MARKETING TACTICS TO SUCEED IN CHINA
In China, yearly marketing budgets have grown to around $100,000 on the low end and over $1,000,000 on the high end.
Brands must know how to navigate thousands of domestic social media platforms. WeChat remains the most important one, but the digital landscape now hosts a crowd of domestic players.
Instead of the influencer and KOL marketing campaigns of the past, brands will transition to more authentic marketing strategies in 2021 by choosing to associate with community influencers.
China and the US are recognized as marketing powerhouses and are known for designing some of the most successful brand development campaigns and marketing strategies. They are also famous for outrageously expensive advertisements. Pepsi, for instance, spent $7.3 million on a 90-second commercial during the 2002 Super Bowl.
China has become a complex and expensive market, where consumers expect nothing less than ground-breaking digital ads and the freshest content. That does not come cheap. In China, yearly budgets are typically around $100,000 on the low end and over $1,000,000 on the high end, which can cover full digital scopes including SEM, PR, Website, Social, and Media. Holiday promotions are not a bargain either, ranging between $10,000 and $40,000 per campaign.
Brands operating in the China need to know how to navigate thousands of domestic social media platforms at a more cost-effective way to ensure profitability. While WeChat remains the largest social media site, the Chinese digital landscape is being populated by various domestic players. Therefore, building the best digital advertising solution is not a simple task.
In China, the most common mistake is to invest in advertising instead of branding first. The Chinese are extremely sensitive to word-of-mouth and brand image. If you want to perform, you need to invest in a Chinese website, Baidu SEO, social media, forums, press, influencers, and KOLs. In a word, branding is key for all products and brands.
If you develop your e-commerce channel too early, you will inevitably lose a lot of money. For example, a very popular watch brand (I will not mention the name) invested €1 million on Tmall and in 1 year sold only… 7 watches. Why? Because they decided to focus only on e-commerce and advertising while forgetting about branding and e-reputation. You need to rethink your strategy. First, you build your image. Then, you generate sales.
Our experts can help your brand break into this market with a high return on investment (ROI) through branding and sales. We have helped multiple brands meet their objectives with Market Entry and E-commerce in China.
