Latest from Our Blog
The never ending quest for new sources of insight.
What happens in a China Internet Minute.
One minute, Tecent making RMB 83,000, China mobile making RMB 246,000, Sina Weibo generating 95,000 posts, 139,000 pictures are uploading to Qzone of Tecent, 3.47 million times search on Baidu, 148,000 people visiting Tmall and Taobao, 73,000 transaction happening on Alipay.(from IT搜狐) 【中国互联网1分钟会发生什么？】1分钟对互联网是瞬息万变，腾讯收入8.3万；有139，000张照片上传至腾讯空间，中国移动净赚24.6万，百度搜索347万次；新浪微博有9.5万条微博发送；14.8万人访问天猫淘宝；支付宝处理7.3万次交易，……(from IT搜狐)
In China, Email Direct Marketing ROI beats SEO and Social Networks.
People say that Email Direct Marketing is dying, but the truth is the opposite. According to a research done by Ipsos-Reid, several conclusions worth consideration: 1) Email is still an active way of communication as 91% of the email recipients are checking email on a daily basis, and 66% of them would purchase when they [...]
Infographic directory of all brands on WeChat.
The good folks at CIC has created a huge info-graphic gathering 115 brands on WeChat, which could be categorized into 23 different categories, like non-profit, sports, cosmetics, lifestyle, F&B and so on. 微信上的品牌：CIC的同志们做了一张信息图，涵盖了包括奢侈品、运动、化妆品等在内的23个品牌种类的115个品牌。
Creating great content marketing in China.
Finding and developing content for social media assets can be a daunting task. Is your social media team having difficulty finding and developing great content? Here are 10 useful resources: 1) Recycle what you already know and periodically republish it in a different way; 2) Curate the news; 3) Conduct a survey on hot issues; 4) Become a reporter for [...]
A briefly deep analysis of WeChat, China’s most popular mobile social network.
According to the CNNIC, of the user info on WeChat, 65.80% location information, 46.61% name information and 35.34% avatar are real. Only 15.14% users did not fill in real personal info. There is a big difference in user behavior between Wechat and Weibo: Weibo is an open social sharing platform, an email account can [...]
2013 Comprehensive China social media landscape.
CIC released their newly updated China social media landscape chart detailing China’s many players across each segment. Among all the players in this field, WeChat, the emerging mobile social APP WeChat by Tecent Group, has been stealing the thunder from Weibo with its quickly increased user number around the globe. (300 million user by the [...]
China consumers more loyal, and more willing to spend on enjoyment and recreation.
According to Epsilon‘s China Consumer Loyalty Study in 2013: “Although the global economy growth is slowing down, the consumption power is still on the rise in China. Chinese consumers are getting more sophisticated, and the brand loyalty is increasing too. 75% of the interviewees have faith in the family income status in 10 years, which [...]
Overview of Sina Weibo growth and effectiveness in 2012.
During 2012, the number of Sina Weibo registered users exceeded the 300 million at the end of February, 400 million after July, and jumped over 500 million by the end of 2012. At the same time, the active Weibo users reached 46.2 million, up by 82% compared to the same period last year. According to Hitwise, the top 3 popular [...]
Top 10 most popular China social media networks.
597 Million the estimated number of active social networking users in China. The volume of social sharing in China went up by 60% in 2012. Top 10 Social networking sites in China: Qzone, Tencent Weibo, Sina Weibo, Wechat, Pengyou, 51.com, Renren, Douban, Kaixin001, Jiayuan. In China, 91% of the online population has an account on a [...]
What Chinese consumers really intend to buy in 2013.
From Decision Fuel: 70% of consumers will spend more in 2013 than 2012, with the most popular new purchase being a smartphone. 2013对比2012年中国消费者的消费预期. 调查中70%的消费者表示在2013年会有更多消费预算. 针对电器 43%表示预算更多，34%与12年持平，16%会减少预算，7%不确定. 针对旅游 34%表示与12年持平，27%会减少预算，26%认为会比12年增加预算，12%不确定. 针对奢侈品 34%与12年持平，34%会减少预算，22%会增加预算，10%不确定.
