ShanghaiZhan: All Things China Marketing, Advertising, Tech & Platforms

Joanna Hitchins is the recent author of "Chinafy: How China is Leading In Innovation and How the Rest of the World Can Catch Up," now available on Amazon & Kinokuniya. In the book, Joanna explores 9 key catalysts that all businesses can effectively "Chinafy" their business. Joanna has over 25 years of experience leading B2B and B2C businesses globally, with over 20 years of experience in China. In addition to her many agency roles, Joanna spent over 9 years at Unilever, rising to a Global Brand Director based in Shanghai. 1. What's the reason for the book, and why are you writing it now? 2. What's the cultural lens of the 9 catalysts, and are these innovations just a question of circumstances? 3. Are Western companies becoming too topical in their strategic planning? Do we romanticize invention? 4. Does the size of China makes conditions for small players to compete with big ones? China remains the world's most competitive market 5. What are Big S and Small S? How can Western companies be more Small S? 6. How does China take advantage of Reverse Innovation, and why is it a big win for the masses? 7. China's Small S example: BYD: would America be ready for a $16,000 electric car? 8. Should global brands embrace the catalysts if they are doing business in China? 9. Embracing China Innovation: KFC 10. A/B: Small S, Data, Year 2023, KFC, BYD & Unilever!

Can Tik Tok market to specific consumer occasions, encouraging trial and purchase? Meet JJ Wang, Senior Business Leader at WPP agency VMLY&R, based in Shanghai. She's the recent author of an interesting whitepaper about occasion marketing, co-authored with Douyin/Tik Tok. JJ has been in the industry for about 10 years and believes in building brand culture, even in digital times. For Myers Briggs fans, JJ is an ESFJ. 1. What's Occasion Marketing, and how is it different from Mass Marketing? 2. How does Occasion Marketing work in the digital space? 3. The evolution of China beverage products and the need for multiple occasion moments 4. The Pick, Plan, and Lock Model Explained 5. How many content posts are needed for Occasion Marketing 6. Could Occasion Marketing apply to other categories? 7. Is this more effective than paying an influencer to sell your product? 8. Does this extend to other platforms besides Tik Tok? 9. Any good insights from the white paper? Gamers love powdered beverages 10. How does impulsiveness work on a social media platform in China? 11. How does Occasion Marketing work for smaller-budget brands? 12. Does creativity have a role in Occasion Marketing? 13. Is the ad business still a good place to start for young women? 14. A/B Test: Shanghai, Social, RED, Insights

Recreational camping used to be a niche in China, but now it's become a bit of a rage. The China outdoor market reached $60 billion in 2018 and is expected to hit $100 billion by 2025. By all estimates, around 100 million Chinese go camping every year, which is a small number relevant to the population, but that's a higher number than the 40 million Americans who go camping! What's causing the sudden rise in interest for camping? To discuss this, we have industry veteran Matthew Jung, General Manager Greater China for German outdoor brand, Jack Wolfskin. Mathew, or as his friends call him, MJ, has been in Asia for close to 25 years, first starting in the hotel industry at Starwood in Hong Kong, before he moved to Taiwan with Nike where he was Marketing Director. He then moved to Shanghai in 2010 with Nike and later to the Converse brand in 2018, where he was VP and General Manager. MJ later joined Jack Wolfskin in January 2022.

Welcome to Season 2! Today we are talking about creativity in the marketing and advertising industry, and we’re honored to have one of China’s most award-winning Creative Directors, Andrew Lok, on today’s show. He started his career in Singapore as a journalist for UPI, but decided it was more fun to create news than report it, so he joined the advertising industry. After stints raising the creative rankings of Ogilvy China, based in Guangzhou and Beijing, he moved to Shanghai, where he served as Executive Creative Director for BBDO. In 2012, he founded Civilization, based in Shanghai, now one of China’s top independent agencies. Andrew is among the most awarded Creatives in China and speaks Mandarin, English, and German.

