ShanghaiZhan: All Things China Marketing, Advertising, Tech & Platforms The Dark Side of the China Media Business
Jun 7, 2025
F. B. is an insightful author whose memoir unveils the murky depths of China's advertising world, revealing the cutthroat nature and rampant media fraud. In the discussion, he shares how brokers manipulate media deals and the business advantages they create. The conversation dives into cultural conflicts within agencies and the industry's evolution towards more transparency. F. B. also addresses the potential for reform through financial auditing, providing a candid look at the harsh realities faced in the Chinese media landscape.
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Role of Media Brokers
- Media brokers in China secure better rates due to close ties with media executives, sometimes family ties.
- They act as resellers with aggressive sales tactics, offering clients lower prices and kickbacks.
Media Planning Compromised by Rebates
- Media planning in China often involves forcing specific media allocations to secure rebates from platforms.
- Global and local teams clash over this, with data sometimes falsified to ensure positive reporting.
Cultural and Global-Local Conflicts
- Cultural factors and global-local team conflicts influence media corruption in China.
- Expatriates tend to avoid corrupt practices more than local staff due to future career risks.
