ShanghaiZhan: All Things China Marketing, Advertising, Tech & Platforms Ali Kazmi & Bryce Whitwam

How can brands take advantage of China's new transformation? We decided to invite our livestream episode guests, Chris Baker, founder of Totem, and Minne Wang, Senior Reporter with Campaign Asia, for an in-depth discussion on 5 of the 10 considerations in Totem Media's 2024 report. The report (with links below) is a must-read for anyone looking to navigate the complexities of marketing in China for the next few years.

1. Consideration 1: Value Purchases rule - will this impact brands with weak value propositions? We think so.
2. Consideration 2: Wealth Divides Growing - are we seeing changes in the ever-important middle class?
3. Consideration 3: Trust is Under Pressure: Consumers increasingly scrutinize their purchase decisions, including those in CPG categories. How should brands respond?
4. Consideration 4: Social Commerce is Still Key - are we seeing a move away from Taobao and a greater focus on RED and Douyin?
5. Consideration 5: Brands Need Impact (and not just impressions): How do brands simultaneously focus on brand building while driving sales? How do we prioritize with fewer brand campaigns?
6. A/B Test

Ali and Bryce welcome authors Bessie Lee and Peter Bomer of the book, "China Inside Out," which explores themes of innovation, entrepreneurship, and challenges through interviews with some of China's leading business minds. The interviews were taken from Bessie's popular podcast, Bei Wang Lu(贝望录). Bei Wang Lu showcases the thoughts and actions of leading market and business leaders in China. Bessie is the former CEO of WPP and GroupM and is currently CEO of JLL. Peter is currently CEO of The China Hack.

China Inside Out explores themes such as the digital transformation in Chinese retail, the distinctive characteristics of Chinese entrepreneurs, innovation strategies, and the challenges and opportunities within China's unique business environment with guests like Wang Zhimin, is Founder & Chairman of Nova Vision, Liu Xiaolu co-founder NEIWAI, and Hou Yongpu, Founder of Yongpu Coffee.

1. What's behind the Bei Wang Lu(贝望录) name?
2. What inspired you to write a book, and why did you choose these stories?
3. How do Chinese entrepreneurs handle trial and error, and how is it different from the Western model?
4. Is entrepreneurship still alive in China now that the country is experiencing a slowdown?
5. The small-scale scope for Chinese entrepreneurs: Is there a system that allows flexibility?
6. How do Chinese brands adapt so well to consumer needs?
7. How do foreign brands create success in today's China? What does it take to win?
8. How do you describe China brand growth - is it niche' or is it about scale?
9. A/B: Memos, New Shores, China Innovation & Restless Experimentation

Where is China heading in 2024? Ali and Bryce decided to do a quick recap of our livestream event last week to highlight a couple of the major trends that stood out for us. You can watch the livestream event by clicking below OR download the entire report yourself. Check out the link below.

1. What surprised you? How will advertisers react based on the trends based on the investment scenarios? Brands will spend a lot more on last-mile.

2. The reconfiguration of media spending blew Bryce away, especially. the rise of Xiaohongshu and Douyin and the importance of social commerce over traditional commerce. People are taking more time to decide on what they want to buy.

3. What's the magic behind Xiaohongshu (RED)? Could it go global?

4. How will brands embrace more loyalty/private traffic? Will this help them overcome the economic slump and slowdown in sales, or should they continue to focus on acquisition?

5. How do you define loyalty in the new China?

6. What should be the priority for brand spend? Is this a good time for brands to take a longer-term approach?

China ad fraud has been in the headlines recently, and we wanted to have a show about it. As expected, getting someone on the show to discuss this sensitive topic has been impossible. But we finally found one: Dr. Augustine Fou. He is the Founder of Fou Analytics and a leading expert in the field, boasting a profound understanding of digital marketing, cybersecurity, and advertising. With a Ph.D. from MIT, Dr. Fou has been on the frontline of programmatic and digital marketing for three decades.

1. What is ad fraud? What is it, and how does it work?
2. What's the motivation to buy fraudulent ads?
3. Are impressions still an important measure of advertisement effectiveness?
4. Can we buy on the big platforms where the humans go?
5. Why do they engage in ad fraud if they're not getting the results? The marketing/sales disconnect
6. Is there an opportunity for new and emerging brands to use advertising as it was meant to be used?
7. Can AI help relieve the ad fraud problem? The answer is no.
8. How do brand relieve their addiction to ad fraud practices?
9. How do you drop in tags that may reveal ad fraud (that may ultimately rejected by some publishers)?
10. Where do you think ad fraud relief will go? Enter the CFO.
11. A/B Test: Humans, 1 Billion, Platforms, and Humans

What are the big marketing, advertising, and technology trends facing China in 2024? Ali and Bryce scoured the internet so you don't have to, uncovering 3 trends we think everyone should be paying attention to. What are the "meh" trends - the ones we have seen before, ones without context or thought, or ones simply that won't happen at all? We call these "BS Trends."

Ali's Trends:
1. China's Rise of Mindful Consumption: How can brands take advantage of this trend?
2. Personalization & AI: What do you win/lose as a marketer with hyper-personalization?

Bryce's Trend: The Revenge of Creative Mediocrity in social media + Quiet Selling: Chinese are getting bored & brands are getting lost. What to do about it?

The BS Trends...you'll have to listen and find out!

Will AI become a hindrance or a revolution to Chinese media? Mindshare China CEO Ben Condit says bring it on! Condit sees AI as the answer to much of the overcomplexity in China's tech platforms, some of which require over 11 stops to book a single piece of media. Ben gives us an insider perspective of why Mindshare China is constantly recognized as one of China's largest, most successful, and awarded agencies.

1. Why is your life like a box of chocolates as China CEO? Or is it a roller coaster?
2. Map out the evolution of Mindshare China and the reason for its success.
3. How important is low cost in media pitches? Cost is not always the most important factor.
4. Are media agencies becoming digital agencies? Where's the line drawn these days?
5. How do client leaders navigate a huge relationship with the client C-suite? How do you rally an organization?
6. Where do you see Mindshare's growth opportunities?
7. Why are the big media platforms becoming so complex? Surprisingly, it's easier in China.
8. Given the complexity, where is the body of the talent coming from?
9. Why are you so excited about AI? Isn't this a bad thing for talent? What new talent will you be looking for?
10. How do you stay an expert in an international leadership role?
11. A/B Test: Partners, Economics, & Strategy & LIFE!