Chinese customers know what they want. They love rich and entertaining digital experiences, quality Western brands and luxury goods. This makes the market particularly appealing to western brands that offer ‘heritage’ and high-end products, such as watches, bags, couture and designer fashion and jewellery.

But when your eCommerce brand is new to marketing in China, and potentially has a limited budget to make an impact, how can you compete with the big brands in China?

The answer lies in a threefold approach:

1. Starting small
2. Testing at every stage
3. Evaluating the results and adjusting performance on a continuous, systematic basis.

Additionally, the old adage about ‘failing to prepare, preparing to fail’ holds true here. Even the smallest, newest Western eCommerce brands can enjoy success if they put in the research, think strategically, plan well and use the right tools and expertise to deliver highly targeted campaigns of the highest quality. An investment in preparatory customer and market research will never be a misplaced one!

Additionally, every brand will have a different offer, slightly varied operating model and route to market, and different objectives. With this in mind, every marketing plan will vary and be tailored to suit these unique factors. However, at Market Me China, we would tailor-make a strategy depending on your brand, objectives and budget. In general, the following activities are recommended for success:

1. Build a Chinese microsite

Your Chinese microsite is essential to success and will form the digital hub that underpins your entire Chinese online marketing campaign. With this in mind, the site should be built to appeal to your customers’ user journeys (which tend to be different from the typical user journeys undertaken by Western customers.) Begin with your user persona, to really understand who your ‘ideal’ Chinese customer is. Using this, create targeted content in Chinese, and consider your imagery carefully so that it is relevant, aspirational and appealing to your audience. Make sure you have integrated payment platforms that are familiar in China, such as AliPay, WeChatPay and UnionPay. It’s also important to test your site beforehand with user testing, in order to iron out any issues before you go live. Naturally for such a hyper-connected audience, your microsite will also need to be mobile-friendly and responsive, and it will need to load quickly in order to rank favourably on Baidu, China’s leading search engine.

2. Use online PR for ‘noise’

If your brand is new in China, the right online PR campaign will help to create a buzz and raise awareness and interest in what you have to offer. Remember that Chinese people are generally suspicious of official media outlets, so the right trade, consumer and independent news platforms are viewed as providing useful recommendations and value to this audience, who like to carry out their research before they buy. With the right online PR campaign, you will build trust in your brand, see its recognition and reputation grow within the right market segment, build its value, and leverage the power of Word of Mouth marketing.

3. Set up the right social media accounts

Social media in China is hugely popular, with a large number of platforms that include WeChat, Weibo, DouYin, YouKu, Little Red Book and many others, including niche and subject or audience-specific social media sites. You’ll need to set up a brand presence on the right social media channels to reach your target audience and consider how you might use Key Opinion Leaders, or KOLs, for sponsorship or partnership arrangements. There are KOLs for every brand, every product and every budget, and a Chinese marketing agency can help you to broker the deal. Social ads are another important area to get right, particularly the use of WeChat ads, which can be carefully optimised to reach your target audience – without breaking the bank! Additional features are also available to brands for their marketing, depending on the social media platform. This can include anything from short videos and tip-sharing through to private messaging and group hosting, and direct e-commerce functionalities. As ever, the help of a Chinese digital marketing agency can be invaluable here, as ad campaigns on platforms such as WeChat and Baidu (see below) are created and managed in Chinese.

4. Run Baidu PPC campaigns

Baidu is the Chinese equivalent of Google, and just as crucial to your online marketing success. A good Baidu PPC campaign will allow you to rapidly build an online presence by showcasing adverts alongside relevant searches. In China, online advertising is seen in a positive light; as something of value, which denotes a reputable brand. A good Baidu PPC campaign will use your budget effectively to drive qualified traffic to your website – resulting in everything from leads to sales, depending on your objectives. However, the key to success lies in setting the right, targeted parameters in the system, which is of course in Chinese – and then constantly measuring the results of your campaign to implement ongoing micro-adjustments for maximum ROI.

