If you’ve established that you want to reach a Chinese demographic, you have figured out half of the who question, but have you figured out the where and how?
Where exactly?
Are you trying to reach people located in Mainland China or Hong Kong? In Mainland China, are you looking to reach a demographic in the Tier 1 cities like Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, or more than 100 Tier 2 cities with a population of 1 million+ people each?
Each of these market segments have different language and cultural traits which need to be taken into account.
How?
We all know that E-commerce is big. Beware, however, that simply setting up an E-commerce site is not enough to spell success in today’s crowded and fiercely competitive environment.
Focused promotional efforts are the only way to get your message across, and to differentiate your brand from your competitors.
The Quaker example
In 2011, the Quaker (oatmeal) brand ranked third in China’s breakfast cereal market after 20 years in China. How did their revenue rise 50% from the previous year?
The secret was a relaunch, promoting the “therapeutic function” of their ingredients and associating the Quaker brand more closely with good health.
They diversified their cereal offering, including oatmeal with functional ingredients like red dates for a healthy Qi, wolfberry and white fungus for the lungs and lotus root starch to match preferences of Chinese consumers.
Ponder on this as you crunch on your cereal this week: how can you adapt your product to better resonate with your chosen Chinese audience?
The Baker Marketing team is always here to take you through the necessary steps if you need help with:
- export planning
- segmenting your market
- rebranding and packaging
- understanding WeChat and other Chinese social media
- establishing a digital presence in China
All you need to do is get in touch.
Image by TMNDesign.
