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China Digital Trends, Year of the Rabbit Report - Zaheer Nooruddin

The document analyzes the evolving digital communication trends in China for 2011, noting significant advancements in social media, mobile technology, and new consumer behaviors. Key trends include the reactivation of lapsed corporate social media presences, the rise of infographics for data communication, and the integration of social commerce with e-commerce. The document emphasizes the need for companies to adapt to real-time engagement and leverage mobile platforms to effectively reach their target audiences.

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11 on ’11 China Digital Communications Trends Year of the in the Rabbit. Burson-Marsteller China. March 2011. Digital Insight Series.
20*10 @ Tiger The year 2010 proved a milestone for digital penetration, communications, marketing and innovation in China. With rich media stories such as the continued ascendancy of Renren and Kaixin001, the fevered speculation around Google‟s „exit‟ from China, the start of new social concepts such as Location- Based Services [LBS] and Group Shopping the coming of age of Social Media as a mainstream channel for communications and marketing in China was writ as de-facto by the end of 2010. Perhaps the most interesting trend was the phenomenal rise of Sina‟s microblogging platform – Weibo, leading to spectacular issues, online crises, rumors, gossip, and more dynamic ways for businesses to market and communicate. Looking back.
20*11 @ Rabbit Many companies in China still continue to struggle with the new realities of the real-time “Social” Web. Social technology advancements have so fast and furiously altered the landscape of corporate reputation, brand management, public relations and market influence. Burson-Marsteller‟s Corporate Social Media Study, published last November, revealed how large organizations and multinationals, particularly, have yet to sustain cohesive strategies around Digital Engagement and Social. This is likely to change quickly over the next two years. If 2009 and 2010 was a period of “digital foreplay” for companies at large, then 2011 and 2012 are pegged to be the year of “digital embrace.” Evolving strategies and presences.
*11 @ Digital Embrace Defining future communications trends is never an easy task. Nowhere is this more true than on the world‟s largest and most dynamic internet market, with over 460 million internet users, actively participating and spending more time on the web than anywhere else. 2011 promises to be an even more interesting year. Of course, China is a vast country, filled with a diversity of consumer behavior and experience – from international metropolis‟ like Shanghai and Beijing, to tier 2 and 3 cities. But there are predications we can safely make, based on our understanding of China‟s fascinating digital communications landscapes. Zaheer Nooruddin Lead Digital Strategist zaheer.nooruddin@bm.com New technology adoption.
@ China Net Microblog Trends
1. Presence re-activation According to Burson-Marsteller Asia-Pacific‟s 2010 Corporate Social Media Study, while many companies rushed to establish online presences in 2007 and 2008, more than half of these lapsed into inactivity. Below, you can see a screenshot of Sinopec‟s abandoned Sina Weibo presence. In 2011, re-activating lapsed presences and launching new, more targeted ones by businesses will be a trend. Realizing that Social Media is here to stay, companies that first adopted social media presences early on but without cohesive social strategies will try again.
2. Infographics Data visualization take center stage in how key information is communicated to stakeholders in 2011. Why? Because in a world where information overload for customers, clients and colleagues is a critical issue, nothing works better. Why use infographics? We know that the Internet has made the sharing of data and information easier than ever. Great, right? Well, not always. This onslaught of numbers, statistics and facts can leave some people more confused than when they started, meaning you lose their attention. Infographics visualize complex data, turning into a digestible byte, meaning that data is more likely to affect change in an audience. In China‟s cluttered digital information highway, standing out is the key to being heard- infographics can help do that.
3. Private social networks Dogged by issues of data security and control, companies will increasingly choose to invest in developing their owned social web sites within which to engage their audiences discreetly – retaining strategic control of the experience. P&G‟s “BeingGirl” social site, created to engage a young, female audience around issues of beauty, have gone a long way to prove that private, branded social networks are a smart strategic bet for businesses.
