1. The document discusses trends in Chinese youth culture and how brands can better connect with Chinese youth. It summarizes research findings on changing aspirations, values, and identities among Chinese youth. 2. Specifically, it finds that Chinese youth are seeking comfort, encouragement, and ways to construct meaningful identities beyond materialism. They are also increasingly interested in social issues, defending civil liberties, and expressing national and generational pride. 3. The document recommends that brands provide cultural products that offer relief and reassurance to Chinese youth. It also suggests brands understand and engage with trends like social participation, new forms of individual expression, and grassroots creative culture.

1. Building deeper
connection with
China youth
Presentation at Ypulse Mashup 2010 Preconference
May 24, 2010
San Francisco

2. Who We Are?
1. We are China Youthology, the first youth-focused research-based consultancy in China.
2. We are a group of young people. We grew up in China, We have experienced the rapid change of youth culture, as well as youth
marketing in China.
3. Most of our clients are international giant brands. They have come to China market for more than 10 years. They have achieved
many success in China; they have tremendous experience with the local market.

3. Diversified youth marketing practices in China
1. Marketers in China are trying all new ways of marketing, incl. campus event, online ads, viral marketing, and social media
3
practice

4. The Challenge:
catching the pulse of youth in a fast changing society
1. Questions asked most from clients are: Chinese youth are changing too fast… I find it hard to catch up with them and catch
attentions. Can you tell me where they are going to? Why are Chinese young consumers so not loyal to my brand? How can I
build deeper connection with them?
2. Yes youth change fast all over the world. In recent years, social media has completely changed their relationship with the brands.
In China however, in addition to social media, the rapid growth of economy and the change of social scenes add to the complex
of youth, and make it harder for marketers.

5. To Tackle the Challenge:
A holistic understanding of youth
Social Understanding Culture Intelligence
1. To tackle the challenge, we believe that research need to go deeper in a society as complicated and fast changing as China. We
believe that youth can only be fully understood on the basis of a holistic understanding of them as human beings (rather than
merely consumers) with long-term research.
2. We base our research on sociology for a macro perspective and framework to understand the societal changes and the influence
on youth.
3. We draw from anthropology for methodologies of immersing in the youth community and decoding meanings of their behaviors.
Online and offline, we are with the youth all the time.

6. What do China youth want ?
6
1. As just mentioned, youth marketing in China are in a great diversity of forms. Today we don’t want to talk about the forms or
channels, but focus on the message of communication.
2. I would like to share with you some marketing practices in China, and update you with some fundamental changes of youth. I’ll
also talk about how should brands learn from the changes in youth culture and build deeper connection with China youth.

7. Most commonly used communication message:
1. an ‘aspirational life’
1. In China there has been two dominant communication messages: one is aspirational life, the other is individuality. Today we
would like to re-investigate these two messages and discuss directions for building deeper connection.
2. Let’s look at the first one first, aspirational life, or Status.

8. A 30-year dream about
‘decent life’ constructed by
ideology, economy, and market
Deng Xiaoping:
‘To get rich is glorious.’
1. The message of status is well rounded from a macro perspective: 30 years ago Deng Xiaoping opened the door of China and
declared that ‘to get rich is glorious’. The double digit GDP growth poses no doubt to Chinese people about a long-term, steady
and rapid growth of economy. In the 90s, international brands came to China and brought consumeristic dreams to Chinese
people.
2. Youth’s dreams are constructed around consumeristic aspirations. Asked about dreams, many would answer ‘a house and a car’.
3. Communication of aspirational life has worked well, and will continue to work for majority of Chinese consumers. But it couldn’t
enable deep connection. Young people find low attachment to the brands and switch to other aspirations very easily.
Source: Der Spiegel

9. However… Dreams getting bitter in past
5 years – the unachievable ‘basics’
Bye-bye my big
city dream!
1. For the brands who care to establish strategic advantage through building deeper connection with Chinese youth, it is crucial to
understand what’s changing in the recent years.
2. Until recently the young generation have been VERY optimistic about realizing their dreams.
3. However in the past couple of years, property price soured to sky, social mobility decreased, job market became more difficult…
Chinese economical structure is facing reformation. Great majority of young working adults realized their dreams are hardly
achievable. Even for those who can afford a property on installment, they found their disposable income decreased. University
students are confused and lost.
Hottest youth sitcom Dwelling Narrowness represented living conditions and anxieties of the young generation today.
4. The hottest youth sitcom

10. Feeling
defeated and
insecure
photo from flickr; by Adrian Fisk, iSpeak China
1. In a society where belief system is dominated by consumeristic aspirations, failure to achieve material success means a
complete failure of life.
2. The generation feel defeated and insecure.

