Multi-level marketing, or MLM for short, is growing in popularity in China. But it’s also a tightly regulated space, and brands and platforms have to be extremely cautious to stay on the right side of the law. The trouble with the MLM industry is that although the regulations seem pretty
Product design is an under-appreciated art. A beautiful box, an ergonomic interaction, or an overall pleasing product experience can transform a consumer’s perception of a brand. The new aim of product design is to convert passive or even ambivalent consumers into KOC (key opinion customers). On the contrary, packaging or products
Most marketing campaigns are missing a flywheel effect that adds the potential for unbounded returns. The flywheel effect we will talk about in this article is brand user-generated content (UGC) and its unbounded returns are compounding retention loops. Luckily for brand marketers, social media provides ample opportunity to leverage brand UGC
For any brand, the end goal of community building is to impact the bottom line. Everything a brand does to build a community should ultimately focus on customer retention, which indirectly leads to sales. Some brands in China have successfully monetized their communities by incentivizing community members to play an active
Advocacy marketing is vitally important around the world, especially in the age of social media, but it’s particularly crucial for brands operating in China. Chinese are hypersensitive to the approval and disapproval of family, friends, and colleagues. "What will others think?" is an important question to the Chinese consumer. The
By its nature, chasing the attention of customers is the pursuit of many moving targets. It is in this pursuit of attention where brands and their marketing teams must be the most flexible. Flexibility is not innate for most marketing teams as campaigns, content calendars, and product launches are typically set in
When it comes to brand survival, a good quality product can certainly go a long way, but without loyal Chinese customers, it can only go so far. And unfortunately for brands, attracting loyal customers has never been more difficult, thanks to the ever-intensifying competition between companies with direct-to-consumer models and
Personalization is a vital aspect of developing customer loyalty in China. Chinese consumers welcome brands who want to “get to know them better,” but they expect those brands to make it worth their while. A birthday message is nice, but today’s consumer expects more. A well-executed personalization strategy can make the
As China’s Gen Z youth comes of age, they will become one of the most prized groups of Chinese consumers. But there's one problem that is plaguing marketers: surveys of these young, affluent consumers frequently report that when it comes to brands, Chinese Gen Z shoppers are extremely disloyal. So,
Commonly, the goal of brand-initiated interactions with Chinese customers is to sell something. However, this behavior runs contrary to social norms, inhibiting deeper relationships with Chinese customers and the formation of communities. Community content aims to establish or increase trust, affinity, and reciprocity, which ultimately greases the wheels of influence.