@ China Net User Trends
4. Social-savvy execs Like their western peers, CEOs and executives in China will realize the need to open and curate their own presences online – expect more sustained Executive Blogging than ever before in 2011. . And it looks like they‟re already on their way - 3 of the top 20, 5 of the top 30 and 10 of the top 50 microbloggers on Sina Weibo are executives. Google China‟s former CEO, Kai-Fu Lee, is widely known across China, not as the president of Innovation Works, but also as a famous online personality. Lee is a popular personal blogger and microblogger- his microblog is ranked #9 on Sina Weibo. Lee also runs a popular website to help young Chinese people with their careers in IT.
5. Networked mobility The rise of the Smartphone in China, by all projections, is set to be staggering. According to statistics from Enfodesk by the end of 2010, the number of mobile Internet users in China had grown nearly 19% from the same period in 2009, reaching 288 million; the market is now valued at over RMB 63.7 billion. As more consumers connect to the net via mobile and use apps to share and connect, more opportunities for targeted messaging and pervasive experiences by businesses will be available then ever before. Ericsson projects this number exploding to 800 million by 2015.
6. Online presence integration This year, those companies that have been worked hard at building their social footprint will finally integrate these channels with their corporate presences. SNS pages and externally hosted blogs will become increasingly visible on corporate websites. Who wins? Everyone. The online shopping site Taobao makes it simple to share your recent purchases with your network through various social media - showing your friends what brands and products you support.
@ China Net User Trends
7. Social search Paid search and technical SEO is just a step in the battle for content visibility online. Companies will understand this point and invest more in targeting audiences via the seeding of digital messaging wherever they live online - in SNS and forums. The potential and power of searching for information in real-time using the social web has recently been thrust into China‟s spotlight as netizens tapped into social networks to reunite missing children with their parents. Dr. Yu Jianrong, a professor of the Chinese Academy of Social Science, set up a Sina microblog account encouraging netizens to post photos of missing and young beggars. To date, the microblog has posted 1,000 photos, gained 100,000 followers and reunited six children with their families.
8. Location-based comms Tencent and Sina‟s services. With Nokia‟s 250 million China customers and the influence of Tencent and Sina on Chinese netizens, this is sure to grow the power of LBS in China. Today, there are around 30 location-based service (LBS) companies on the Chinese web. And, according to Analysys International, by the end of Q3 2010, these sites claimed between three and four million active users. As location-based networks grow, companies will market products using these platforms and services – adding relevance to their marketing campaigns like never before. A relative newcomer to the LBS scene is qieke.com, a rebranded travel site, which is currently compatible with iOs, Symbian and Android phones. Qieke has partnered with more than 100 brands, including Lenovo and Starbucks, to offer special deals and discounts for users who check-in to certain locations. According to the company, the site already has 1 million users, 100,000 of which are active.
@ China Net Usage Habits
9. Social Commerce According to CNNIC, the number of online shoppers in China increased by nearly 50% in 2010 to 160 million users. Science and Technology Daily pegs group sales in China is already a RMB 409 million industry. The convergence of social networking and shopping began last year with China‟s largest e-commerce portals developing social networking features. As of June 2010, only 6% of these buyers were using group buying services, but 80% had plans to Fast to adapt: Renren. China‟s try them in the future. largest social network, quickly moved Social commerce, to introduce “group shopping” driven by group features. Having launched in March shopping, will gain in of last year, Taobao‟s group shopping 2011. site, ju.taobao.com, had sold over RMB 200 million worth of products to over 5 million users. Perhaps the We‟re just beginning to most striking sale of the year was see the power and scale when the site sold 205 Mercedes- of group buying in the Benz Smart Cars in just 3 ½ hours. China market.
10. Mobile “domain”ation According to CNNIC‟s February 2011 statistics, 66% of China‟s 457 million Internet users accessed the web via mobile phones. With the ascendance of the Mobile Experience as a primary enabler of influence, communications and marketing, companies will begin to stake their claims on customer attention by seriously investing in mobile web strategic presences like never before. One company that is an early adopter of the Mobile Web is Ctrip.com, a travel planning site. Ctrip launched the mobile version of its website, m.ctrip.com, in April of last year. The new site allows users to easily book flights and hotels across China through their mobile device. Continuing its commitment to mobile options, Ctrip officially launched three application options for users - Google and Nokia apps can be downloaded directly from the site, while the iPhone app is available on the App Store.
