Digital & Social Trends in China 2014

BATOVERVIEW
Part1CONSUMER DIGITAL/SOCIAL BEHAVIOR & CONTENT RELATED
Part2BRAND DIGITAL/SOCIAL APPROACH
Part3IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIP & CULTURE
Digital&SocialTrends2014

Part1
CONSUMER DIGITAL/SOCIAL
BEHAVIOR & CONTENT RELATED

Discussion on social for the society
Online relationships back to strong tie
Multi-Screen Consumption Behavior
24-7 Shopping Craze
Sellsumers
LBS for life
Aggregating the video contents
part 1

Part1
Brands that are turning on social
to create events, programs in
order to engage the users.
2.1socialforagooduse
Social for a good use is
answering the user‘s demands
for more care about the social
responsibility. Charity is for
users a social status.
Brands are doing this inline
with their CSR efforts, it is an
effective positive brand image
building, which also have an
viral effect.
Important is that the brand building is
creditable since the users have seen
previous scandals with charity
organizations
Be creative and engage users by
giving them a change to show others
their goodwill
Brands might be willing to combine
sales and charity by giving the users a
change to give while shopping.
implication:
1.1 热点新闻上升到社会问题探讨1.1 DISCUSSION ON SOCIAL FOR THE SOCIETY
Because of the Internet, the news that hasn‘t arouse extensive attention in old days now
can be discussed in public and even become an index to some oversea cases and help to
reveal other historical cases.
No longer do people consider top news as occurrences but like to have a deeper study on
it. They are willing to spread the consensus with a hope to change the society.

Part1
Revealing historical cases
In the open environment of of the internet, one
piece of hot news sometimes brings to mind
similar cases that have been forgotten back into
the public eye
A doctoral student of Fudan University was
killed by his roommate. This hot event triggered
heated discussion about another similar case—
Zhu Ling, a student of Qinghua University, was
poisoned to death over 10 years ago and the
murderer has still not be found.
Many scandals were also revealed on the
internet after a principal was accused
of molesting 6 children in Hainan.
Comparison of domestic events with overseas cases
Netizen compare similar overseas cases with domestic events, to
show the difference in approach and solution.
The two youngest murders in UK aroused extensive attention
after a video was released on internet, later compared with the
local case where a 10-year-old girl threw an infant down a lift.
Playing an active role in leading opinions & enacting change
People who are concerned about particular hot news often try to collect
more relevant information and upgrade it to becoming an open social
issue. They hope to change the law and society this way by affecting
public opinion.
Sexual abuse cases of girls
Huang Yang’ case
The youngest murders in UK
Mass of netizens followed the
updated news of a infant who
was missing thoroughly in a
stolen car and nobody could
tell whether he would survive
or not.
A 10 year old girl throw a baby in a elevator
1.1 DISCUSSION ON SOCIAL FOR THE SOCIETY

1.2 ONLINE RELATIONSHIPS BACK TO STRONG TIE
People enjoy
chatting with their
friends through IM.
Social networks
make interpersonal
relations stronger.

Part1
Communication becoming more fragmented
WeChat is a very quick, momentary communication platform, but it is used at
high frequency, showing that our communication has become more fragmented
on social networks.
Every user has several close groups
The group chat function enables users to form several coteries automatically.
While WeChat‘s Red Packet is a product which enables users to hand out and
take in red packets among friends. It was a hit in 2013 with its person-time
reached 585 thousand times and 121 thousand red packets were taken in the
New Year‘s Eve.
Weak ties becomes a source of information
Compared with WeChat, Weibo has become a platform where users can scroll
through information related to their interests and communicate with strangers
who have the same habits. Weak ties and acquaintances offer more total
information in social networks than strong ties do.
From midnight to 4 pm on Chinese New Year's day, over 5 million people took part in the "Qiang
Hongbao“ (red envelope with money) activity on WeChat. Over 75 million participated, and
more than 2000 Hongbao were taken away. Average 94 000 Hongbao were taken per minute.
1.2 ONLINE RELATIONSHIPS BACK TO STRONG TIE

Part1
1st screen 2nd screen 3rd screen
1.3 MULTI-SCREEN CONSUMPTION BEHAVIOR
With TV, computers, mobile devices,
tablets, people are now exposed to
several screens. Many enjoy watching
two or three screens at the same time.