Meet Annie Su, she's a full-time marketing executive and part-time foodie. Originally from Taiwan, most of her career has been in advertising agencies before recently joining the client side. She spent the prime of her career with Ogilvy, first in Taipei, then Beijing, and finally, Shanghai. Annie is also the author of 2 books, 1. 日尝时光：下班陪你进厨房 2. 当冰箱：只剩下乌鱼子, books about food, stories, culture, and the human experience. You learn why Annie has had a successful career in the fine art of listening to others. 1. Food & advertising: how are they connected 2. Cooking food & telling stories: about Annie's first book 3. Traveling, Conversations & Stories: about Annies 2nd book 4. A future in advertising? Annie's advice for her younger self: Forever Young 5. Join the client or agency after university?: Annie's answer will surprise you

Encore Performance: (Recorded, Feb 8, 2022) - Our #1 most downloaded episode from Season 1! What's the future of influencer marketing in China? To insights expert Julien Lapka, successful brands focus on influencer groups rather than KOL powerhouses such as Austin Li. It comes down to uncovering unique insights not often found in databases. Julien is the founder of Inner Chapter, an agency that turns insights into commercial IP. Julien is also co-owner of Revolving Door, a speakeasy behind a small coffee shop located near XinTianDi in Shanghai.

Season 1's Final Episode welcomes our #1 most downloaded guest, insights expert, and Founder of Inner Chapter, Julien Lapka. Julien gazes into his crystal ball and gives us some "healthy" predictions for 2023. And despite the recent opening of Zero Covid, Julien remains optimistic for 2023. 1. Why is 2022 his best year of business so far. 2. Moving from brand to product-based marketing 3. Reaching difficult target groups, especially the +55-year-olds, 2022's most sought-after demographic. 4. Product marketing's origins come from e-commerce search results 5. Doing ethnography research during the Covid lockdown times 6. Julien's take on "new normal" product trends: soul searching & the end of bling 7. Brands can be more proactive in improving people's lives. 8. China's upcoming recession: is this an opportunity for brands & companies? 9. What's driving the recent negative confidence, and when will we come out of it? 10. Should brands keep on messages of positivity during tough times? 11. A/B Test: Trick Math, China & Innovation!

We've spent much time talking about China's e-commerce boom, but what about traditional trade? 9 out of 10 purchase decisions in China are aided by a trip to the store. Today we're talking about traditional trade and big retail trends, and we're honored to have Jason Yu, Managing Director for Greater China at Kantar Worldpanel. You'll quickly learn why Jason is the undisputed expert on China retail.

Has China’s obsession with achieving sales targets sacrificed long-term brand growth, or does it matter anymore? Now with another Single's Day shopping event behind us, we look at the state of brand building in a market dominated by e-commerce sales campaigns. We're talking to Dhiren Amin, currently CMO at NTUC Income, based in Singapore. H was previously Asia CMO for Kraft-Heinz, based in Shanghai. Dhiren is one of the most active CMOs in the effectiveness awards space and is a big proponent of their participation.

Can Chinese brands get a voice abroad? Today we are talking to Jim Fields. He's a social media influencer on YouTube and BiliBili with tens of thousands of followers - and he recently founded an influencer management platform for Chinese brands going outbound called relay.club, which has just finished a round of angel fundraising.

What's new with the sports fashion industry in China? Now at $45 billion US annually, it continues to expand and grow. Everyone is getting into the game, including luxury brands. Gucci, Prada, and LV are all getting into street fashion to attract younger targets. And with the strength of local brands, will market leaders Nike and Adidas weather the storm? We are talking to Gavin Lum, who's spent the last 14 years in China working for leading agencies and brands, all dedicated to the sports industry. Gavin previously worked at the agency Weiden + Kennedy before moving to a career at Adidas. He currently serves as Digital Brand Director at Lululemon China, based in Shanghai.

Is China still a great place to study? Despite the geopolitical differences, some institutions are keeping the spirit of positive collaboration between China and America alive, and one of them is NYU. We spoke to NYU Shanghai's Vice Chancellor, Jeffrey Lehman, about the globalization of education. Why, despite Covid restrictions, should students consider China a place to study?

Tom Hui Young talks about his real passion, the metaverse, and how it will change how we live, shop, work, and interact with products. Tom is a molecular biologist, but his true passion lives in the human experience in a virtual world. If you thought the metaverse was about geeky Mark Zuckerberg avatars and bulky Oculus glasses, this is the episode for you! Tom is an innovator, software architect, data scientist, futurist, runner, and entrepreneur. He holds a Ph.D. from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology. Tom has spent a long time researching virology, molecular biology, and genomic health, co-founded a digital health startup, steered data science and AI at Accenture China, and is most recently running the data and AI function at Unilever China as their Global AI Director and North Asia Data Head.

