ShanghaiZhan: All Things China Marketing, Advertising, Tech & Platforms

Welcome to Season 2!Today we are talking about creativity in the marketing and advertising industry, and we’re honored to have one of China’s most award-winning Creative Directors, Andrew Lok, on today’s show.  He started his career in Singapore as a journalist for UPI, but decided it was more fun to create news than report it, so he joined the advertising industry.  After stints raising the creative rankings of Ogilvy China, based in Guangzhou and Beijing, he moved to Shanghai, where he served as Executive Creative Director for BBDO.  In 2012, he founded Civilization, based in Shanghai, now one of China’s top independent agencies.  Andrew is among the most awarded Creatives in China and speaks Mandarin, English, and German.  1.  What's with the name, "Loksmith?"2.  What's the most compelling work that you've ever done?  The story of Visa & Pepsi's most famous ads3.  Should young Creatives consider China as a market to flourish? It takes a lot of luck4.  Andrew's beginnings started with telling stories5.  Is VR helping or harming creative stories, or is it telling too much?6.  How music has changed my perspective on storytelling7.  Has social media created greater intimacy for brand storytelling?: Andrew's story of fandom gone crazy8.  Has the style of China advertising evolved and changed as people have changed? 9.  Can emotional ads survive the power of KOLs?10. Origins of Civilization and surviving in China11.  A poem from "I am a Tourist" - about family12.  A/B Test: About Andrew Lok:Andrew on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-lok-b45b413b/Andrew's book of poetry, "I am a Tourist":  https://www.amazon.com/I-am-tourist-Andrew-Lok/dp/1466343877/ref=sr_1_1?crid=30UMH74JKID67&keywords=Andrew+Lok&qid=1674567881&sprefix=andrew+lok%2Caps%2C81&sr=8-1Andrew's song, "Whatever": https://open.spotify.com/track/1oL4LalnvFNC7kNiVMeHJN?si=889953d9d9564893About Civilization:  http://www.civilization.link/en/Pepsi's "Bring Happiness Home":  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQ_B-Nh5bHkFor everything ShanghaiZhan:  http://zhanstation.com/Donate & become a ShanghaiZhan Patron:  https://www.patreon.com/shanghaizhanCampaign Asia:  https://www.campaignasia.com/ShanghaiZhan Theme Music:  by Bryce Whitwamhttps://soundcloud.com/bryce-r-whitwam/bad-cough-syrup?si=cfb30a6e0c0e459da78b912bf60825acBryce on Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/brycewhitwam/Ali on Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/alikazmi/

Meet Annie Su:  she's a full-time marketing executive and part-time foodie.  Originally from Taiwan, most of her career has been in advertising agencies before recently joining the client side.  She spent the prime of her career with Ogilvy, first in Taipei, then Beijing, and finally, Shanghai.   Annie is also the author of 2 books, 1.  日尝时光：下班陪你进厨房  2. 当冰箱：只剩下乌鱼子, books about food, stories, culture, and the human experience.  You learn why Annie has had a successful career in the fine art of listening to others.1.  Food & advertising: how are they connected2.  Cooking food & telling stories:  about Annie's first book3.  Traveling, Conversations & Stories:  about Annies 2nd book4.  A future in advertising?  Annie's advice for her younger self:  Forever Young5.  Join the client or agency after university?:  Annie's answer will surprise youAnnie's book on food & friendship:   当冰箱：只剩下乌鱼子Taiwan Only:  https://www.eslite.com/product/1001110932843108Annie's (蘇宇鈴) book on food, travel & conversations:  日尝时光 (日嚐時光)China:  https://item.jd.com/10026526933108.htmlTaiwan:  https://www.eslite.com/product/1001287122410609About Annie :  https://www.linkedin.com/in/annie-su-758a281b/For everything ShanghaiZhan:  http://zhanstation.com/Donate & become a ShanghaiZhan Patron:  https://www.patreon.com/shanghaizhanCampaign Asia:  https://www.campaignasia.com/ShanghaiZhan Theme Music:   by Bryce Whitwamhttps://soundcloud.com/bryce-r-whitwam/bad-cough-syrup?si=cfb30a6e0c0e459da78b912bf60825acBryce on Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/brycewhitwam/Ali on Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/alikazmi/