@ China Net User Trends
11. Better Intel & Analytics Fueled by the adoption of smarter online monitoring and intelligence services, companies will for the first time in 2011 take charge of their online analytics, measuring digital programs against ROI in more meaningful ways in the bargain. CIC, a provider of social media intelligence, has teamed up in November with Sina Weibo to leverage the incredible amount and quality of content on the microblog. The partnership “is expected to lead to new models and methodologies to bring value to enterprises via social media intelligence and analysis.”
11 Digital Comms Trends. Presence re-activation Infographics Private networks Social-savvy execs Networked mobility Presence integration Social search Location-based comms Social commerce Mobile “domain”ation Better analytics
Sources 1. Presence Reactivation • Burson-Marsteller Asia Pacific‟s 2010 Corporate Social Media Study http://www.slideshare.net/bursonmarstellerchina/bursonmarsteller-asiapacific-social-media- study 5. Networked Mobility • Tencent Digital: http://digi.tech.qq.com/a/20110214/001092.htm 7. Social Search • The Age: http://www.theage.com.au/world/chinese-parents-tap-into-social-media-in-search- for-missing-children-20110210-1aojm.html 8. Location-based Comms • Wall Street Journal: http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2010/12/22/checking-in-china-sees- rush-of-foursquare-imitators/ • Tech Crunch: http://techcrunch.com/2010/02/23/location-based-services-revenue/ • Penn-Olson: http://www.penn-olson.com/2011/01/30/nokia-sina-tencent-location-based- service-in-china/ 9. Social Commerce • Marbridge Consulting: http://www.marbridgeconsulting.com/marbridgedaily/2010-11- 05/article/40556/cnnic_china_has_140_mln_group_buying_site_users • China Internet Watch: http://www.chinainternetwatch.com/843/taobaos-juhuasuan/ ; • China Daily: http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2011-01/20/content_11888955.htm • Science and Technology Daily: http://www.stdaily.com/kjrb/content/2011- 01/12/content_265267.htm • CNN: http://www.cnngo.com/shanghai/shop/taobao-sells-205-benzes-just-over-three- hours-653638 10. Mobile “domain”ation • China Internet Watch: http://www.chinainternetwatch.com/926/china-internet-users-2011/ • China Hospitality News: http://www.chinahospitalitynews.com/en/2010/04/06/15851-ctrip- com-launches-mobile-website/ • Pacific Epoch: http://pacificepoch.com/china-investment-research/sector/hotels-and- travel/articles/ctrip-releases-new-look-mobile-booking/ 11. Intel & Analytics • CIC blog: http://www.seeisee.com/sam/2010/12/01/p2741 Net Trends Usage statistics: China Internet Watch
Points Of View. Burson-Marsteller China regularly publish digital perspectives on digital and related communications topics. See more at: http://www.slideshare.net/bmasia or http://www.slideshare.net/bursonmarstellerchina
DigiTrendSpotting. For further information on China‟s 11 Digital Trends for 2011, please contact: Zaheer Nooruddin Director, Lead Digital Strategist Burson-Marsteller (Greater China) 86.1471603.0394 Email: zaheer.nooruddin@bm.com Twitter: @BMDigitalChina Chris Deri CEO & Market Leader Burson-Marsteller China 8610.5816.2678 Email: chris.deri@bm.com Twitter: @Chris.Deri
About Burson-Marsteller China Burson-Marsteller, a leading global public relations and communications firm, entered China in 1985 at the invitation of the Xinhua News Agency, becoming one of the first global public relations firms to operate in the People's Republic of China. Today, we provide evidence-based communication and advisory services to clients from our offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu. Burson-Marsteller guides clients towards success in the rapidly evolving and growing China market. Our services include corporate communications, brand and product marketing, issues and crisis management, and government relations and public policy consulting. We provide these services to clients in major industry verticals such as energy, banking, insurance, telecommunications, technology, healthcare, automotive, chemicals, retail, property and fast moving consumer goods. Join the conversation at: