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Archive for the ‘China’ Category« Previous Entries Next Entries »Marketing & Selling to Chinese BusinessesThursday, December 2nd, 2010 
China Business Review
This article can be found on the China Business Review website at the following link. Alternatively, the B2B International white paper Marketing and Selling to Chinese Businesses can be accessed by clicking here. Entering Chinese Business To Business MarketsMonday, November 29th, 2010  The opportunities presented by the Chinese market are becoming increasingly difficult for Western businesses to ignore. Despite the global economic crisis, China’s economy still managed to achieve a GDP growth rate of 8.3% in 2009, and some industries (such as the automotive and pharmaceutical sectors) continued to see double-digit growth throughout the economic downturn. With economic analysts predicting China to become the engine for global economic growth over the next decade, many Western enterprises are actively realigning their global strategies to give a greater precedence to China and other Asian markets. Within China, rapidly changing demographics, rising incomes, increased consumer spending and an increasingly open business environment have all helped to make the Chinese market increasingly attractive to Western businesses across a variety of industries. Similarly, declining sales in their home markets has forced many US and European companies to relocate China firmly to the centre of their long-term global growth strategies. Breaking into the China market successfully can seem like an almost impossible task to foreign companies with limited or no experience of doing business there. In the latest white paper for B2B International, Mark Hedley illustrates some of the fundamental considerations that any company must take when approaching the China market for the first time. Although these steps may lead to very different conclusions for different companies, they can help companies to properly determine an appropriate strategy for China. To read the full white paper click on the following link Entering Chinese Business-to-Business Markets: The Challenges & The Opportunities Anyone For A Bucksstar Coffee?Friday, November 12th, 2010
On his latest trip to China Mark Hedley discusses the impact of the brand names of the western world and how the growing market of copycat products is helping to reinforce these global brands. On one wet and rainy Sunday afternoon in Beijing last month, I decided to go and try to pick up a local Chinese gifts for friends and family back in Britain. Unfamiliar with the best shopping locations in the city, my hotel concierge recommended I take a stroll down to the pearl market, located just a few blocks away from my hotel. The market was overwhelming – a five storey building the size of a multi-storey car-park, packed full of small stalls selling all manner of traditional Chinese ornaments, memorabilia, clothing, jewellery and so on. This was the kind of place where you could buy everything from Chinese teacups, to aviator shades, knock-off golf clubs and a laser telescope. Anyone that has ever visited China will be familiar with the noisy and irritating cajoling from sales girls with a minimal grasp of English and pushy attitude. Feeling like I’d walked onto on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, I hastily beat a retreat towards the exit, until I was stopped in my tracks by what seemed to be an I-pad (that most coveted of modern gadgets) being sold for a draw-dropping $150 (about 5 times cheaper than those in the UK). Fumbling for my wallet in hasty excitement, I suddenly noticed that I was not looking at a genuine bona-fide I-pad, but was actually something called an ‘A-Pad’…  What is an A-pad? Well, to briefly explain, over recent years, China remarkable economic expansion has led to the gradual opening up of the consumer economy to a whole host of global consumer brands, from Apple, and Microsoft, to designer brands like Burberry and Louis Vitton. This booming appetite for branded consumer goods has also been accompanied by the rise of ‘Shanzhai’ phenomenon. A fairly recent phenomenon, ‘Shanzhai’ can roughly be translated as ‘Mountain Stronghold’ or ‘Mountain Village’ refers to near copies of famous brands or products, but where the brand name or design has been slightly altered or modified slightly from the original brand. The easiest place to spot this Shanzhai phenomenon is in China’s countryside, where many of the products are produced and sold at prices far below the original brands. Originally shanzhai was mainly used to refer to the cheap mobile phones and digital devices produced in and around the manufacturing hub of Shenzhen. However, over time the concept has developed to refer to anything that imitates or spoofs a famous brand, and often contains more than a dash of rebellious humour. Some of the more amusing examples of include a southern fried chicken chain store named ‘KFG’, the ‘Buckstars’ coffee chain, and a search engine with a vaguely familiar web address: ‘Goojje.com’. There have been Shanzhai versions of Hollywood movies, Shanzhai celebrities and a Shanzhai version of the 2008 Beijing Olympic opening ceremony.  Although the Shanzhai phenomenon no doubt terrifies the vast majority of Western corporations keen to protect their intellectual property rights in China, if nothing else it does serve as an ironic reminder of the power of the brand to penetrate even the most remote and insulated of markets without any real marketing. In actual fact, rather than diluting the power of the brand, the Shanzhai versions actually serve to help to reinforce these global brands by duplicating and popularizing them with a large group of potential future consumers. Over the next few years we will see rising incomes in developing markets like China, with more and more people lifted into the middle classes, and this should result in a growing number of companies shifting from Shanzhai consumption towards mainstream consumer culture. Although part an ironic rebellion at the high cost of luxury brands to the majority of Chinese people, more importantly the shanzhai phenomenon expresses the deep aspiration for material wealth among the Chinese peasantry that will one day reap huge rewards for Western brands that can learn to position themselves correctly. New Appointments for B2B InternationalTuesday, August 31st, 2010  As B2B International expands its operations around the world, the most recent office opening earlier this year in Shanghai, Director of International Operations Matthew Harrison says: “we are delighted that we’re strengthening our North America and Asia-Pacific teams. As the number of clients grows, so too does the need for more experienced and talented researchers.” Guan Jingyuan joins as research executive in B2B International’s Beijing office. Jingyuan, a bi-lingual Chinese national, has previously worked for Shell in London, UK. A skilled qualitative researcher, she has undertaken research projects for several multinational clients across a number of different industry sectors. Her clients include the likes of Shell, Air Products, International Paint, HR Certification Institute, Etola and DSM, and she has experience researching the fine chemicals, education, agriculture and renewable energy markets. In the USA, Cristin Malone is appointed as a research analyst in the New York office. In her role, Cristin analyses both qualitative and quantitative data, designs questionnaires, moderates and manages online focus groups, and develops presentations for clients. An experienced market researcher, her previous work has included developing syndicated multicultural attitude and purchase behaviour reports, and conducting primary research for major cable, satellite, and Telco operators, TV networks, Internet companies, and technology developers. B2B International Opens its Doors in ShanghaiWednesday, June 30th, 2010  B2B International is pleased to announce the opening of its new Shanghai office, complementing its Beijing office which opened in 2006. The company has expanded its China operations to Shanghai to meet the growing demand for business-to-business market research among Chinese and foreign companies with headquarters in this important city. The Shanghai Expo, which runs between May and October this year, has generated global interest in Shanghai and is expected to receive 70 million visitors. It has meant a massive investment in the city’s infrastructure and has created huge commercial opportunities for companies across a range of industries. Asia Business Development Manager Mark Hedley explains, “The excitement in Shanghai created by the Expo this year has led to a huge growth in interest in the region from foreign businesses, both as an investment location and as a rapidly growing market for foreign produced goods and services. The addition of a Shanghai office to complement our existing Beijing operation extends our fieldwork coverage across the country and enables our consultants to better meet the needs of companies interested in China’s potential.” To find out more about how B2B International in Shanghai can help with your research needs, please email shanghai@b2binternational.com or call directly on +86 (0)21 5117 5860. « Previous Entries Next Entries » |
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