Part1
People are surrounded by TVs, computers and tablets. The users of China Mobile
Net (CMNET) on average spend 6 hours looking at media per day, among which
mobile phones, computers and then TVs are the most popular.
Consumers enjoy their multi-screen experience
64% of CMNET users use mobile phones as they are watching TV. ―Multi-screens
behavior‖ is common now.
Ubiquity of mobile devices
CMNET users surf the internet at home, office etc. People now use mobile
anytime, anywhere.
People are exposed to screens all day
1.3 MULTI-SCREEN CONSUMPTION BEHAVIOR

Part1
1.4 24-7 SHOPPING CRAZE
More and more people shop via their
mobile devices. Due to the more
convenient access and new more
mature security systems, people
have gotten used to mobile payment.
On Nov 11th, 2013, over 20% of total
online payment was done by mobile
phone; this volume increased upon
last years‘ numbers by 560%.
Online shopping will be one of the
key driving factors for overall mobile
users in the future.

Part1
Shopping anytime anywhere
QR codes, limited-time offer ads (秒杀 miǎoshā) and discount offers
are everywhere, pushing customers‘ to buy things right away. As
more and more people start to use their cell phones and computers
to shop, there is much more buying immediacy, whether people are
in elevators, the subway, or bus stations.
Mobile payment is increasingly popular
The trading volume of mobile networks totaled 167.64 billion
RMB in 2013, a growth of 165.4%. As people get more used to
mobile payment, many e-businesses are offering mobile
payment discounts to attract more customers.
Third-party payment apps gain users‘ trust
In last year, 100 million Alipay users made 2.7 billion payments
through mobile phones; total volume was over 900 billion RMB.The
total ot third party payment had an growth of 700% compared with
last year.
WeChat‗s payment system encourages users to bind their bank
cards to it through Red Packets and taxi discounts. It achieved 200
million bank/credit card registrations within 2 days.
1.4 24-7 SHOPPING CRAZE

Part1
1.5 SELLSUMERS
Social networks provide a
platform for people to
exchange things that they‘re
not using, turning consumers
into sellers.

Part1
Young mothers enjoy communicating online and exchanging
their unused maternal and child supplies.
Secondhand trading also strengthens a product experience, which can make
customer a brand spokesman.
Purchasing as shopping experiences
Sometimes purchasing is an experience. People who are tired of using
their old stuff but don‘t want to waste or throw away things create
online flea markets, such as on the secondhand BBS of Taobao. Last
year, the amount of second-hand sales posts increased by 50%, and
the number of active users increased by 30%.
Reselling unused articles is sharing resources
Among the secondhand items, most popular were clothes, products for
mothers and children, and electronic products. White collars, young
mothers and IT fans were the major customers.
People are happy to see their stuff are appreciated and bought, which
saves money and helps them to update current products. The research
showed that digital products are what Chinese users want to resell most.
1.5 SELLSUMERS

Part1
1.6 LBS FOR LIFE
Thanks to mobile payment, online
experiences are now closely related to our
offline life.
Over 77 million smartphones support
Location Based Service. These apps have
already changed people‘s daily lives.
Some—like the taxi-reservation apps—have
even changed the traditional market
system.