OUR 25th EPISODE! Meet Bill Russo, Founder and CEO of Shanghai-based Automobility. Bill founded a strategy and investment advisory firm that helps its clients build and profit from the future of mobility. In this episode, Bill provides a bleak outlook for the foreign automobile manufacturers in China who have missed the opportunity to re-think mobility as something more efficient, more environmentally friendly, and fundamentally more profitable than the current model, which relies purely on a one-time sale of a product and its eventual maintenance and repair. To Bill, the automobile is the least efficient device on Earth, but China companies are now leading the world in redefining automobile ownership.

What's the state of the workspace in Shanghai these days? What are the latest trends in work environments what's the role of technology? Will China go with the rest of the world and adapt the hybrid working model? Meet ex-Naked Hub/ex-WeWork China executive Dominic Penaloza to answer these questions. Dominic is a serial entrepreneur and has lived in Shanghai for 16 years. He was previously the founder of the professional social platform, You Shi, before moving into a role as Chief Technology & Innovation Officer at Naked Hub, a Shanghai-based company where he, his team, the technology products they built, and the business model innovation those technology products enabled resulted in WeWork acquiring naked Hub for USD 400 million in 2018. Dominic was WeWork’s head of technology and innovation for Greater China until 2020, and now he’s back to his entrepreneurial roots exploring various business opportunities and advising companies in the areas of Future of Work, Future of Mobility, and the intersection of technology and real estate.

Meet Victoria Glanz, a 12-year expert in bringing foreign brands to China and successfully launching them in e-commerce. Until recently, she led international expansion for Baozun, China's leading e-commerce service provider, launching its offices in Paris. She is launching a new company called Sesame that helps brands sell better online, taking her experience from China. You'll quickly discover there isn't much about China e-commerce that Victoria doesn't know. 1. I never chose e-commerce in the first place, but not it's my obsession day and night. 2. The demand is ready in Europe for e-commerce, but the offer is not yet being served 3. Conversion Phase: the biggest difference between Europe & China's e-commerce markets 4. Traditional Brands in Europe Still See Digital as a Sideshow 5. Social Commerce -will the China model work in Europe? 6. Any thoughts on Ali Express? 7. To do big volume, don't go on WeChat 8. Live Commerce: Will it work in Europe?: It depends upon the volumes 9. What will happen post-Austin Li? 10. Is China still a great market for brands? 50% is No! 11. What about DTC commerce models in China? 12. How do get into the e-commerce business? Just do it. 13. A/B Test: Shanghai, the French Riveria and No Ris de Veau

We sat down with former Asia-Pacific CEO of Ogilvy PR, Scott Kronick, who is indisputably the father of modern PR in China. Scott lived in China for 29 years and is easily one of the longest serving agency leaders, foreigner or Chinese, in the China ad business. What's it going to take for Chinese brands to go abroad? This is the question we asked Scott, who's been behind the effort to take many successful and large-scale brands outside of China. China used to be about cheap goods, but now it represents attributes largely unknown back when Scott first came to China. Scott is now a Senior Advisor for Ogilvy PR, as well as the author of the book, "The Lighter Side of China". He's also an Adjunct Professor at Beijing University. 1. The big moment that China brands came into the world (besides the Beijing 2008 Olympics): 2. Do China brands need to promote their country of origin? Is "Made in China" a good thing? 3. Should more Chinese brands on Amazon embrace brand campaigns to increase their premiumness? 4. Chinese brands fail abroad when they don't understand the nuances of the local markets 5. Peaceful Coexistence of China & the rest of the world: Business that helps people more productive is more apolitical 6. What are the consistent communications mistakes of China's going abroad? 7. Where can China & US find common ground? Healthcare, Climate & Sports? 8. We couldn't resist asking Scott about Eileen Gu 9. Scott's career advice for those interested in getting into the Chinese PR business 10. Scott's advice to his 25-year-old self. 11. A/B Test: Orange (not Red), David Ogilvy, Sir Martin & Mark Read

