What are the most efficient Marketing Strategy in China?
I would first say that it is now a must to develop a strong digital marketing for a brand to do well in China since China has the largest online community in the world. With its new booming Middle-class society, China's consumerist culture has exploded and offers a large opportunity to develop new marketing strategies that not only should privilege online marketing but even more specifically mobile marketing that offers the best exposure anywhere at anytime. Innovative technology is becoming the trend of doing marketing and advertising. AR and VR packaging are now becoming more popular for the freshness of the experience it offers.
Going Mobile in China
Going mobile is the key to reach Chinese audience. It is now easier for consumers to pay online with their mobile phone than using their PC so all commercial activity has to be optimised for mobile. Wechat, for instance, has developed from being a simple messaging platform to being part of Chinese consumers lifestyle, and therefore the perfect tool for efficient Marketing whether through interaction with users or through the Mobile store itself.
Social Media in China
Speaking of Wechat, Social Media now plays a huge part in Chinese people's lifestyle. With so much impact that I have decided to do more research on this topic for my Master's degree thesis :). Consumers, especially in China, like being able to share their shopping experience, and results show that interacting with consumers on Wechat or Weibo, enhance brand awareness, brand notary and consumers engagement.
ECommerce Exposure
One more efficient marketing strategy that needs to be mentioned would be e-commerce exposure. Whether on Tmall, JD or smaller platfrorms, consumers are not only looking for low prices but also and even more, looking for high quality and service experience. It is important to develop a quality shopping experience on these platforms: page design, product digital presentation, content, navigation, payment etc. Using the hottest occasional topic of the moment (11.11 for example) as a way to reach the audience is also a great marketing trend. People are more willing to follow hot topics during festivals (CNY, Valentine's day etc) and more open to purchasing.
Search a Good case study of brand
Please find attached a case study report of the clothing brand Zara that I have written with some other students for an assignment we recently had. Although it doesn't include all the components I mentioned earlier as a good marketing strategy in China, Zara has an interesting marketing strategy worth taking a look at.
Zara in China : a Good Digital Strategy
For example, do you know that Zara is a Spanish brand? It was found that many of us (and from surveys) actually have the perception that Zara is an Italian brand! And the reason why I particularly admire the work they have done around their brand name is simple:They did want consumers to think that it is Italian for the country's expertise in the fashion industry, so much more popular than Spanish experience in that industry. Some even think that Zara is a French brand since it was so well implemented in its host country. The group also owns brands such as Massimo Dutti, Pull and Bear, Bershka etc.
Here again, doesn't "Massimo Dutti" sound Italian to you? Well, it is Italian but the brand remains wholly Spanish. Smart right? I will let you read more about Zara's uniqueness in my report.