Encore Performance:  (Recorded, Feb 8, 2022) - Our #1 most downloaded episode from Season 1! What's the future of influencer marketing in China?  To insights expert Julien Lapka, successful brands focus on influencer groups rather than KOL powerhouses such as Austin Li.  It comes down to uncovering unique insights not often found in databases.  Julien is the founder of Inner Chapter, an agency that turns insights into commercial IP.  Julien is also co-owner of Revolving Door, a speakeasy behind a small coffee shop located near XinTianDi in Shanghai.  1.  Why open a speakeasy, and what's behind the name Revolving Door?2.  How e-commerce has dramatically how you uncover insights3.  Trends in Shanghai should not represent China trends.4.  The 2 Chinas:  Those who work hard to survive & the others who can afford to "lie flat."5.  The rise and popularity of Dystopia6.  Insights Mining in 2022:  Home Visits Still Work the Best7.  Home Visit Insight War Stories:  Turning Tea Leaves into Skin Rejuvenation Post-Surgery Product8.  Data Looks at Past-Behavior - It doesn't predict the future9.  Do Chinese brands have the upper hand? In which categories?10.  Julien's favorite innovative Chinese brand:  HeyTea11.   Building brands that will last needs more than KOLs but influencer groups12.  Connecting "spicyness" to behavioral psychographics - spicy as a stress reliever Julien's Links:1.  Julien on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/julienlapka/2.  Inner Chapter Website:  http://innerchapter.co/3.  The Revolving Door:  https://www.thatsmags.com/shanghai/directory/1799099/revolving-doorFor everything ShanghaiZhan:  http://zhanstation.com/Donate & become a ShanghaiZhan Patron:  https://www.patreon.com/shanghaizhanCampaign Asia:  https://www.campaignasia.com/ShanghaiZhan Theme Music:   by Bryce Whitwamhttps://soundcloud.com/bryce-r-whitwam/bad-cough-syrup?si=cfb30a6e0c0e459da78b912bf60825acBryce on Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/brycewhitwam/Ali on Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/alikazmi/

Season 1's Final Episode welcomes back our #1 most downloaded guest, insights expert, and Founder of Inner Chapter, Julien Lapka.  Julien gazes into his crystal ball and gives us some "healthy" predictions for 2023 and gives suggestions for marketing during the tough times. And despite the recent opening of Zero Covid, Julien remains optimistic for 2023.1.  Why is 2022 his best year of business so far.2.  Moving from brand to product-based marketing3.  Reaching difficult target groups, especially the +55-year-olds, 2022's most sought-after demographic.4.  Product marketing's origins come from e-commerce search results5.  Doing ethnography research during the Covid lockdown times6.  Julien's take on "new normal" product trends:  soul searching & the end of bling7.  Brands can be more proactive in improving people's lives.8. China's upcoming recession:  is this an opportunity for brands & companies?9.  What's driving the recent negative confidence, and when will we come out of it?10. Should brands keep on messages of positivity during tough times?11. A/B Test: Trick Math, China & Innovation!Julien's Past #1 Episode:  https://zhanstation.com/?p=367Julien's Links:1.  Julien on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/julienlapka/2.  Inner Chapter Website:  http://innerchapter.co/3.  Julien's Bar:  The Revolving Door:  https://www.thatsmags.com/shanghai/directory/1799099/revolving-doorFor everything ShanghaiZhan:  http://zhanstation.com/Donate & become a ShanghaiZhan Patron:  https://www.patreon.com/shanghaizhanCampaign Asia:  https://www.campaignasia.com/ShanghaiZhan Theme Music:  by Bryce Whitwamhttps://soundcloud.com/bryce-r-whitwam/bad-cough-syrup?si=cfb30a6e0c0e459da78b912bf60825acBryce on Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/brycewhitwam/Ali on Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/alikazmi/

We've spent a lot of time in the past talking about China's e-commerce boom, but what about traditional trade?  9 out of 10 purchase decisions in China are aided by a trip to the store.  Today we're talking about traditional trade and big retail trends, and we're honored to have Jason Yu, Managing Director for Greater China at Kantar Worldpanel.  You'll quickly learn why Jason is the undisputed expert on China retail.1.  What's the World Panel, and how does it work?  How does it measure e-commerce?2.  Given all the data out through e-commerce, why should brands buy a panel subscription?3.  What are some big trends in traditional trade?  Why are proximity retailers growing?4.  The rise of Sam's Club and membership club wholesaler trade5.  Why is Costco so popular, given that it's not online? 6.  Douyin and Kuaishou's rise in e-commerce and the decline in Alibaba7.  How do people shop in Douyin?  How does it work?  Why is FMCG doing so well?8.  Why isn't social commerce growing outside of China? Are there cultural issues?9.  New product categories in the "next normal". Cat food category is up 22%!10.  How does Kantar define O2O, and what are the big trends?11.  Will we see community group buys continuing post-lockdowns?12.  Do bulk purchases result in brand erosion?13.  Jason's 3 big retail predictions for 2023!14. Any advice for fresh graduates?  Why should you choose the marketing research industry15. A/B Test:  Costco and Stinky DoufuJason Yu on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-yu-496423/About Kantar Worldpanel China:  https://www.kantarworldpanel.com/cn For everything ShanghaiZhan:  http://zhanstation.com/Donate & become a ShanghaiZhan Patron:  https://www.patreon.com/shanghaizhanShanghaiZhan Theme Music:   by Bryce Whitwamhttps://soundcloud.com/bryce-r-whitwam/bad-cough-syrup?si=cfb30a6e0c0e459da78b912bf60825acBryce on Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/brycewhitwam/Ali on Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/alikazmi/