Part1
Expand one‘s network by searching for people nearby
Apps like Momo, WeChat and Weibo all have LBS function,
which enables people to extend their social network by sharing
their location.
Find better services
Share both location and information
Users can share their location to others and read the
comments. For instance, people comment on services on
Dianping.com and use apps like Chanyouji to share their
photos real-time while travelling.
Thanks to LBS apps like Dianping and Didi taxi, shopping,
dining out, and taking taxi have all become easier. These
services offer us more options and save time.
1.6 LBS FOR LIFE

Part1
1.7 AGGREGATING THE VIDEO CONTENTS
Over 90% of netizens watch videos
online, surpassing the amount of
traditional TV users.
Through computers and mobile phones,
digital TV has combined online
recourses with traditional media and
content.

Part1
From traditional TV to network TV
Cable boxes allow people to choose specific TV programs and also watch
network television. People are no longer passive in front of the TV, they
can also watch live webcasts on TV for events such as the World Cup.
Integration of different platforms
Cable boxes and digital TV integrate traditional media and online content,
making TV another access point to online videos and even a shopping
center.
Viewers are also creators and sharers
People can make videos themselves; Instagram and Tencent Weishi are
the two most popular ways to make and share one‘s own short videos.
The ―barrage website‖ bilibili also allows users to interact with each
other by adding comments on videos.
1.7 AGGREGATING THE VIDEO CONTENTS

BRAND DIGITAL/SOCIAL APPROACH
part2

Social for a good use
Point & Know enabled point of sales
QR Mania
Remove all the noise
Intimate relations lead to customized offers
Social hijack: Fast moving creative contents (FMCG)
Time-triggered experience
Make every story sell
part 2

Part1
Insights:
Has to be creditable ever since the previous scandals with charity organizations in China.
Be creative and engage users by giving them many reasons to give/participate so as to gain social status.
Sharing is caring, shopping for charity is an example of how brands can combine sales and charity.
The positive ―viral‖
Brands initiate programs for social good to engage digital users
2.1 SOCIAL FOR A GOOD USE
Effective brand building
Brands’ efforts on bringing their social initiatives online is in line
with their overall CSR strategies. Their use of social to leverage
their organizational initiatives makes for effective brand image
building, which also can have a viral effect.
Social for a good cause is answering users’ demands for more
social responsibility. Charity has also become a way for users
to gain social status.

Part1
BEHAVIOR & CONTENT RELATED WECHAT CHARITY
This activity was held by employees
of Tencent. When Tencent
employees and their partners
received moon cakes, they scanned
the QR code and paid 0.1RMB
through WeChat payment. Tencent
then donated 0.9 RMB to charity.
Sponsor: 陈坤 (Aloys)
Motivation: hiking across huge
mountains and challenging
one‘s self forces one to step
out of their comfort zone, to
remind us about what‘s
important.
Aloys‘ down to earth hiking
events encourage people to
face the spiritual world directly
and gained high marks as a
public service activity.
POWERTOGO
Linked to Aloys personal WeChat account where users can find more information
about Powertogo, share with friends, and find other charity events.
Share with friends
Other charity events
PowertoGo was the priority
section on Aloys’s Wechat
page
2.1 SOCIAL FOR A GOOD USE

Part1
Mobile @ Store
POS connected online
Technology and smartphones enable brands to use new point of sales in
the offline store.
Brands are pushing information to users by linking their offline to
online and giving the users a real life utility through leveraging new
gateways.
This is a way to leverage a new source of information (at POS) and
assisting the user‘s decision making process.
Enable to know more
At points of sale (POS), brands are using technology to provide users information & communication;
influencing, guiding, and leading users to make the decision to purchase.
2.2 POINT & KNOW: ENABLED POINT OF SALES
Insights:
Point of Sales in the offline stores can SUPPORT consumers with a quick answer to any buying concerns.
Increased sales via impulse purchases, additional availability, and an easy purchase process.

