Marketing China

In this episode, we dive into a fascinating shift in China's consumer landscape: the "Not Going Home for Chinese New Year" phenomenon. Based on insights from Coolio Yang, we explore why nearly 19 million people engaged with this topic on social media—not as a protest, but as a quiet revolution in how the holiday is celebrated.

We discuss:
• The Shift to Intentionality: Why established professionals are swapping extended clan gatherings for nuclear family trips to coastal destinations like Sanya.
• Curating vs. Rejecting: How consumers are keeping the symbolism of the festival (the food, the renewal) while opting out of the "emotional labor" and invasive questions often found in traditional reunions.
• The New Gifting Logic: The transition from mianzi (face) to xin yi (genuine care), where practical gifts like gourmet meal kits and health supplements are replacing purely prestige items.
• Brand Implications: How smart brands are adapting to a holiday where "home" is no longer a fixed place, but a state of mind.

Join us as we unpack how the Spring Festival is evolving from a singular, prescribed ritual into a constellation of personal choices.
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Did you know Adidas China allegedly lost a staggering $2.8 billion (19.5 billion RMB) to marketing corruption and kickback schemes? In this episode, we dive deep into the explosive scandal rocking the advertising world, where GroupM executives are facing charges and commission rates have skyrocketed to 25%.

We explore the unique, often opaque dynamics of the Chinese media landscape that made this possible—from the dominance of super-apps to extended payment cycles that force agencies to act more like financiers than marketers. You’ll learn how "media buying" has morphed into "financial engineering," including shocking examples where agencies buy their client’s own stock to fake ROI numbers while destroying brand value.

Finally, we break down the structural flaws creating a "race to the bottom" in the industry and discuss what brands should actually be looking for: true content-channel fit and comprehensive performance attribution, rather than just cheap traffic.

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What happens when a marketing expert stops playing it safe and starts betting their own money on a client’s success?.
In this episode, we dive into the disruptive world of Coolio Yang, a marketing consultant who walked away from guaranteed service fees to embrace a "zero fixed fee" model. We explore the "football coach" dilemma—the fundamental misalignment where agencies get paid regardless of whether the team wins or loses.
By investing capital directly into client media and content, this new model replaces traditional "client satisfaction" with pure market performance. We discuss:
• The Power Shift: Why "skin in the game" creates instant trust and the freedom to tell the brutal truth.
• The 10x Reality: Why the workload triples when you move from being a "tutor" to "raising the child".
• The High Stakes: Navigating the "crazy" risks of losing real money and managing intense cash flow pressure.
• The Perfect Partner: Why this model only works for brands with market validation and "founder chemistry".
This isn't just about marketing; it’s about redefining professional accountability and building partnerships that actually mean something in an era of uncertainty.
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Is your marketing team ready for the hyper-evolved, AI-accelerated landscape of 2026?
The era of simply "writing copy, buying ads, and checking dashboards" is officially over in China. As we look toward 2026, a critical talent gap has emerged: effective marketers must now be equal parts technologist, data scientist, and product manager.
In this episode, we dive deep into the eight non-negotiable technical competencies global brands need to screen for to survive and thrive in China’s unique digital ecosystem. We explore:
• AI Agent Orchestration: Why building autonomous workflows in platforms like Coze or Dify is replacing manual tasks.
• The Shift to GEO: How Generative Engine Optimisation is changing the search game on Xiaohongshu and Doubao.
• Profit-First Strategies: Moving beyond ROAS to focus on POAS (Profit on Ad Spend) to ensure true business sustainability.
• Privacy & Attribution: Navigating PIPL-compliant server-side tracking in a post-cookie world.
• Ecosystem Mastery: Automating the WeChat (WeCom) customer journey and orchestrating Shipinhao (Channels) matrix strategies.
Whether you are a hiring manager at a global brand or a marketing professional looking to upskill, this episode provides a roadmap for navigating the complexities of China’s technical marketing requirements.
Stop hiring for 2022. Start building your team for 2026.
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Brand crises in China are no longer anomalies; they are part of the operating reality. In this insightful episode, we explore why a wave of sudden reputational and regulatory crises is escalating for both international and Chinese brands.

What starts small can reach millions within hours. We delve into the critical factors driving this intense volatility, including policy resets that reshape entire industries overnight and an increasingly unforgiving economic context. Crucially, Chinese consumer sentiment is highly sensitive: 72% of Chinese consumers would stop buying from a brand they consider politically or socially insensitive—significantly higher than the global average of 47%.

We examine how social media algorithms exacerbate these issues, prioritising engagement and making controversies spread faster (a study found posts tagged with "national interest" are 40% more likely to trend). Furthermore, brands must navigate "grey zones in compliance" regarding data security and advertising language, and global brands often face value conflicts when headquarters push international campaigns. Even domestic champions like Ant Group, Luckin Coffee, and Li-Ning are vulnerable in this environment.

Generic advice is no longer sufficient. Learn the systematic, operationalised approaches needed to institutionalise resilience:
• Implementing consumer pre-testing to detect emotional triggers before nationwide launches.
• Creating a structured crisis classification and response chain.
• Building positive narratives that highlight societal contributions (like Lenovo’s emphasis on R&D hiring).
• Adopting operational separation, where multinationals and Chinese companies run distinct entities to limit market contagion.
• Establishing internal discipline, including social media handbooks and regular crisis simulations, which can reduce reaction times by 40%.

Join us to understand how leaders can move beyond reactive firefighting to strengthen long-term trust with consumers and regulators in this complex market.

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