Spotlight: China
About this series
The WARC Spotlight China series focuses on a timely industry topic facing brands in the market. It comprises a capsule collection of commentary, tackling the topic from a range of angles. Contributors to the series are industry experts with first-hand knowledge of the market in focus, offering current on-ground insights to what’s working or developing.
Outbound marketing
For Chinese brands going abroad in the coming decade, having an exclusively sales-oriented mindset is no longer sustainable. Outbound marketers must move from deploying a variety of Chinese-style techniques in advertising and sales promotion to ultimately understanding Western or native consumers. What challenges do Chinese brands face on the global stage? What mode of entry is most often used to access the international market and why? What are the factors critical to success in brand development globally? Despite the uncertainty of the international economic environment, Chinese brands have not stopped “going abroad” in a COVID-shaken world. As change is the only constant in outbound marketing, it is important for ambitious Chinese enterprises to be more diversified and flexible in their strategies. The barriers to overseas expansion are manifold, so brands can gain invaluable insight by localizing the product-market-fit for target audiences, getting rid of flawed assumptions, and restarting with a beginner’s mindset.
Deep-dives
Realme transitions from 'savage growth' to brand-driven focus
Source WARC China
Honor splits from Huawei to safeguard tech competitiveness amid escalated US sanctions
Source Havas China
Huawei goes beyond a 'value for money only' image in CEE region
Source Huawei
Chinese companies expanding abroad to focus on localised production, cross-cultural branding, supply chain security
Source Kotler Marketing Group
Is it worth building a brand presence on Snapchat for China's outbound brands?
Author WARC China
Test the waters on overseas social media with a "limited brand exposure" approach
Author Shoplazza
Unlocking insights from the entire shopper journey with Amazon Marketing Cloud
Author WARC China
From discovery to purchase: The role of community commerce
Author WARC China
Why programmatic DOOH advertising should be part of China's outbound marketing strategy
Author WARC China
How Chinese tech can break through in the West amid concerns over trust and awareness
Author Publicis Groupe
Realme CMO Xu Qi: Five major opportunities in the global smartphone industry still exist
Author Claire Zhang
Interview with YesWelder: Innovation comes from trial and error
Author Cindy Gu
Cultural adaptability behind Midea's air conditioning campaigns in the West
Author F5
Creating awareness of Chinese games in the highly competitive Korean market
Author Yeahmobi
Identifying operational barriers for Chinese firms building digital capabilities overseas
Author Sarah Jia
Company WARC China
How to inspire and excite overseas players in SLG, RPG and hybrid-genre games: Twitter report
Author WARC China
New ways to benchmark performance on Instacart and score instant advantage
Author WARC China
Seize the holiday season in North America and make good use of integrated media
Author The Trade Desk
How the ‘reseller + DTC’ model of a Chinese 3D printer brand works
Author Shoplazza
MG Motor returns to Europe to sell cost-effective EVs under new Chinese parent
Author SuperHeroes
The 2023 outlook for Chinese brands going global: be proactive, boost resilience
Author TikTok for Business
In the ‘overseas 3.0’ era, it’s time to foster Chinese-style trust in foreign markets
Author Sarah Jia
Company WARC China
Aligning marketers and influencers: Shifting perspectives on influencer marketing across the funnel
Author WARC
How to build a differentiated strategy for China's new energy vehicles going outbound?
Author eclicktech
Overseas opportunities for Chinese brands in the outdoor sports track
Author Ipsos China
Analysis of challenges and risks for Chinese firms entering United States and Canada
Author Linkedin
Difficulties and dilemmas facing China‘s merchants in cross-border e-commerce
Author 大数跨境
Will 2023 be the pivotal year for Chinese enterprises to accelerate going global?
Author Bailian.ai
TikTok influencers do more than just sell stuff or clear inventory for Chinese sellers
Author 4KMILES
Returns are profit killers that Chinese Amazon sellers cannot ignore
Author 4KMILES
How will the next decade look like for China's consumer goods expanding overseas?