Social media and the negative “envy spiral”.
When German researchers from Humboldt University (Berlin) and Technical University (Darmstadt) asked 600 Facebook users how they felt when browsing the social network, they found that, for many, being bombarded with idyllic photos of holidays and family, along with ebullient status updates, makes them compare their lives with those in their Friends list. For the [...]
Luxury brands versus the sophisticated Chinese consumer.
According to research, China has become the second largest luxury good consumption power, and it is estimated to become the largest in a few years. Savvy Chinese consumers are no longer just after brand names, and the consumption behavior varies. In China, men are the major buyers of luxury goods, approximately 45% of luxury bags [...]
China’s top advertisers in the fashion industry.
In 2012, the advertising revenue for fashion magazine ELLE and Vogue in China reached 1.48 billion and 0.65 billion. As we can see, the top 10 advertisers in both magazines are all beauty brands. The top three advertisers in ELLE are Dior, Estee Lauder and Chanel, while the top three in VOGUE are Dior, L’Oreal [...]
High expectations for the future of video content in China.
In 2012, the market scale for online video has achieved 9.25 billion in China, and brought 6.72 billion advertising revenue. The chances to be played on mobile devices and online TV have become the major battle field for video content producing companies to compete for right now. With the decreasing production cost and the [...]
Tencent’s global, mobile opportunity.
Interesting data to show the growth of mobile market: with the world’s total 7 billion population, 4 billion of them own a mobile phone, while only 3.5 billion have a tooth brush. In the year 2013, mobile devices would be the major hub for people to connect online; 91% of people will carry their mobile [...]
Quick profile of China’s 564 million netizens across digital, social, mobile.
By the end of 2012, the number of China netizen has reached 564 million, and the number of people who access the internet through mobile phones hit 420 million, which was 64.4 million more than that number at the end of 2011. Mobile users accounts for 74.5% of the total netizen population, and it is [...]
Luxury brands are spending more online in China.
According to iResearch, the total online advertising budget of luxury brands was about 110 million RMB from Jan-Oct. 2012, which was 10.5 million more than the whole year budget of 2011. The spending peaked on September 2012, which was 36.1% higher than the number of 2011. As of the total advertising days, luxury brands had [...]
Six brand advocate archetypes.
Advocacy plays a fundamental role in realizing social marketing’s holy grail: Engagement@Scale. Brand advocacy is defined as the activation of people who are, or could be, passionate enough to engage on behalf of the brand and ultimately expand the customer base. Dachis Group‘s data platform, which tracks the social activity of 30,000 brands and 248,000 advocates, [...]
2016 China to have more than 700 million smartphones.
According to iResearch, the scale of mobile internet reached 54.97 billion by 2012, the growth rate is 96.4%. One major reason for that is the coverage of smart phones in China. iResearch estimated that by 2012, there are 360 million smart phones in China, thanks to Android system which helps to lower the price [...]
Beauty brands’ Chinese social media adoption.
From L2 Digital IQ index report, of the 20 beauty brands, ninety percent of beauty brands are on at least two platforms. Benefit Cosmetics holds 7 platforms, while Estee Lauder is presented on six. All of the beauty brands maintain a presence on Sina Weibo. The 20 brands that are being weighted on the L2 [...]
Chinese brands more present in China social media.
WPP’s BrandZ just released its annual report on the top 50 most valuable brands in China. A conclusion from learning their social media engagement is that, China’s most valuable brands are increasingly present in social media. Their presence cuts across most categories. State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) especially increased their engagement. Of the six newcomers among the Top [...]
How organizations structure social media teams.
Most companies have jumped on the social media bandwagon, but business owners out there might still be wondering exactly how their colleagues across the board are organizing this particular branch of their business.(Via Go-Gulf.) 很多公司都开始在社交媒体上大做文章，尽管这样，公司内部的很多人还在想，到底社交媒体是怎么在自己的企业运作的呢？(来自 Go-Gulf.)