We are talking about making documentary films in China with 2-time Oscar-winning, 4 time nominated Academy Award documentary film director, Malcolm Clarke. We are also joined by Han Yi, a Golden Horse-winning producer of documentary films. Malcolm is originally from the UK while Yi is from Chengdu, but both are currently living in Shanghai. Malcolm and Yi reside at Artefact Entertainment, and have collaborated on a number of recent films, including "Better Angels"; the mini-series, "A Long Cherished Dream", and most recently, the controversial, "Hong Kong Returns". Malcolm & Yi share both the joys and challenges of making documentaries in China, a genre growing more popular with the popularity of digital media. 1. How did you get into documentaries and how did you meet Malcolm? 2. "Better Angels" - the 2-month project that ended taking 6 years. 3. Successful documentaries are all about achieving the right timing 4. Making documentaries are way more difficult to make than fiction films 5. Documentaries are on the rise in China because they are now accepted by moviegoers 6. Moving beyond the movie theatre success matrix for documentaries in a world of digital 7. About "A Long Cherished Dream": stories about Chinese emerging from poverty 8. We don't make propaganda films 9. "Hong Kong Returns": 10 short films & why they did them 10. Short format films provide the right format and arena to convey documentaries 11. Future projects in the pipeline: "Drive Like a Girl" & the life and times of eccentric scientist, Joseph Needham 12. A/B Test: No spicy food, NYU, & Jack Ass

Our 20th Episode! Today we meet Mia Liu, she's a famous influencer and fashion blogger, or, as they say in China, Key Opinion Leader (KOL). With over 3 million fans on Weibo, Mia creates engaging content for big global brands including, Tom Ford, Louis Vuitton, Jimmy Choo, and L'Oreal. Armed with a Master's in Marketing, Mia represents the new face of China advertising.. 1. Why on earth would you want to be a Chinese KOL? For Mia, it was being a fashion editor 2. What’s Mia’s typical day look like? How does she get clients? 3. Is being a KOL a stressful life or is it truly a glamorous job? 4. What’s the difference between an MCN, KOL and KOC? 5. How does a KOL in China make money? 6. Is China moving more towards performance KOLs or brand KOL? 7. How do KOLs get discovered by the brands? 8. Mia’s favorite brand collaborations: WeWork and Durex 9. Not all KOLs livestream. Brands need both bloggers and sales 10. Mia’s magic?: be true to yourself and don’t forget the “opinion” in KOL 11. Mia’s next 5 years: be a KOL for life! 12. A/B Test: Kylie Jenner + Pink + Weibo + 兰州牛肉面

This episode is for those who are thinking of leaving China, maybe now or in the future. In this episode, we're joined by 2 "experts of experience" who left China to return home and can share their experiences about adjusting, why they left and what they really miss. For many, especially the expatriate population, the Shanghai lockdown has become a time to re-evaluate future priorities as foreign companies consider reducing both staff and investments in the country. Meet Milo Chao who is currently the Chief Strategy Officer for ad agency, DDB Chicago. Milo was formally CSO for DDB China and later, TBWA. Milo returned to the US in 2019. We're also joined by Ker Gibbs, who is currently an Executive in Residence at the University of San Francisco. Ker is best known as the past President of the American Chamber of Commerce Shanghai from 2019 to 2021 but has been in China for most of his career. He returned to the US in the early part of the year. 1. Why did you come to China, why did you stay so long and why did you leave? 2. When is the right time to leave? Has Shanghai lost its mojo? 3. Will Shanghai change past the lockdown? Will expats leave or eventually come back? Is this the fall off the cliff moment? 4. The evolution of Shanghai: now we're in a more developed stage & the role of foreigners have changed. 5. Foreign companies vs. Foreigners: How will China adjust post-Covid? 6. Returning Home: How do you prepare for repatriation? What are the transferrable skills? 7. If you can make it in China, you can make it anywhere...China is still an important market 8. Expect 2 years to get acclimated to your home culture leaving China 9. Keep your networking prospects and start right now before you leave... 10. The post-China job market realities: a. WFH is the new normal. b. Growth of the Gig Economy. c. Big global labor shortage 11. Are there still opportunities in China? Yes, but be prepared! 12. A/B Test: Ding Tai Feng, Cui Jian, Baguettes, and the Shangri-La!