Author Ipsos China
SWOT analysis and strategic suggestions for Chinese animation reaching foreign viewers
Authors 周汉章、吴越、程钰涵、储照胤、王嘉妮
Beyond China's borders: The potential of the partnership economy
Author impact.com
Outbound marketing 101 for China’s brands
Author Jenny Chan
Brand in action: Air China's Land Your Dream campaign
Source Mediacom
Case study: Alibaba Group's Alizila in the US
Source Alibaba
Case study: DiDi Drivers’ Legends at the Wheel in Mexico
Source Initiative
Case study: TikTok unleashes the Unlikely Influencer in Indonesia
Source M&C Saatchi
Case study: TikTok‘s '#Benerserunya - The Right Joy' campaign in Indonesia
Source M&C Saatchi
Case study: TikTok‘s #CreateForGood campaign in MENA
Source The Classic Partnership
Case study: TikTok Middle East designed and developed The Hive – a virtual event space
Source ByteDance FZ LLC
Case study: TikTok's Making Every Second Count campaign in Singapore
Source Allison+Partners
Case study: TikTok's Mat Kar Forward campaign in India
Source Kinnect
Case study: TikTok's Ramadan campaign in UAE is based on true stories
Source ByteDance
Case study: Tiktok Snacks training program gets you the 'I speak TikTok fluently' badge
Source ByteDance
Case study: TikTok's Where Fans Play campaign for UEFA EURO 2020
Source Zenith
Brand in action: Haier India's The Upside-Down Solution campaign
Source Famous Innovations
Brand in action: Honor India's 'Yeh Diwali HONOR Wali' campaign
Source GenesisBCW
Brand in action: Huawei Mobile's Nova2i 'I GOT U' campaign in Myanmar
Source TODAY Ogilvy & Mather
Brand in action: Huawei Turkey's 'Seeds For The Future' live hackathon
Source Wavemaker
Huawei reacted to Trump administration ban by launching a crisis cabinet
Source BCW
Huawei completed Schubert's famous Unfinished Symphony using AI in Mexico
Source Huawei
Brand in action: Huawei UK ends 'Battery Strife' with 'Recharge Your Mates' campaign
Source Mischief PR
Huawei’s back-to-school campaign in Turkey retargets existing users who viewed but did not buy
Source Wavemaker
How Huawei took a bite out of Apple in share of search in UK
Source Wavemaker
Brand in action: Huawei's 'The Frequency of Love' campaign in Italy
Source MSL
Huawei created campaign around England football manager Gareth Southgate’s waistcoat for FIFA World Cup 2018
Source Mischief PR
Jack Ma Foundation launched its 2022 Africa's Business Heroes philanthropic competition
Source Alibaba Foundation
Lenovo expanded brand image from that of PC company to service-led technology leader in APAC
Source Zeno Group, WE Communications
Lenovo APAC capitalises on its strong marketing fundamentals, despite downturn
Source WARC India
Brand in action: Lenovo ISG‘s 'Decoding 37 trillion cells' campaign in India
Source WARC
Brand in action: Lenovo's 'Equality Spell Check' campaign in MENA
Source Wunderman Thompson Dubai
Lenovo created metrics to gauge performance of new & crucial business unit: Solutions and Services Group
Source WARC
Lenovo's first documentary: From the world's factory to the world's engine
Source WARC
Lenovo’s Kind City Project showcased effective use of technology to improve urban life
Source Zeno
Lenovo’s ’Work For Humankind' on Robinson Crusoe island is a different sort of WFH campaign
Source Lenovo
Brand in action: How Lenovo Asia stays ahead with sustainability
Source Lenovo
Brand in action: OnePlus India generates interest in Z2 earbuds with ASMR ad on JioSaavn
Source JioSaavn
Brand in action: Oppo's 'The Ultimate Internship' campaign in Australia and New Zealand
Source Oppo
Brand in action: Oppo's 'Beyond the Portrait’ campaign in Myanmar
Source Bulb Myanmar
Brand in action: Oppo increased awareness of its Reno3 Pro Smartphone with India’s biggest drone light show
Source Oppo
Brand in action: Oppo's 'Empower Every moment' campaign for Find X5 Pro in Western Europe
Source Oppo
China brands go global as economy moved from production-driven to consumer-led
Source R3
Vivo attracted 74 new advertisers for its mobile ads platform in Brazil
Source Young & Rubican
Polestar went from being unknown to 4th best-seller of EVs in Belgium
Source FamousGrey
WeChat launched WeRemit in HK to help Filipino and Indonesian domestic workers send money home
Source Tencent
Brand in action: How Xiaomi won over India with its “less is more” approach
Source Xiaomi India
Brand in action: Xiaomi‘s 'MI for India' campaign tackles reputation and business obstacles
Source Xiaomi India
Xiaomi catches up with brands such as Apple, Samsung and RealMe via Mi 10T Pro in Philippines
Source Havas Ortega Group
Xiaomi produced Mi Pass10n Project to vie with smartphone heavyweights in Philippines
Source Havas Ortega Group
Brand in action: ZTE aimed to disrupt US smartphone duopoly with Axon M launch
Source Grayling
What can internationalisation bring to Chinese companies?
