According to eMarketer, Tencent’s digital advertising revenue will reach $11.0 billion by 2018, almost triple from this year. How is Tencent going to do that? Starting in late 2014, Tencent embarked on a slow but steady journey to open up its advertising platform for brands August 2014 –  Introducing banner advertising at the end of articles January 2015 – First WeChat Moment Ads were introduced December 2015 – Introduced video ads for WeChat Moments January 2016 – WeChat Moment ads are manageable …

  McKinsey published some new stats on Chinese consumer behaviour. Compared to 2012:   While geographic differences persist, Chinese consumers are, on the whole, more individualistic, more willing to pay for nonnecessities and discretionary items, more brand loyal, and more willing to trade up to more expensive purchases—even as their hallmark pragmatism endures. Main points are: Chinese consumers are more loyal to brands, likely to trade-up for better items & healthier choices. They’re a lot more likely to say they …

On Chinese social media, celebrities and “influencers” purchasing fake followers, likes, and pageviews have long been a major thorn in the side of brands spending large amounts of money on endorsements to gain exposure. While this issue has been discussed extensively in regard to Sina’s microblogging platform Weibo, a new Tencent report shows that WeChat is far from immune to the problem as the company announces efforts to fight it.  Tencent recently released a statement saying that it completed a security update to block …

Online retailers are getting ready for the biggest shopping day in China—Singles Day, or 11/11 After 2015’s whopping US$14 billion shopfest, how big will China’s Singles’ Day shopping spree be in 2016? This year’s online sales are likely to break all the records set last year. Singles’ Day is the equivalent of Valentine’s Day for singles in China where people treat themselves to gifts for themselves. Singles’ Day is an event that was embellished by an enterprising retailer―in this case, …

Mobile payments are more critical than ever in the China market For retail companies looking for the best ways to make purchases convenient for Chinese customers, a new study confirms that mobile payments are more critical than ever in the China market. According to the results of a recent Nielsen survey, 99 percent of Chinese online shoppers now use mobile payment apps, up from 96 percent last year. The survey of 5,000 people also found that handheld mobile devices continue to dominate as the platform …

Navigating the world of social media stardom can be difficult When it comes to finding the right  KOLs to promote brand awareness in China, navigating the world of social media stardom can be difficult. It’s common for WeChat and Weibo accounts to be fake or for their users to purchase thousands of followers, making it particularly important for brands to track how their well blog posts and tweets from their influencers are performing. A new study by consulting firm R3 and …

Besides the massive success in building the local running culture (Nike Running Club) mainly through WeChat in China.  During the Rio Olympics, Nike leveraged micro-blog Sina Weibo to capture the spirit of the Games. Nike recently launched a full-screen interactive advertisement on Weibo’s login page, attracting Weibo users to watch their latest commercial and visit their Weibo account. Through this format on Weibo, the digital engagement proved natural and interactive. GIF poster to spike curiosity Nike uses Weibo login page …

Why swimmer Fu Yuanhui created an online sensation? Chinese Olympic backstroker Fu Yuanhui has stolen the hearts of China’s netizens.  Her unique reaction to winning a bronze medal has gone viral, making Fu a surprise star amongst Chinese fans. Fu only realized she had won a medal after a journalist confirmed it in the immediate pool-side interview.  The swimmer had not been able to confirm it due her poor eyesight, that prevented her seeing the results on the  scoreboard clearly. …

International Travel More ‘Essential’ Than Ever for Chinese, Especially Millennials Out of 3,000 outbound travelers surveyed, 92 percent planned to either spend more or the same amount on taking trips in the next year, with one-third spending more, viewing travel as «an essential part of life.» The demographic devoting the most of their budget to trip-taking are millennials—they already set aside more than a quarter of their income for it. The survey, which was conducted in May by market research …