Has China’s obsession with achieving sales targets sacrificed long-term brand growth, or does it matter anymore?   Now with another Single's Day shopping event behind us, we look at the state of brand building in a market dominated by e-commerce sales campaigns.We're talking to Dhiren Amin, currently CMO at NTUC Income, based in Singapore.  H was previously Asia CMO for Kraft-Heinz, based in Shanghai.  Dhiren is one of the most active  CMOs in the effectiveness awards space and is a big proponent of their participation.  1.  Being a regional CMO based in Shanghai under Covid meant 6 quarantine experiences2.  What transfers from China?  Channel Learning & Skill of China Speed3. Will China's new product development innovation impact other markets?4.  Newness in e-commerce comes from the fact it's a 2D environment5.  What's the gap in China's submissions to regional and global effectiveness awards?6.  The path to effectiveness is the development of brand platforms7.  What is the advice for China brands to build effective campaigns?8.  How do brands stay in touch with pop culture?  9.  What do you think it's important to participate in effectiveness awards?10.  Who is doing it right?  Which brand is ahead of marketing effectiveness in China?11.  Tell us about Guanghe -a Kraft-Heinz fermented tofu brand!12.  How do you partner with agencies to make effectiveness campaigns?13.  Is being a CMO in China worth it, even with all the lockdowns?14.  Any advice for brand managers wanting to get ahead in the APAC region?15.  A/B: Test:  Effectiveness, Wisdom, and Shanghai (professionally, that is)Dhiren Amin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhiren-amin-977a8a8/ For everything ShanghaiZhan:  http://zhanstation.com/Donate & become a ShanghaiZhan Patron:  https://www.patreon.com/shanghaizhanShanghaiZhan Theme Music:   by Bryce Whitwamhttps://soundcloud.com/bryce-r-whitwam/bad-cough-syrup?si=cfb30a6e0c0e459da78b912bf60825acBryce on Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/brycewhitwam/Ali on Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/alikazmi/

Can Chinese brands get a voice abroad?  Today we are talking to Jim Fields. He's a social media influencer on YouTube and Bili Bili with tens of thousands of followers - and he recently founded an influencer management platform for Chinese brands going outbound called relay.club, which has just finished a round of angel fundraising. 1.  What is Relay Club, and what problem is it set up to solve?2.  What's the advantage of a China-based influencer service? It's about authenticity. 3.  What are the differences between influencer marketing in China and the West?4.  Is there a difference between how influencers make money on YouTube vs. Bilibili?       (See Jim's video on the subject:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2oowcPatV4)5.  What are the cultural differences in how influencers are used by brands?6.  How does Shanghaizhan monetize its influencers?  It's a labor of love 7.  What about exporting social commerce?8.  What's the best way to budget your allocation on influencers?  Focus on engagement & reach and less on follower count 9.   What's the right influencer strategy?  Scatter or a singular, long-term approach?10.  Any outlandish brand experiences you'd like to share?  How about re-useable balloons?11.  Do we need to re-think the influencer model under Web3/metaverse?12.  I want to be an influencer.  Any advice you can give me?13.  How do you avoid social media haters and toxicity?  14.  A/B Test:  KOLs, TikTok and Real!Jim Field's Links: On YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfjpfd1ZEYBcrv6umNKDANw/featuredOn Bilibili: https://space.bilibili.com/32384384?spm_id_from=333.337.0.0On Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jifields/For everything ShanghaiZhan:  http://zhanstation.com/Donate & become a ShanghaiZhan Patron:  https://www.patreon.com/shanghaizhanShanghaiZhan Theme Music:   by Bryce Whitwamhttps://soundcloud.com/bryce-r-whitwam/bad-cough-syrup?si=cfb30a6e0c0e459da78b912bf60825acBryce on Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/brycewhitwam/Ali on Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/alikazmi/