Part1
SHOPPING MALLS BRING 020 EXPERIENCE
E-commerce giant Alibaba aligned with the shopping mall giant,
turning to QR codes to encourage offline-to-online shopping during
the mega-sale on Nov. 11.
People visited brick-and-mortar stores, selected purchases and
scanned QR codes to stash items in their online shopping cart ahead
of the sale.
VERO MODA OFFLINE STORE LINKAGE TO ONLINE
Vero Moda and Only used their offline stores to push costumers to go
to the online store by leveraging the QR codes on clothes and in-
store items.
When the users scanned the QR code, they would enter the mobile
online store, where they could directly click and pay with WeChat
payment.
2.2 POINT & KNOW: ENABLED POINT OF SALES

Part1
QR codes are an inevitable gateway to branded digital and social events. They now serve as an
entry to the digital experience.
2.3 QR MANIA
90‘s tech getting back in business
Driven by curiosity and utility
QR codes have been around since the 90’s but its market is stronger now
due to smartphone scanners and the increasing use of APPS like WeChat.
The brands’ usage of QR codes will allow the consumer to find more
information and open a new brand dimension, linking them with different
platforms for different purposes
Insights:
Use QR codes as an entrance and bridge between online and offline
Leverage a users‘ curiosity and playfulness when putting your QR codes on
different locations with different end purposes.
Use the 4Ps of your product to provide consumer solutions for users who will
scan your QR codes

Part1
Link Offline to Online (O2O)
As sign for
exploration
Brick-and-mortar stores, scanned QRs code to go to online
stores, enter competitions etc.
During a Dec. 12 shopping event,
Alibaba's Taobao marketplace put a
QR code on its website to drive
users to the app. Shoppers scanned
the code 200,000 times in just one
minute to try to win a lottery ticket.
Tracing the production details
Show customers where their fresh food
was grown.
On products providing
more information
McDonalds recently added a
QR code that delivers
nutritional information of
their food to consumers.
By putting QR codes in
interesting places, this
can encourage users to
take action and scan.
Nike pushed users to enter their Wechat and follow
them in order to take part in an interactive activity
and win a chance to win a customized pair of Nikes
for free.
Shortcut to any action
2.3 QR MANIA

Part1
Brands have come to realize that the user experience is best placed on
digital, and that the solution to creating a focused user experience is to
eliminate everything that is unnecessary.
Users now do not accept any obstacles in the user experience and brands
are showing that they know what consumers want by leveraging a fully
integrated user experience that will look and feel great, but even more
importantly, has utility and usability.
As a brand, bring solutions to the consumer through digital and social, ex.
during an app purchase, support etc. to create a flowing experience and
make the everyday life of consumers easier.
People drop out due to unsatisfying product experiences, service, and communication engagement.
Brands & digital products are now trying to satisfy the goal of users by focusing on the core experience flow,
removing everything that might be unnecessary.
2.4 REMOVE ALL THE NOISE

Part1
China Eastern understands their users‘ needs,
and provided their consumers with real-life
utility within their brand contact point.
Their WeChat account gives users a total
solution and real time 1 on 1 customer service.
They have the ability to choose/ book their seat
and pay for the flight ticket in the app.
Choose
departure
(time, city)
Choose arrival Pick your seat
Confirm and pay
with WeChat
Total solution mobile experience:
China Eastern
This is clear evidence that digital products are moving
towards a clean and focused user experience.
Jianshu is a digital notebook where the focus is on simplicity
and social sharing to platforms like QQ, Weibo and Douban.
The genuine blog - Jianshu
2.4 REMOVE ALL THE NOISE

Part1
Insights:
Engage users with close interactions on all platforms where social mobile can do 1 to 1 sommunication
Customized information and offers can be made through autoreply options on WeChat.
Segment users through the following: Location, Gender, Age, Activity, Attitude etc.
2.5 INTIMATE RELATIONS LEADE TO CUSTOMIZED OFFER
Foster a close relationship with consumers and get to know them in order to satisfy their needs and give
them a customized offer.
Brands try to collect and analyze social data for insights
By digesting the information from the consumers, brands will be able to satisfy their
users‘ needs by leveraging a customized offer.
A relevant and customized offer makes for a closer relationship
The current relationships that brands have are becoming more focused on intimacy
and leveraging consumer customization. Consumers will follow their own satisfying
experience. As that gratification they find gets tailored and becomes more relevant,
customers‘ affinity and loyalty grows.