Source Daxue Consulting
10 common mistakes Chinese companies make when expanding overseas
Source Daxue Consulting
10 perspectives that define the China's outbound brand movement in 2024
Source Totem
Cross-cultural communication: Transcreation is no longer just about language
Source RF Thunder
Three outbound marketing tactics to overcome game publishers’ biggest hurdles
Source MediaMonks SH
What we know about multinational marketing
Source WARC
How can Chinese brands activate the marketing value of the 2024 Olympic Games?
Source Yutang Sports
Shein looks to India and Mexico in diversification push
Source WARC
Brand in action: How Genki Forest plans to be the next Coca-Cola
Source WARC
Meta’s growth has been fuelled by China e-commerce platform spend
Source WARC
China's Hisense top performing in paid search among TV brands for Walmart
Source WARC
Marketplace to watch: Temu (and key takeaways for CPG brands)
Source Edge by Ascential
Cultural hybridity: The future of branding in a glocalised world
Source Cherry Blossoms Intercultural Branding
Gen Z consumers in US are the most open to Chinese brands
Source Morning Consult
C-beauty brands not as sellable in overseas markets as K-beauty and J-beauty
Source Euromonitor
How Haier achieved overall growth in the pandemic between 2019 to 2022
Source Euromonitor
From an exporting/selling mindset to a branding mindset: The thinking behind globalisation
Source Wavemaker
How Chinese auto brands can keep a steady course in overseas markets
Source Wavemaker
Tencent's lessons from making Chinese games popular in Japan
Source Games Industry
2024 whitepaper on 'deep globalization' of Chinese outbound brands
Source Morketing Research
A study of consumer perceptions and market opportunities for Chinese automotive brands in Southeast Asia
Source Vero, WeBridge
Brand in action: China’s Honor on why being innovative and being bold are essential to success
Source WARC
Brand in action: China’s Catlink on why the Internet of Things can be the future of petcare
Source WARC
Brand in action: Lenovo’s three principles for connecting with Gen Z in US and New Zealand
Source WARC
More Spotlights
Harness the power of KOLs and KOCs (Chinese)
March 2023
The melee of leveraging influencers as a marketing strategy in China
The Economic Aftermath of 'Long COVID' (Chinese)
July 2022
Taking stock of China's state of marketing in the 'Long COVID' era
China's Covid Response (Chinese)
May 2022
A marketer's battle against the Omicron variant of COVID-19
Feb 2022
Synergistic ideas for Chinese brands going global
From Omnichannel to Omnipresence
December 2021
Shows how brands can level up in the ‘new retail’ movement
DTC (Direct-To-Consumer) Disruptors
June 2021
Being fluid and innovative make DTC brands more than just fads
Crafting Culture-Relevant Marketing
December 2020
The key to resonant marketing in China: cultural sensitivity
The changing growth equation in China
May 2023
Is it the end of the "demographic dividend"?