Find out more

Market Me China works with Western e-Commerce brands. Our digital marketing experts blend marketing expertise with native Chinese language abilities to offer measurable value to our clients. Our team can work with you at every stage of your journey towards Chinese marketing success – from market research and campaign planning, through to post-campaign evaluation and analytics. We offer flexible, bespoke services according to every need, supporting your in-house resource where it exists – and delivering an entire marketing service for you where it doesn’t! During this current period of Covid-19, we are also working virtually with our clients to deliver the same high-quality marketing services, whilst maintaining safe business operations. To find out more, please contact us on a no-obligation basis to discuss your needs.

The post How Western eCommerce brands can compete with big brands in China appeared first on Market Me China®.

Research and plan

Brands which see a healthy return on their Chinese digital market activity will invariably have carried out a significant period of planning and research beforehand. Yes, the nature of online channels means that it is possible to adjust digital campaign parameters quickly and easily – but not before you have begun to spend!

To avoid this situation, really pin down the fundamentals of your campaign. Who is your target Chinese audience? What does the user persona of your customer look like? What are your audience demographics? What are the objectives of your campaign? Are you looking to sell online via an e-commerce model, or to generate enquiries for a more prolonged sales cycle (such as for a higher education brand or a B2B brand.) By answering these questions, you will have a strong starting point for your campaign planning.

Remember too that a Chinese marketing agency can add real value to this process, by guiding your research and planning and matching up the outputs with the right Chinese digital marketing channels.

Start with your Chinese website

A localised Chinese website is essential to act as a cornerstone for your digital activity. If your budget can stretch to a new build specifically for the Chinese market, then this is the recommended route. Chinese consumers tend to follow different user journeys online than Western consumers and they respond to different calls to action, content, graphics and presentation. If your budget doesn’t stretch to this, it is still possible to achieve good results with website localisation activity. For example, you could use localisation to accurately and contextually translate your existing content, and then create fresh ongoing content which really resonates with your Chinese audience going forward. Or, you could build a Chinese landing page or microsite to start with.

Look at Chinese social media

Chinese customers love social media! There are dozens of popular social media platforms in China and they are hugely sophisticated and engaging; often working as entire digital eco-systems where users can post and share content, leave reviews, create videos, network privately, engage with brands, buy in just a few clicks and carry out specific functionalities such as ordering food and taxis, creating digital avatars, enjoying online quizzes and ordering custom products which they design online. Whatever your creative marketing campaign aspirations, there will be a social media channel that can deliver it – and a Key Opinion Leader (KOL) who can help you…

Find your KOL

Speaking of Key Opinion Leaders, or KOLs’, these powerful social media influencers are a must for successful China digital marketing. KOLs have large followings of Chinese internet users who share interests and demographics, and KOLs will work with brands who are relevant to their follower base. The biggest and most prominent KOLs charge thousands for a single post, but there are always more affordable influencers who will have a relevant fan base and the ability to provide value for your brand. Market Me China can help you to find the right Key Opinion Leader for your brand and broker the relationship for the best returns.

Create your online advertising campaigns

For rapid incoming traffic to your landing pages, a good online marketing campaign on Baidu is a recommendation for many brands. When the right keywords and parameters are used these campaigns can be very effective and give good results. It’s worth noting that Chinese internet users are more responsive to online advertising than Western consumers and they see it as a mark of trust, credibility and quality. Chinese customers have usually been stung by counterfeit domestic products, so quality Western brands which invest in online advertising are seen to be attractive. Worried about getting lost amongst bigger brands? Careful targeting will make all of the difference, along with ad optimisation so that quality, relevant traffic ends up on the correct page of your website. Market Me China can assist you with the process, as Baidu advertising is all administered in Chinese!

Organic Search on Baidu

SEO is essential in China to rank favourably on Baidu and other, smaller, search engines. This is a longer-term strategy, but – again – with time, focus and consistent work, it is possible to build a good ranking for your target keywords.

Online PR

If your brand is new to China or if it involves a longer purchase cycle (think, higher education or travel as examples), good ePR can help to position your brand in reputable publications that your customers trust. From advertorials and press releases through to peer-to-peer content and Word Of Mouth (WOM) strategies, your PR activity will amplify the success of your digital marketing activities. Furthermore, it will build the visibility and credibility of your brand in a country when this kind of power translates into sales.

