Understanding China 101 for Western Marketers

A recent article in Adweek, "Why China Is a Viable and Enticing Option for Marketers," contains valuable observations for U.S. franchisors seeking to make inroads or expand into China, the world's largest consumer market. The article is by Colin Kinsella, CEO North America of Havas Media Group, who recently visited China with his management team to better understand the market's nuances and potential for Western businesses. Here are a few excerpts from the full article, which is available online.

1) "There was no better way to absorb and understand the market's nuances and potential than to bring our North American management team on an immersive trip to Shanghai, Beijing, and Hangzhou to better understand what a future may look like for Western businesses. What we found out was by turns eye-opening, sobering, and thrilling."

2) "It's an incredibly complex market to understand and penetrate, not only because of its size but the reality that it's both mature and still figuring its way out, the result of opening itself to Western business while still maintaining a centralized iron grip by its government."

3) "For starters, the scale of everything in China is nearly overwhelming. More than 1 billion customers live and consume in extremely modern and technologically sophisticated ways (at least in China's growing number of cities with sizable populations). They think, act, and consume mobile-first, having skipped over much of the first digital revolution experienced in the U.S. Even more appealing, unlike the U.S. and many European countries, China's middle class is actually growing and eager to keep consuming as it discovers new levels of comfort and buying power."

There's more - a lot more. Find additional observations and advice from Kinsella in the full article.