11. Responding youth culture
Picture from <0086>
1. The youth still find aspirational images attractive, but they start to look for something to solve the contradictions between dreams
and realties.

12. Constructing a private warm space:
Increasing ‘healing style’ cultural consumption
Japanese Chinese mainstream Chinese grass-roots
Sakamoto Ryūichi <Strawberry Marshmallow> Zhang Xuan, Taiwan indie pop works of local crea've youth Tyakasha
healing style book <
> by Jiang Yanan
Film <McDull> Ray Lei anima'on <The Universe
Marshmallow>
Ruru'a
1. Youth look for solutions to mental balance. They are consuming more cultural products in the style that they would call ‘healing
style’. ‘Healing style’ movies, songs, books, and products give them the feeling of warmth, affiliation, and love.

13. Most shared video on SNS
1. We expected to see the response from brands. But the brands haven’t followed yet in mainland. On the Chinese SNS
Renren.com, one of the top ranking videos is a TV commercial from Taiwan. It tells a story of a young girl who does not have a
successful career nor a rich boyfriend. But she enjoys finding the peacefulness and happiness in the moments of her plain life.

14. Seeking encouragement
/ ‘survival training’
1. Aside from comfort, youth are looking for the power to hold on to their dreams.
2. There are many brand campaigns in universities, however the one mentioned by most of the youth we met is the campaigns by
P&G on practical career training and dream empowerment.

15. Most shared video on SNS
1. Again not many reactions from youth brands yet. Youth found Pantene’s TV commercial from Thailand and shared it many times
to the top ranking list. It is about a story of a blind girl. She made it to realize her dream disregard all the obstacles.
2. You may find it interesting that Chinese youth are looking for content outside of the country. Yes they do.

16. Returning home
1. Last but not least, youth return to family now. Both financially and mentally, they need the support from family and relationship

17. Take-outs:
- Aspirational image/life still
works
- But brands need to
understand frustrations
under the changing macro
context
- Learning from the youth
culture, brands should
provide relief, reassurance,
and encouragement.
youth in Jilin; photo by Go Takayama

18. Most commonly used communication message:
2. ‘Individuality’
photo by fangfang
1. The second most commonly used communication message is individuality, or uniqueness.
2. In China individuality became part of agenda of youth only in the recent 30 years. After the open door of China, youth for the first
time was imprisoned from the collective ideology. They have suddenly got the space to define who they are through the everyday
choices.
3. The whole idea of individuality is coming from the west.. Chinese youth firstly learned to find the uniqueness in themselves from
the western culture and consumption of international brands.

19. Brands as leaders of yesterday,
and followers of today
1. At the beginning, anything that the international brands introduced to China was considered as cool and differentiating.
2. In the recent years, Internet exposed Chinese youth to extremely diversified options and equipped them with capabilities and
platforms of self-expression.
3. Brands started to echo the youth popular culture communicate individuality. From hip-hop dancing, graffiti art, to animation and
gaming, to talent show… all of these elements are used in hope to resonate with youth’s pursuit of individuality.
4. However most of the brands catch on the cool elements without a real understanding the cultural meanings. Brands become the
19
followers of Chinese youth today. And youth found the commercial campaigns less and less attractive.

20. Individuality
evolving from coolness to substance
• Who I am
• What I do
• What I believe
1. What should brands do then? Again, it is time to understand youth as human beings rather than only as consumers because
construction of individuality has gone beyond consumption and mass media entertainment.
2. Listen to the voice that youth are trying to make. Understand that the identity construction of Chinese youth is changing from what
I have to who I am, what I do, and what I believe.
3. Today we are going to talk about 3 major trends of evolving individuality.

21. new citizen: Speak out and
participate in social development
1. The first trend’ is ‘new citizen’. Chinese youth are re-investigating their relationship with the environment.
2. If you check the sns today, among the hottest topics are always social issues.
3. In the events of Olympic, Sichuan earthquake, environmental issues, and social injustice in the past 2 years, the youth generation
acted as volunteers, critics, evangelists, and participants.
4. The economic development has enabled some young people the ‘luxury’ of caring about things outside their own living conditions.
And the Internet has empowered youth to express opinions, exchange ideas, form communities, and make difference.
5. The motivation behind social participation is not conformity as in the past, but individualistic choice to search for meaning of life.

22. ‘Climbing over the wall’ and defending for
private space
1. New citizen is more than charity.
2. The increasingly aggressive Internet censorship has triggered more critical thoughts from the youth.
3. In the recent 2 years, more and more international and local sites are completely or partially censored in China, including
youtube, twitter, google, and the Chinese versions of these… Chinese youth speak out to oppose the censorship through creative
works, and find their ways to walk around Great fire wall.
4. Youth become more conscious about defending for their private space and personal rights. They desire to search for truth.