What's new with the sports fashion industry in China?  Now at $45 billion US annually, it continues to expand and grow.  Everyone is getting into the game, including luxury brands.  Gucci, Prada, and LV are all getting into street fashion to attract younger targets.  And with the strength of local brands, will market leaders Nike and Adidas weather the storm?We are talking to Gavin Lum, who's spent the last 14 years in China working for leading agencies and brands, all dedicated to the sports industry.  Gavin previously worked at the agency Weiden + Kennedy before moving to a career at Adidas. He currently serves as Digital Brand Director at Lululemon China, based in Shanghai.1.  What got you into the sports fashion industry?2.  Why is the luxury industry getting into the sports game?3.  How has the industry been impacted by Covid-19?  There are 2 sides...4.  What's with sports apps like KEEP?  Do they have global ambitions?5.  Gamification of sport and the importance of social media6.  What's the reason for the rise in local brands?  Will the big boys survive?7. But there are still opportunities for niche brands...8.  How do you balance sports and fashion?  Is performance still necessary?9.  A/B Test:  Laksa, Tokyo & Lululemon!Gavin on Linkedin:   https://www.linkedin.com/in/gavinlum/For everything ShanghaiZhan:  http://zhanstation.com/Donate & become a ShanghaiZhan Patron:  https://www.patreon.com/shanghaizhanShanghaiZhan Theme Music:   by Bryce Whitwamhttps://soundcloud.com/bryce-r-whitwam/bad-cough-syrup?si=cfb30a6e0c0e459da78b912bf60825acBryce on Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/brycewhitwam/Ali on Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/alikazmi/

Is China still a great place to study?  Despite our differences, some institutions keep the spirit of positive collaboration between China and America alive, and one of them is NYU.  We spoke to NYU Shanghai's Vice Chancellor, Jeffrey Lehman, about the globalization of education.  Why, despite Covid restrictions, should students consider China a place to study?  1.  Shanghai to Shenzhen:  what's China's big draw?2.  What's NYU Shanghai about? What makes it different?3.  The magic of the Chinese student/foreign student split 4.  The difference between globalized education and studying abroad5.  Employee training and the role of universities:  should there be more collaboration?6.  Why is university tuition so high?  What can be done about it?  Jeffrey has some ideas.7.  Why, after all the lockdowns, should parents send their kids to China to study?8.  A/B Test:  Supreme Court switching, Katz Deli, and the Detroit TigersJeff on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreylehman/NYU Shanghai:  https://shanghai.nyu.edu/NYU Shanghai on Twitter:  @nyushanghaiNYU Shanghai on LInkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/school/nyushanghai/For everything ShanghaiZhan:  http://zhanstation.com/Donate & become a ShanghaiZhan Patron:  https://www.patreon.com/shanghaizhanShanghaiZhan Theme Music:   by Bryce Whitwamhttps://soundcloud.com/bryce-r-whitwam/bad-cough-syrup?si=cfb30a6e0c0e459da78b912bf60825acBryce on Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/brycewhitwam/Ali on Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/alikazmi/

Tom Hui Young talks about his real passion, the metaverse, and how it will change how we live, shop, work, and interact with products.  Tom is a molecular biologist but, his true passion lives in the human experience in a virtual world.  If you thought the metaverse was about geeky Mark Zuckerberg avatars and bulky Oculus glasses, this is the episode for you!Tom is an innovator, software architect, data scientist, futurist, runner, and entrepreneur. He holds a Ph.D. from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology. Tom has spent a long time researching virology, molecular biology, and genomic health, co-founded a digital health startup, steered data science and AI at Accenture China, and is most recently running the data and AI function at Unilever China as their Global AI Director and North Asia Data Head. 1.  What is the metaverse, and why is it important?2.  Wait for the innovative leapfrog or the "iPhone Moment."3.  Tom's bold prediction: a bet for 1 Bitcoin!4.  What motivates a Ph.D in molecular biology to get into the metaverse?  A special moment in the car!5.  Who will control the metaverse from getting out of control?  You have to wait...6.  What services will be the initial metaverse products?  What about online retail?7.   Ali's dystopian fears and Tom's reassurance.8.  Benefits of the metaverse:  working together, medicine9.  Who's leading the metaverse platform in China?10.  Tools in the metaverse: blockchain & NFTs - what's the future in China?11.   Metaverse and the democratization of experience12.  Does your company need a "Metaverse Dept"?13.  Any predictions that keep you awake at night?  "Beam Me, Up Scotty"14.  A/B Test:  Bitcoin, Bitcoin, and Bitcoin!Tom on Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-young-phd/For everything ShanghaiZhan:  http://zhanstation.com/Donate & become a ShanghaiZhan Patron:  https://www.patreon.com/shanghaizhanShanghaiZhan Theme Music:   by Bryce Whitwamhttps://soundcloud.com/bryce-r-whitwam/bad-cough-syrup?si=cfb30a6e0c0e459da78b912bf60825acBryce on Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/brycewhitwam/Ali on Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/alikazmi/