete against Amazon?
8. Does Temu need to deliver a group-buy model to survive against Amazon?
9. Will Costco-style value brands emerge from the Temu model?
10. The importance of time spent on the platform and how it will impact Temu/Shein business performance. -
How can brands take advantage of China's new transformation? We decided to invite our livestream episode guests, Chris Baker, founder of Totem, and Minne Wang, Senior Reporter with Campaign Asia, for an in-depth discussion on 5 of the 10 considerations in Totem Media's 2024 report. The report (with links below) is a must-read for anyone looking to navigate the complexities of marketing in China for the next few years.
1. Consideration 1: Value Purchases rule - will this impact brands with weak value propositions? We think so.
2. Consideration 2: Wealth Divides Growing - are we seeing changes in the ever-important middle class?
3. Consideration 3: Trust is Under Pressure: Consumers increasingly scrutinize their purchase decisions, including those in CPG categories. How should brands respond?
4. Consideration 4: Social Commerce is Still Key - are we seeing a move away from Taobao and a greater focus on RED and Douyin?
5. Consideration 5: Brands Need Impact (and not just impressions): How do brands simultaneously focus on brand building while driving sales? How do we prioritize with fewer brand campaigns?
6. A/B Test -
Ali and Bryce welcome authors Bessie Lee and Peter Bomer of the book, "China Inside Out," which explores themes of innovation, entrepreneurship, and challenges through interviews with some of China's leading business minds. The interviews were taken from Bessie's popular podcast, Bei Wang Lu(贝望录). Bei Wang Lu showcases the thoughts and actions of leading market and business leaders in China. Bessie is the former CEO of WPP and GroupM and is currently CEO of JLL. Peter is currently CEO of The China Hack.
China Inside Out explores themes such as the digital transformation in Chinese retail, the distinctive characteristics of Chinese entrepreneurs, innovation strategies, and the challenges and opportunities within China's unique business environment with guests like Wang Zhimin, is Founder & Chairman of Nova Vision, Liu Xiaolu co-founder NEIWAI, and Hou Yongpu, Founder of Yongpu Coffee.
1. What's behind the Bei Wang Lu(贝望录) name?
2. What inspired you to write a book, and why did you choose these stories?
3. How do Chinese entrepreneurs handle trial and error, and how is it different from the Western model?
4. Is entrepreneurship still alive in China now that the country is experiencing a slowdown?
5. The small-scale scope for Chinese entrepreneurs: Is there a system that allows flexibility?
6. How do Chinese brands adapt so well to consumer needs?
7. How do foreign brands create success in today's China? What does it take to win?
8. How do you describe China brand growth - is it niche' or is it about scale?
9. A/B: Memos, New Shores, China Innovation & Restless Experimentation -
Where is China heading in 2024? Ali and Bryce decided to do a quick recap of our livestream event last week to highlight a couple of the major trends that stood out for us. You can watch the livestream event by clicking below OR download the entire report yourself. Check out the link below.
1. What surprised you? How will advertisers react based on the trends based on the investment scenarios? Brands will spend a lot more on last-mile.
2. The reconfiguration of media spending blew Bryce away, especially. the rise of Xiaohongshu and Douyin and the importance of social commerce over traditional commerce. People are taking more time to decide on what they want to buy.
3. What's the magic behind Xiaohongshu (RED)? Could it go global?
4. How will brands embrace more loyalty/private traffic? Will this help them overcome the economic slump and slowdown in sales, or should they continue to focus on acquisition?
5. How do you define loyalty in the new China?
6. What should be the priority for brand spend? Is this a good time for brands to take a longer-term approach? -
China ad fraud has been in the headlines recently, and we wanted to have a show about it. As expected, getting someone on the show to discuss this sensitive topic has been impossible. But we finally found one: Dr. Augustine Fou. He is the Founder of Fou Analytics and a leading expert in the field, boasting a profound understanding of digital marketing, cybersecurity, and advertising. With a Ph.D. from MIT, Dr. Fou has been on the frontline of programmatic and digital marketing for three decades.
1. What is ad fraud? What is it, and how does it work?
2. What's the motivation to buy fraudulent ads?
3. Are impressions still an important measure of advertisement effectiveness?
4. Can we buy on the big platforms where the humans go?
5. Why do they engage in ad fraud if they're not getting the results? The marketing/sales disconnect
6. Is there an opportunity for new and emerging brands to use advertising as it was meant to be used?
7. Can AI help relieve the ad fraud problem? The answer is no.
8. How do brand relieve their addiction to ad fraud practices?
9. How do you drop in tags that may reveal ad fraud (that may ultimately rejected by some publishers)?
10. Where do you think ad fraud relief will go? Enter the CFO.
11. A/B Test: Humans, 1 Billion, Platforms, and Humans -
What are the big marketing, advertising, and technology trends facing China in 2024? Ali and Bryce scoured the internet so you don't have to, uncovering 3 trends we think everyone should be paying attention to. What are the "meh" trends - the ones we have seen before, ones without context or thought, or ones simply that won't happen at all? We call these "BS Trends."
Ali's Trends:
1. China's Rise of Mindful Consumption: How can brands take advantage of this trend?
2. Personalization & AI: What do you win/lose as a marketer with hyper-personalization?
Bryce's Trend: The Revenge of Creative Mediocrity in social media + Quiet Selling: Chinese are getting bored & brands are getting lost. What to do about it?
The BS Trends...you'll have to listen and find out! -
Will AI become a hindrance or a revolution to Chinese media? Mindshare China CEO Ben Condit says bring it on! Condit sees AI as the answer to much of the overcomplexity in China's tech platforms, some of which require over 11 stops to book a single piece of media. Ben gives us an insider perspective of why Mindshare China is constantly recognized as one of China's largest, most successful, and awarded agencies.
1. Why is your life like a box of chocolates as China CEO? Or is it a roller coaster?
2. Map out the evolution of Mindshare China and the reason for its success.
3. How important is low cost in media pitches? Cost is not always the most important factor.
4. Are media agencies becoming digital agencies? Where's the line drawn these days?
5. How do client leaders navigate a huge relationship with the client C-suite? How do you rally an organization?
6. Where do you see Mindshare's growth opportunities?
7. Why are the big media platforms becoming so complex? Surprisingly, it's easier in China.
8. Given the complexity, where is the body of the talent coming from?
9. Why are you so excited about AI? Isn't this a bad thing for talent? What new talent will you be looking for?
10. How do you stay an expert in an international leadership role?
11. A/B Test: Partners, Economics, & Strategy & LIFE! -
Has performance marketing signaled the end of traditional marketing in China? Traditional marketing focuses more on slowly building brand awareness, creating a slow burn, and driving an emotional connection with consumers. On the other hand, performance marketing is more about results in the quest to drive sales and leads. Thanks to digital platforms, China's advertising is now 79% devoted to performance marketing. Brands are throwing away long-term emotive ads and are going for communications that quickly drive the bottom line.
Is this simply lazy marketing? Can advertising be both emotive AND performance-led? Ali and I debate this on today's episode, providing insights for small brands and countline brands to break through the clutter. - Mostrar más
