Last week, I posted questions I was asked about China’s youth and my answers. Please click here to get caught up if you missed that post.
Today, I will post a couple follow up questions I was asked. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at angie.chan@hk.starcommedia.com.
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Q: How important is it to understand the concept of “tribes” when marketing to Chinese youth? Do tribes make it easier or more difficult to market to Chinese youth? How do Chinese “tribes” differ from “tribes” in other countries, and what implications does that have for marketers?
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One way China youth tribes differ from tribes in other countries, is in their history. Today, we see China youth with their skateboards, or their dance crews, or their indie music … but tribes in other countries, let’s use the US, started small, and over time, grew as a movement, as youth picked it up along the way and added, shaped and molded it to what it has become today. There’s a history and a legacy attached to tribes. However, when we look at Chinese youth and the ‘tribes’ that they have built up, they are predominantly taking a see-and-emulate approach. They see the skateboarding culture and tribes from the States and they emulate it, without necessarily understanding its history and how it came about. Similarly, fashion lovers – especially those of luxury brands – purchase these brands because they see others carrying that brand of handbag, but they don’t know where the product originates from, how it was made or the surely extensive history of the fashion label.
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In China, the idea of ‘tribes’ differ in that Chinese youth are still exploring what they like, who they are, and what they stand for. They are in their own personal quest toward identifying their interests. That’s why it is not uncommon for Chinese youth to dip in and out of various tribes and areas of interest, or to belong to several simultaneously. In contrast to US youth who steadfastly proclaim their allegiance to one tribe (e.g. skater, boarder, street, emo, etc.), Chinese youth may belong in several at once.
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For Chinese youth, what they get the most out of tribes are experiences. In China, experiences are their social currency; it’s what they talk to their peers about and having the most experiences, or knowledge gives them a leg up in their social circle.
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For a thorough article about Chinese youth tribes from Campaign Asia (I’m quoted in it also), please click
here.
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I believe the implication of this upon marketers is simply not to be short-sighted in their thinking; to look beyond ‘tribes’, and focus on ‘experiences’ that lead to China youth gaining social currency. Marketers must understand the dynamic Chinese youth have with the internet and how they communicate on it… how they treat the internet as an extension of themselves. Anything they write in forums/BBS/social networks will be seen by a multitude of others. Marketers should be asking themselves how they can tap into this chatty, fast-talking, experience-desiring group of influencers and designing experiences their brand can get behind.
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Q: What are the biggest mistakes marketers make when trying to reach China’s youth?
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I believe the biggest mistake marketers make when trying to reach China’s youth is two-fold.
The first is that they tend to treat China’ youth as a homogenous group, when in reality, this couldn’t be further from the truth. The youth we seen in Beijing and Shanghai aren’t reflective of Chinese youth as a whole, especially when considering geography and tiers. Top tier youth are vastly different from lower tier youth – in product consumption, lifestyle, desires, and media usage. Assuming that all Chinese youth are aspirational and wish to live the life of youth in the big cities is incorrect, as is assuming that all Chinese youth wish to emulate a Western lifestyle.
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When marketing to Chinese youth, marketers need to understand tier differences (especially now that many companies are looking past the top tier cities in which they already have a foothold, recognizing the spending potential in lower tier cities).
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Another mistake marketers make is looking at China youth superficially, without understanding the greater truths that shape the way they are and their actions. We know that only in recent years have Chinese youth really stepped up and are allowing their creative sides to show. However, do we know why this is and how the past has shaped this change (think: cultural revolution, focus on economic gain, rote memorization taught in school, no encouragement of the arts, etc) and how the Chinese government has vowed to pay more attention to the arts and put more money into this area? Knowing the full picture will lead to better and more impactful strategies and messaging.
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Research Methodology
Much of the research I speak about was done in-house through Starcom China with our research method, Surveillance. Surveillance melds both qualitative (in-homes, shop-alongs, hang-out sessions, etc.) and quantitative techniques in order to get a very well-rounded and thorough picture of who China’s youth are. We are also launching the findings of our Yangtze Study soon – this is our deep-dive into the lives of lower tier Chinese consumers – how they live, what they purchase, their media habits, lifestyle choices, mentality, aspirations, etc.
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