23. New idol: speaking
out truth, critical
minds, defend for
freedom
Han Han ranked 2nd in ‘2010
‘citizen Han Han’ on CN Time 100 poll’ for most
news weekly influential people of the year’
1. Today, Han Han is the new idol of Chinese youth. He’s a writer and professional race-car driver. He is a harsh critic on the social
issues. His blog has more than 300 million accumulative clicks. It is one of the hottest blogs in China.
2. There are many CSR campaigns in China today. But most of them are seen as ‘dumping money for reputation’. It’s not about how
much money you donate, but about your opinions about the reality and actions to make things better.
3. Youth are voicing out for their opinions about reality. Similar for brands, it’s nothing cool to be cool per se but to have an attitude.

24. Brands haven’t echoed precisely
1. Some local brands signed Han Han as spokesperson. But they don’t seem to understand what Han Han stand for to Chinese
youth. International brands are even slower to catch on the pulse.
2. There are many CSR campaigns in China today. But most of them are seen as ‘dumping money for reputation’. It’s not about how
much money you donate, but about your opinions about the reality and actions to make things better.
3. Youth are voicing out for their opinions about reality. Similar for the brands, it’s nothing cool to be cool per se but to have an
attitude.

25. New Chinese: national pride and
generational pride
1. Through social participation, Chinese youth are re-defining their relationship with the environment.
2. Now let’s look at how they are re-defining who they are through Chinese identity and generational identity.
3. The young generation in China’s big cities has grown up with KFC, Coca-Cola, Hollywood movies, Japanese animations and
games … they are very much westernized. But many have started to look back to China’s heritage for inspiration.

26. Cultural pride and reborn of ‘local’
1. The recognition of Chinese identity is strongly manifested among mass youth as national pride.
2. They are becoming more interested in traditional culture.
3. Old and local brands are reborn and considered authentic and fashionable.

27. Localization of international brands
Pepsi ‘Dare to be Red for China’
1. Many international brands have reacted to the national pride. Some received good feedback.

28. Generational pride
1. What’s less known by brands is the generational pride.
2. The undercurrent: the young generation don’t agree with some of the values of the older generation, but they don’t have the
power to change reality. So they need to find recognition from their peers and claim pride by celebrating their collective memories.
3. The vintage trend is a voice against the over-materialistic society. 2
8

29. 1. Local brands react to this mood better than the international brands. We’ve shared the case of Lining last year. Recently
MetersBonwe, a local fashion brand, released a series of t-shirt in the theme of collective memory. All t-shirts are designed with
local animation characters in 80s. This series sold well. 28

30. ‘expert-consumers’ and
New Geek: ‘cultural influencers’
‘To be obsessed with what you do is the very power that drives you
all the way.’ reads the poster
1. We’ve just talked about youth social participation, and identity pride. Today individuality is more than being cool, but about what
you believe and who you are. The other way to confirm individuality through what you do.
2. Let’s see the 3rd trend of ‘individuality’, ‘new geek’.
3. In the past youth want to be expressive about who they are by putting on visible cool symbols in appearance. But today it’s much
cooler to possess capabilities/knowledge as the ‘alternative experts’ on something.
4. Internet is the major enabler not only for deepened and communitized learning, but also for providing a platform for talent – talent
and beliefs are new social currencies.

31. Geeky consumers and opinion leaders
1. Some mass youth turned into geeky smart consumers. They have strong influence on their peers on purchase decisions through
offline and online interactions. There are geeks on mobile phones, sneakers, skincare, etc.
2. The geeky consumers even became grassroots sellers on Taobao.com, the Chinese equivalent of Ebay. They source good
products and share their knowledge about the category with the online buyers. Young consumers come to them not only for
purchasing but also for learning.

32. Surging creative culture and new influencers
Snapshots of creative works of Chinese youth, pictures from Neocha Edge
1. The more cutting-edge youth are geeking out in their areas of passions. This has become one of the drivers for the surge of
creative culture in China.

33. Leverage grass-roots creative culture
1. While most of the brands are still wait and see if the local creative culture is mature and influential enough. Converse, Nike, and
Swatch started to build connection with the creative community through empowerment.
2. What we are seeing is that youth creative culture is coming into shape in China today. It’s time for brands to leverage them to
connect with youth.
3. There has been a doubt on the influence of the creative culture on mass youth. It’s time to re-evaluate the cliché that China youth
all follow mass media and mainstream celebrities, especially for top tier city youth.

34. Take-outs:
- Individuality is evolving from surface to substance
- Youth are re-investigating their relationship with the environment,
the answer to who they are, and they are voicing out
- Brands should start building their identities with the richness through
listening to and leveraging the youth culture

35. Thank you!
www.chinayouthology.com/blog