Why luxury goods cost MORE in China.
The above infographic explains why you see so many Chinese mainlanders waiting outside Louis Vuitton shops in Hong Kong or at Galeries Lafayette in Paris. Price in China is much higher than in the West. Transportation cost from Guangzhou to Beijing is actually higher than from Guangzhou to the US. Miscellaneous tax and fees, and [...]
Social media landscape for luxury brands in China.
Aside from things like search engine optimization for Baidu, luxury brands in China need to get themselves on the right social platforms. The L2 report finds that social media adoption is up on every site, with Twitter-esque Sina Weibo still number one. Compared to 2011, video site Youku has the largest growth. 除去它们做的搜索引擎优化，各大奢侈品品牌在中国必须在合适的社交媒体渠道上有所表现。L2的研究报告发现，这些奢侈品品牌基本在各大社交媒体上都有驻点。新浪微博依旧名列所有社交平台的榜首，相较于2011年，优酷增长最为显著。
Top 10 luxury brands on China’s Sina Weibo.
Compared to 2011, car makers again make a strong showing on China’s most important social service – Sina Weibo. Cadillac is top in terms of fans/followers on Weibo in this luxury segment, and fashion labels Dior and Coach are playing catch-up. Data source: L2 与2011年相比，豪华车品牌在微博上表现依旧强势，卡迪拉克连续两年是奢侈品牌里面在微博上粉丝最多的品牌。2012年上升最快的品牌是时装类品牌里面的迪奥和蔻驰。（此排序以各品牌的微博粉丝数量进行排序）
How to keep Chinese customers loyal.
Clickfox‘s latest research shows compared to the price or promotion, customers care more about product quality. Two major motivation for brands loyalty are quality (88%) and customer service (72%); in order to win consumer loyalty, the consumers care most for “first impression” (48%) and service experience (40%). 研究机构Clickfox 从调研中发现，消费之比起优惠(价格本身)，更在乎产品的质量。两大品牌忠诚的驱动力分别为质量(88%)与消费者服务(72%)。而为了赢得消费者对你的品牌忠诚度，第一印象(48%)和服务与体验(40%)是消费者们最为关心的。
The top 10 “digitally smartest” luxury brands in China.
A think tank for digital innovation, L2, grades brands on their carefully crafted approach to social marketing and web presences for Chinese consumers and came up with a “digital IQ” ranking list. The top 10 brands in 2012 are Estee Lauder, Audi, Chow Tai Fook, Lancome, Volvo, BMW, Buick, Land Rover, Benefit, and Burberry. 数字营销智库L2最近出炉的研究报告揭示了2012年度在社交领域以及数字行销领域最好的十大奢侈品品牌，并将对于100家奢侈品品牌的研究结果以“奢侈品品牌数字行销智商排行榜”的形式进行公布。十大“数字行销智商最高”的奢侈品品牌分别是：雅诗兰黛、奥迪、周大福、兰蔻、沃尔沃、宝马、别克、路虎、贝玲妃和巴宝莉。 [...]
6 top reasons followers un-follow brands.
On December, 2012, Performics research shows 1/3 of social media users had “unfollowed” or “stop-liking” brands or companies on social media. Major reasons include: no longer caring about what brands are posting on social media (49%), brands posting too much content (38%), brands do not post content that it is supposed to post or promised to [...]
Dell + Forrester: How brands best service followers in the modern digital era.
“Listen to your customer”, a bit of cliché, but now more important than ever because of popular social networks like Facebook and Weibo. Listening, sounds easy, but you really need to dig into the reviews and comments you have across all different social network channels. Forrester Consulting conducted research on how big companies “become good [...]
How to calculate the “digital IQ” of luxury brands in China.
