The Ten Commandments. of China Market Entry

Transcription

1 The Ten Commandments of China Market Entry

2 The Same Mistakes We have noticed that brands continually make the same mistakes when launching their brand in China. So to stop the rot, we have created the Ten Commandments of Market Entry in China. But it is not just a watch out list - at the back, find out how we ensure your brand avoids these common pitfalls when launching in China.

3 I Drop Assumptions A fundamental, but so often forgotten. Assumptions that underline your brand at home will simply not hold in China. Chinese consumers will often not know your brand, and may not even know or understand the category in the same way. Drop these assumptions, and open your brand up to the full opportunities offered by China.

4 II Know Thy Enemy To say China is competitive is serious understatement you must face fellow internationals but also increasingly savvy locals. To get your brand off to the right start, you must place competitive intelligence at the heart of your strategy and planning. Knowing their game will help you sharpen yours.

5 III Your Name, Your Game Getting your Chinese name right is crucial. Without it, Chinese consumers are not able to talk, share or pronounce your brand an indefinite circuit breaker. Instead of an afterthought, your name must create an intuitive bridge that links your brand to the needs of your Chinese consumers.

6 IV Few > Many So often success in China is defined as getting a small percentage of a ridiculously large country. But the reality is, you need to focus on a specific target audience to ensure success. This way, you can create a loyal community of consumers, who will ultimately advocate and amplify your brand for you.

7 V You re Not Special Being foreign is no longer special. With most international brands still plugging the message that foreign is better Chinese consumers have naturally grown tired of this. The preference of international brands over locals is increasingly the exception rather than the rule. So don t cling to your foreign-ness, you need to tell your own brand story to stand out.

8 VI Develop Reason to Be The idea of categories is still developing in China remember capitalism has only been back for one-and-a-half generations. Therefore the potential role of your brand in the lives in local consumers is still under negotiation. To help them with this process, make sure you communicate a locally relevant category role.

9 VII China Will Not Change Five thousand years of continuous history can be habit forming. Do not approach China with the hope of changing it. Instead engage local culture as a logical starting point to communicate the benefits and experience of your brand. This is cultural translation to fit China, where your brand story is rejuvenated by the local consumer reality.

10 III Don t Condescend Education is often essential to introducing an international brand to Chinese consumers. However it is important to be an enabler, rather than a bossy schoolteacher. Remember, if you overload your Chinese consumers with a one-way onslaught of communication, you will quickly become a museum piece.

11 IX Digitize or Die Quite literally China has gone digital, head-down in their phones all day. If you are not communicating your brand on digital platforms you are simply not part of the conversation. Digital can never be an afterthought in China it is instead the primary touch point with consumers in this market. If your brand voice is not digital, it is simply not being heard.

12 X Beware First Tier Often Shanghai and Beijing are seen as stepping stones to a wider China strategy. But the fact that everyone is assuming the same thing, means firsttier cities are hyper competitive. It is important to remember, that most second-tier cities are bigger than many European countries if you are successful in Chengdu, Chongqing or Wuhan, you are downright successful in China.

13 RESONANCE CHINA S SMART SOLUTIONS TO THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF CHINA MARKET ENTRY I Drop Assumptions Localization Workshops Understand immerse in the local consumer reality VI Develop Reason to Be Consumer Deep Dive Understand the role of your brand in the lives of local consumers II Know Thy Enemy Category Decoder Differentiate your brand from the category competition VII China Will Not Change Cultural Decoder Culturally translate your brand story for the Chinese consumer reality III Your Name, Your Game Category Decoder Position your brand so it is locally differentiated VIII Don t Condescend SMART Story Arch Make sure you structure your local message to create impact IV Few > Many Consumer Segmentation Strategically engage the right local consumers for your brand IX Digitize or Die WeChat Day-in-the-Life Make your digital engagement relevant and up-to-date V You re Not Special SMART Story Arch Present your brand story in the most compelling way locally X Beware First Tier New Qual Make sure you identify your wider opportunity at the national level

14 Contact Us Let us help you heed the Ten Commandments, and ensure the success of your brand in China. Contact Jerry Clode

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