Measurement and results tracking

Of course, to know whether your marketing budget is being applied to the best effect, it is essential to measure the results of your digital marketing activity. Success in the Chinese digital market will depend on applying the right blend of tactics and activities at the right time and to the right people. With ongoing measurement across platforms and regular adjustment of your campaign tactics, you can optimise your results. Again, this can be best supported by a Chinese marketing agency who can carry out full reporting on your behalf, navigating the various digital platforms that your brand uses, and evidencing progress towards your marketing goals.

Find out more

Ready to get the most from your marketing budget and to plan a highly-performing digital marketing campaign in China? Our team of digital marketing experts can help you to leverage your spend for the best possible results. We work on a flexible, responsive basis according to your needs and can support all elements of your online marketing activity, from campaign planning through to delivery and post-campaign evaluation. Please contact us on a no-obligation basis to find out more.

The post How to enter the Chinese digital market on a budget appeared first on Market Me China®.

Timing-wise, it’s also interesting to note that China is already starting to come out of its quarantine period, and early economic indicators suggest that it is experiencing a rapid market rebound, with pent up demand and supply both being released at speed. Just look at the flagship Hermès boutique in Guangzhou, which raked in a whopping $2.7 billion in one day of re-opening, as VIPs flocked to the designer store for bags, shoes and other high-end fashion items.

With this in mind, let’s take a look at how Western brands can position themselves for success in a world adapting to Covid-19.

Which sectors can benefit?

A sizeable number of sectors can migrate from offline to online delivery. For example:

– Retail businesses can grow their e-commerce provision
– Education establishments can offer online courses, such as MBAs which are always popular when delivered flexibly online.
– Brands can create profitable new revenue streams by selling digital assets such as images.
– Travel brands can encourage Chinese customers to start thinking about their post-lockdown travel and holiday plans.

Case study: JD.Com

Already, around 20 Western luxury brands have taken steps to open e-commerce stores on JD.com, the Chinese e-commerce platform, since concerns about Coronavirus began to take hold across the world. For example, by far, the Italian designer fashion brand, sold 65% of its stock in just four days, and around 90% within a month of creating its online store at JD.com.

Practical steps to take

Do your research

The lucrative Chinese market is growing and changing all of the time, with demographics that evolve as the economy becomes more globalised. The impact of the Coronavirus is likely to change these factors again; particularly when it comes to factors such as disposable buying power and attitudes towards media content. Now is the time to carry out research to better understand the unique needs, wants and desires of your target Chinese customers.

Choose the right platforms for e-commerce

Chinese e-commerce marketplaces such as Tmall,  JD.Com offer various advantages to Western brands wishing to develop their e-commerce capabilities fast, from ready template stores through to flexible fulfilment options and bespoke Covid-19 support programmes for their business customers. Chinese social media platforms also offer ecommerce integration; whether that’s through an in-app prompt within Little Red Book, or linked via advertising on a platform such as WeChat. Assess which platforms are right for your brand and set up your store for a ready route into Chinese e-commerce.

Think social

Every Western brand needs a strong presence on Chinese social media. Chinese customers will spend hours on their favourite platforms, whether that’s to consume, create and share content, network, post reviews, contribute to forums or engage with brands. There are dozens of Chinese social media platforms, from the giants such as WeChat, Weibo and YouKu through to Little Red Book and DouYin (TikTok). It’s important for Western brands to create official accounts on the platforms that their Chinese target audience and to create fresh, relevant and meaningful content. Remember, content is arguably even more important in China than it is in the West, so it’s a time investment well worth making.

Pick your KOLs

Use this time to think ahead and assess whether you are getting the most from Key Opinion Leaders. Whatever your industry and budget, there will be a KOL for you. These powerful online influencers work with brands on a partnership basis to carry out a variety of promotional activities, such as product placement, reviews, recommendations, competition launches and so forth. A Chinese marketing agency can help you to find the right KOL and broker a sponsorship arrangement that will give your brand the right exposure and return.

Get your website in shape

Do you have a Chinese language website that has been built for your Chinese audience? Are you creating bespoke content or translating your Western brand content? Do you have an app for your Chinese audience? Are your landing pages working, and are your user journeys optimised for Chinese user needs and online behaviours? Now is the time to develop your digital assets so that they are primed and ready to go once the Chinese economy is fully open for business again.