The L2 Think Tank grading structure of the luxury brands’ “digital ranking” is 30 percent each for doing social media and localizing your site, and 20 percent each for digital marketing and mobile compatibility. To make the grade, brands need to do a lot of optimization, social outreach, and clever online marketing. 在计算奢侈品品牌的“数字行销IQ”的时候，它们在“社交媒体领域的作为”和“本地化自己的网络的努力”各占30%的权重；而“数字行销的作为”和“移动领域的兼容性”各占20%的权重。如果想要得高分，这些品牌在网络优化，社交媒体的主动性和线上营销的创新性上下功夫。（L2 Think Tank）
Random, unexpected happiness.
Thank you for an excellent 2012; it has been a great ride, and we’ve enjoyed every bump, turn, and sudden acceleration along the way. The team at Resonance would like to take this quick moment to wish our partners, clients, and readers the best of everything in 2013. Have a great holiday; see you on [...]
Chinese spend 884 million hours on microblogs during Q3 2012.
From iResearch: In Q3 of 2012, Chinese social network kept on growing, so far, it covers over 422 million people, which surpasses the reach of news website, and is the same with the reach of search, video and online communication. Analyst from iResearch believes that as the major trend globally, social networking is growing fast [...]
12 Major factors in Chinese car purchasing decisions.
Protective security system is the primary consideration among car buyers, followed by the break system. Energy efficient engine, automatic transmission and PRESAFE weight the same in car purchasing decisions, about 10%. People born later than the 70s have a strong pursuit in the electronic devices that are equipped in car, especially the intelligent multimedia [...]
2012 China’s top Fashion portals performance.
According to iResearch, the daily coverage of fashion sites in October is 10.5 million. The top three fashion sites are: aili.com, with the daily coverage of 1.01 million; Onlylady.com with the daily coverage of 0.92 million, and pclady.com with the daily coverage of 0.85 million. Also, the online time at the fashion sites in October [...]
2012 China online ad spend increased 36.8%
According to iResearch, the total China online ad market is increasing steadily, which is 36.8% more than Q3 of 2011. Advertisers who advertise for over 30 days are from the industries of internet service, transportation, real estate and IT industries; and what worths noticing is that the financial service industry has a significant growth in [...]
58% of Beijing car buyers are upgrading or buying an additional vehicle.
According to AC Nielsen, A survey of consumers in BJ who intend to buy a car next year show 58% of thinking of upgrading their current cars or buying an extra one. People born in the 70′s account for 41% of upgraders; while those born in the 80′s account for 44% of purchasers of an extra car. Both upgraders [...]
Comparing China’s Sina Weibo vs. Twitter.
From Adage; a quick comparison between Sina Weibo and Twitter with a little Tencent Weibo thrown in as well. Although Tencent’s numbers are higher, we’ve found engagement to be of significantly lower quality vs Sina Weibo; just something to keep in mind for those planning their China social media campaigns.
Comparison of China’s Sina Weibo vs Tencent WeChat.
Great infographic from CIC comparing Tencent WeChat and Sina Weibo. The platforms are complementary, with few overlapping functions allowing Tencent’s WeChat to enhance a current social media marketing mix dominated by Sina Weibo.
97% China netizens using micro-blogs vs other social media.
From Nielsen: Micro-blog reaches 97% of all mainstream China social media users, while SNS’s penetration is about 70%. LBS has about 10% usage rate. 66% of connected consumers are both Micro-blog and SNS users. 根据Nielsen的调查数据显示：97%的中国主流社会化媒体用户正在使用微博，而SNS的渗透率则为70%左右，LBS的使用率大概为10%。66%的用户同时使用微博和SNS两种服务。
How Chinese netizens use China social media.
From Nielsen: Chinese consumers use social media for many reasons including connecting socially, entertainment, news and services. Different platforms have different focus except for Micro-blog, which now serves all 4 types of needs. SNS is mainly used for social and fun. 根据Nielsen的调查显示，中国消费者使用社会化媒体的主要目的包括：社交、娱乐、新闻和服务。不同的平台有不同的侧重点，除了微博以外，目前涵盖了所有的4个主要需求。SNS主要是用来社交和娱乐。