Look at Baidu PPC and SEO

Now is also a good time to ramp up your PPC advertising and SEO activities with Baidu. Once your website is optimised, set up targeted online PPC campaigns and begin to invest in long-term white-hat SEO that will build your brand’s rankings against relevant search terms. Again, a Chinese marketing agency can help you to do this in the right way, to set goals and to measure the effectiveness of your campaigns with performance analytics.

Consider your ePR

Chinese customers tend to distrust official media outlets but they are keen to consume quality content that adds value to their lives, and they enjoy excellent branded content that is fun, relevant and meaningful. A good Chinese ePR strategy can place your brand and its messaging in the right print and online media publications and ensure that it is seen by your target audience. This is essential to build your brand sustainably and to gain credibility and a strong reputation.

The Chinese marketing help that you need

Market Me China works with Western brands who are keen to build their presence profitably and successfully in China. Whether you operate in education, travel, retail or another sector, our team of digital experts can help you to craft and deliver a Chinese digital marketing strategy that provides measurable returns. Please contact us to find out more.

The post How to market to Chinese online users in the Post Covid-19 world appeared first on Market Me China®.

Things to know about Chinese online PR

It’s inevitable that Chinese online PR will have some differences with PR in Western markets. Some valuable points to keep in mind are:

1. Chinese customers naturally trust authoritative voices and peer-to-peer recommendations, perhaps more so than in the West.
2. For successful Chinese online PR campaigns, factors such as Chinese online behaviour and cultural differences need to be taken into account; both for user journeys and for content planning.
3. There are 800+ million Chinese internet users and the audience is highly-sophisticated, increasingly middle-class and active on their smartphones. Again, these facts must be considered within your strategic PR plan.

Taking your online PR in China forward

These steps will be of use as you plan your approach.

1. Define your key messages and brand tone of voice

These may need testing with your target Chinese audience, especially to ensure that regionalism, cultural values and other localised factors are taken into account. Key messages that work with a Western audience may not automatically translate as successfully with a Chinese audience.

2. Define your objectives

Chinese online PR can be used to build brand recognition, to grow a reputation in the Chinese market and to support Word of Mouth (WOM) marketing in China. It helps to be clear on your objectives before you begin to deliver work; in order to best measure success.

3. Create content

Yes, you can translate existing content, but it runs the risk of failing to engage with the Chinese audience and falling foul of socio-cultural variables. Just look at beauty products as an example. Many Western customers value a golden tan; but in China, women aspire to have bright, light skin. This type of knowledge makes all the difference between a successful online PR campaign and one that falls flat. There are two recommended ways to approach your content, depending on time, aspiration, resource and budget:

a) Website localisation

Where content already exists in English, some Western brands will seek to translate it for their Chinese audience. Website localisation is an approach that translates and localises a website by ensuring that text, images and videos are correctly translated in a way that is culturally and technically sound, as well as being correct. At Market Me China, we carry this service out for our clients by providing three benchmarks for the best possible localisation results (cultural customisation of content, Chinese UX and translation quality). We can also provide benchmarking against competitors operating in a similar space, to give a more objective assessment of your website’s likely performance in the Chinese market.

b) New targeted content

Other Western brands will seek to create fresh, organic content that is completely bespoke to the Chinese target audience and optimised for Baidu SEO. At Market Me China, we create hot topics and branded press releases as two key examples. There are plenty of opportunities to create this content using trending topics, keywords, national holidays, Chinese events and value-adding subjects that Chinese readers are likely to share.

4. Place content accurately

With over 800+ million internet users in China and countless websites competing for their attention, it’s vital to place content on the right platforms where it will be seen by your target audience, such as portals, vertical media, forums, Q&A. This involves local research and analysis to ensure the best use of your budget and potential return. We also work with Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) to ensure content is shared to the right networks.

5. Optimise content ranking

There are strategies that can be employed to optimise the ranking of published content on third-party platforms. This Baidu off-site SEO is typically delivered by experts in the field, with specific local knowledge about the algorithms that Chinese search engines such as Baidu employ to favour certain types of content over others.

Your Chinese PR content will need to be published carefully across a chosen mix of third-party platforms, primary portals, vertical media and industrial forums. Additionally, it will need to be placed onto Baidu word-of-mouth platforms such as Baidu Post Bar (Baidu Tieba) and Baidu Q&A.

Do this accurately and your efforts will gain measurable marketing value. The voice of your brand will become widely trusted, authoritative and influential amongst your target Chinese audience; gaining their respect and preference. As your audience searches online in China, it will then see your content and learn more about your brand as it engages with your content.

Planning your timing

When working with our Western clients on Chinese online PR campaigns, we recommend first building a Chinese website before launching the PR activity. This ensures that the brand messages you share across the internet are providing the right visitor experience and matching the brand tone of voice on your landing page with Chinese content that your reader can understand and engage with.

Building a Chinese website for your online PR campaign

The right website will allow you to become a digital hub for your Chinese PR and marketing campaigns. Things to consider include:

– Hosting your Chinese website in China or Hong Kong for local accessibility
– Arranging a Chinese domain for credibility (and considering the right hosting location for accessibility and regulations.)
– Testing for optimum Chinese user experience
– Ensuring that the website’s structure and content is Baidu-friendly for SEO gains

Using expert help

Market Me China are an expert Chinese marketing agency with experience in Chinese online PR. We work with Western clients of all sizes and across a variety of industries to generate a measurable return on their marketing budget. Working as an extension to your existing marketing resource, our team partner with your leads to truly understand your business and marketing objectives, in order to create intelligent, impactful and results-driven Chinese marketing. Whether you need assistance in creating accurate and engaging Chinese content or help to craft and launch an end-to-end Chinese PR strategy that supports a Chinese market campaign, we are here to assist – and our customer testimonials speak for themselves! Please contact us for a no-obligation chat about how we might help you.

The post 5 ways to succeed at Chinese online PR appeared first on Market Me China®.

How Chinese tourism trends are changing

Talk about the tourism industry and increasingly it centres on Chinese tourism. In fact, China provided the highest volume of outbound destination tourism in 2013 at 97.3 million, and the highest level of overseas expenditure in 2012 at $102 billion, making it the new leader for outbound tourism on a global scale. It is also estimated that 20% of world travel will be undertaken by Chinese tourists by 2023, driven by domestic changes in the tourism market, greater affluence and a growing middle class and profound social changes that are transforming the country. If you’re serious about growing your destination to new visitors, it’s time to take the Chinese market seriously, and this means gaining a keen understanding of its features, characteristics and needs.

Where Chinese tourists want to visit

The top destinations for Chinese tourists span the UK, USA, Europe and Asia. In Europe, their preferred destinations include France, Italy, Spain, Germany and the United Kingdon. In Asia, hotspots include Japan, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia. Other popular outbound destinations are the Maldives, Russia, UAE and Australia.

What are Chinese tourists looking for?

As a broad national group, their needs are varied and offer plenty of opportunities for effective marketing and proposition creation. Key search terms from Chinese tourists include island destinations, foodie holidays, nature and exploration, family fun and outdoor sports. They love five-star hotels (and can afford them) and enjoy getting away during the peaks of the Chinese summer and winter to avoid excesses of heat and cold. Relaxation and recuperation feature highly as requirements, as do in-depth cultural and local experiences and broad urban leisure attractions, from shopping and museums through to entertainment and dining. Interestingly too, tourism preferences are now including greater unique individual experiences and less reliance on group package travel, perhaps reflecting a rapid confidence in solo travel and the ability to craft tailored experiences through excellent local service provision (a key marketing message for tourism providers!).

Why successful Chinese tourism needs a multi-channel marketing strategy

Tourism businesses must successfully employ a multi-channel marketing strategy that includes China’s own key channels – remember, Google, Facebook, Twitter and Western equivalents aren’t available in China. It’s vital to also have rich knowledge about the target groups you are aiming to attract – knowing for example that Chinese tourists tend to book their trips 3 months in advance, are often female and upper or middle class, and are more likely to fly to a destination with a direct flight link to their own city.

Here are 7 tips we would like share with you.

1. Website optimisation

Chinese tourists are comfortable booking their travel and tourism services via their smartphones and other digital devices, so be sure to optimise your Chinese website to be fully responsive. Offer a translated alternative to local language content so that Chinese users can learn about your services in their native language. Also, don’t forget to make sure your Chinese website is user-friendly to Chinese tourist.

2. Search engine marketing in China

Baidu is the leading search engine in China with a market share of almost 80%. It offers multiple advertising products, including Baidu PPC and a BrandZone on a CPT auction model with a conversion rate of 50-80% AC Nielsen has reported that this feature can deliver a 78% rise in purchase intent. It is wise to invest in SEO and PPC activity which targets your key market demographics and which ensures local keywords are embedded into your own digital content to help elevate your search rankings for relevant terms. Online advertising is available to businesses, but it requires a lot of complex administration to navigate – something that we can assist you with at Market Me China.

3. Chinese social media

Social media marketing is vital, and WeChat and Weibo are vital platforms on which to build a destination tourism presence and to engage with potential visitors. Chinese tourists use social media platforms to help with their travel decision-making process in the pre-purchase phase. Travel brands can interact with users, reply to comments and messages, share rich content, launch competitions and deliver targeted advertising campaigns. The first step is to set up an official account on the right Chinese social media platforms, and then begin to share expertly crafted content, imagery, video, reviews and other engagement approaches.

4. Influence marketing / KOL marketing

Key Opinion Leaders – or KOLs – must be considered for their ability to influence opinion and intent via social platforms like WeChat and Weibo. Akin to Western influencers, they can be engaged with individually to soft promote, test or advertise services to their followers.

5. PR & travel forums

Tourism brands must build ePR strategies across key platforms such as TripAdvisor and Mafengwo – the Chinese equivalent. This means creating shareable, value-adding content, engaging with journalists and platform owners and being innovative, authentic and knowledgeable in your approach to meet the needs of your target audience. Chinese users also heavily use online travel forums to discuss travel options and to seek advice and views. Tuniu, Mafengwo and Qyer are good platforms to look at and to build a brand presence upon.

6. Online travel agencies

The key Chinese online agencies include Ctrip, Qunar and eLong, as well as Mangocity and Tuniu. It is vital to have your tourism service registered on these sites, as well as to consider targeted advertising to reach Chinese tourists. For smaller and more niche tourism service providers who don’t have the budget to compete for advertising space against large players, there are other specialist agencies which are worth considering for highly targeted advertising.

7. Offline marketing

Don’t forget the value of offline marketing channels either – which are as diverse as cinematic advertising through to Out of House advertising.

Remember, the Chinese market has different needs for messaging, content and imagery, and local expertise must be applied with consideration to regionalism, language and other segmented factors. The market as a whole is expected to segment greatly in the coming years, meaning that access to local expertise will be key to success. As an example, timing of campaigns is vital to ramping up demand before key holidays such as Chinese New Year, Summertime and October Golden Week, and regionalism is vital when considering language used by Chinese geography, age, social class and other demographics; all factors which are challenging to navigate without specialist and professional Chinese destination marketing expertise.

Ready to market your destination to Chinese tourists? Get in touch!

If you are responsible for destination marketing and keen to learn more about this fascinating market, the rich potential on offer and the strategies that you need to employ to gain market share for your own holiday hotspot, then we are here to help. As the experts in Chinese marketing, we can help you to craft the expert marketing strategy that leads to those all-important conversions, whilst building your destination brand and awareness in the China market. Whether you are seeking to enter the Chinese tourism market with a fresh destination proposition or are seeking expert help with your Chinese online marketing, we will be delighted to assist you. Please get in touch to find out more.

The post 7 tips for China Outbound tourism success: How to market your destination to Chinese tourists appeared first on Market Me China®.

History of Hilton Hotels in China

Increasing brand awareness has long been part of the Hilton strategy for China. As well as catering to a large and growing market of domestic tourists, the brand wants to create a strong impression. In less than a decade the number of Chinese citizens travelling abroad has grown by 5.5 million. Hilton want to make sure that there is only one brand in mind for Chinese travellers looking for somewhere to stay whilst abroad.
While many major companies were playing it safe during the tough years of the financial crisis, Hilton identified the strong growth potential in China. In 2011 Hilton had only four hotels in China; by the end of 2013 there were almost 50 (source: China Business Review).

Adapting to the Chinese market

Meaning ‘welcome’ in Chinese, the Huanying campaign is a program specifically designed to cater to the needs of Chinese guests. On launch it was adopted by over 50 locations. Based on extensive research, hotels taking part in the Huanying program are equipped to offer everything the Chinese traveller needs to feel at home and looked after whilst abroad.
Hotel front desks are staffed by at least one Mandarin speaking staff member, while rooms include two pairs of slippers, a welcome letter in Chinese, an electric tea kettle (so that guests can boil rice or noodles) and a Chinese language television channel. The hotel breakfast menus have also been updated to include traditional Chinese dishes, including noodles, fried rice, and dim sum (source: Hotel News Now).

Award winning Chinese PR campaign

In 2012 Hilton’s Huanying launch campaign won PR Daily’s Best PR Campaign in the $100,000+ category (source: PR Daily). The program tied into the brand’s aim to become the hotel destination of choice for Chinese travellers whilst abroad. It had several aims, as not only was it important to build awareness with Chinese travellers, it was also important to gain the support of senior government officials who make the travel policies.
The program was launched to the media, agencies and dignitaries at an event at Hilton San Francisco Union Square which was also broadcast live across the world. The event was reported in publications such as the China Economic Times, and gained a total circulation of 261.2 million copies. The launch event was replicated in China, in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou (source: American Business Awards).
The Hilton commissioned a study from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London into the impact of Chinese tourism on Europe, creating valuable data. This was presented at a special event in London, which attracted almost 40 VIPs from the travel industry, including members of parliament and tourism government officials. The event generated almost 4.5 million media impressions. The campaign has created a strong relationship with the Chinese press – the number of Chinese reporters enrolling in the Hilton’s press release distribution program increased by 45% in the wake of the campaign.
As well as gaining widespread exposure, the Chinese PR campaign saw an increase in bookings. Hilton hotels participating in the Huanying program saw an increase in room bookings, rates and revenue which hit double digits.

How to do Chinese PR like Hilton Hotels

While you may not have upwards of $100,000 to spend on campaigns, the true success behind the Hilton’s efforts relies on the same basic principles you can use when marketing to China. The company took the time to understand the market and identify the needs and wants of Chinese travellers. Once they had created an offering that catered to the market, they used a number of PR strategies that focused on building relationships, not only with potential customers, but also influential figures and the press. These are all things you can do with a fraction of their budget.

(Image source: Image created by lemonade | www.freedigitalphotos.net)

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In order to run a successful Chinese PR campaign, you need to remember these key tips.

Identify challenges and set clear targets

A Chinese online PR campaign can be complicated and requires thorough planning. It is therefore vital that you understand any obstacles in your way and set clear targets. Knowing what you want to achieve will help you to track progress and measure your success.

Clear targets helped Adidas achieve success in a major PR campaign for the women’s volleyball team and the Beijing Olympics. Its aims were to create youth involvement in volleyball and give the team members star power. All PR activities – such as giving the team a makeover and carrying out a glamour photoshoot – were geared towards achieving these aims. As a result the team was featured in high profile magazines, the perception of the team became more positive, and a large number of people viewed the campaign’s online content (source: Prezi).

Use a Chinese copywriter

It goes without saying that you should never use an online translation tool, but getting your English marketing copy translated verbatim by a professional is only marginally better. The Chinese language is full of intricacies. There are many characters which look alike, and words which sound alike. A talented copywriter, well-versed in the language, can create interesting and engaging text that helps to bring your brand’s values to the Chinese people.

Understanding the breadth of possibility in the Chinese language has helped major brands to adopt domestic culture. This allows them to connect with their potential customers. For instance, many companies have different names in China: Nike’s Chinese name translates as ‘overcome obstacles’, a powerful, on-brand message for their target market.

Make it local

Chinese consumers may desire western goods, but in most instances they trust Chinese sources. Demonstrating local connections helps to show that you are trustworthy. One good way to do this is to include quotes from your local suppliers, partners, customers or brand ambassadors. Among other things, this will help increase the likelihood of a website choosing to publish your press release.

Create brand ambassadors

As mentioned above, a local connection helps to build trust. Chinese consumers are clearly going to feel more inclined to listen to someone they have heard of. For major western companies, this is not a problem as they have the resources to bring on board major celebrities. While you likely cannot afford an international star, you can create worthy brand ambassadors in a number of ways. Social media is a great place to start – simply building connections with relevant bloggers and Weibo users can help your messages to reach their fans and followers.

(Image source: Image created by digitalart | www.freedigitalphotos.net)

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