Part1
驰加
Nickname campaign empowered by social listening
In addition to leveraging the nickname campaign of KOLs getting bottles
with their names, Coca Cola used social listening to find out what slang
words were buzzing on their TA‘s social feeds. The top-trending words
were later printed on bottle labels and became a huge success.
Luxury offers personalized brand experience
From mass scale to WeChat
WeChat offers the potential for
personalization and social CRM,
rewriting the rules for marketers who are
currently used to Sina Weibo pushing
out viral content on a mass scale.
Burberry Personalized experience
Burberry just partnered with WeChat to
give their users a customized experience.
The brand took WeChat fans behind the
scenes at its London runway show,
offering them audio commentary from the
creative team and Chinese celebrities.
When fans sent Burberry a text message,
the brand instantly responded with a
virtual plaque engraved with their name.
2.5 INTIMATE RELATIONS LEADE TO CUSTOMIZED OFFER

Part1
Brands are catching a lot of ongoing social events and
trying to be relevant and act quickly in order to engage the
users.
Providing users with fast updates is a way to keep users up
to speed, and experience a viral brand exposure.
Always on the spot
Always be unexpected
Always in time
Brands are hijacking the social conversation and assuming a presence in consumers‘ daily lives
through their fast, creative, and real time responses.
2.6 SOCIAL HIJACK: FAST MOVING CREATIVE CONTENTS (FMCC)

Part1
#炫小迈在现场#
On-site hot topic for quick reaction and favorite
participants created an on-going micro drama.
Oreo spread their TVC online by using KOLs to push it to users who
instantly grasped it and replied with UGC that Oreo quickly
incorporated into their creative development.
By using the instant creative development from current topics
buzzing in social media, Oreo showed a creative effort that resulted
in quick and widespread viral dissemination.
OREO – rolling national attention
As a sponsor of the talent show Happy Boys, Stride followed the
live show connecting with users screens via TV micro blogging,
mobile and micro-channels often with three-screen interactions.
Stride listened to the conversations about the on-going live
competition and leveraged creative content based on their opinions
and expressions.
During the CCTV New Year's Gala a girl called Xiao Cai Qi was spun
around without stopping for 4 hours Stride used this in their
creative on social since ―unstoppable‖ is the slogan of Stride
STRIDE– unexpected & unstoppable creative
2.6 SOCIAL HIJACK: FAST MOVING CREATIVE CONTENTS (FMCC)

Part1
Brands are leveraging ―time‖ as an element in the experience design, getting users to
explore and shaping behavior for engagement as well as purchase.
2.7 TIME TRIGGERED EXPERIENCE
More challenging! More fun!
Time is a built-in factor in all human activities; most
endeavors must be finished within a certain time.
Adding on timed mechanics is a common method adopted
by many game designers to create and increase the
challenge, so as to immediately draw a player in.
Wildly used in games & help shape behavior
Time-management games are becoming increasingly
popular and they are seen in games like Candy Crush and
Farm Story.
Brands now pick this ―time‖ element and play with users –
using time control / constraints to trigger users to seize
those limited moments and take action.

Part1
12.12 Tmall TV Box Timed Lottery
On December 12th, Tmall invited their users to
participate in a lottery.
Taobao VIP members could log in on the Tmall
website every hour to stand a chance to win a TV
box throughout the day from 10:12 to 19:12. Users
had to be very precise and click on the lottery on
the exact 12th minute and second of every hour.
Lays - Who is your flavor
Lays created marketing history this fall with a local version of the globally
successful "Do Us a Flavor‖ campaign
At a specific time, users had a chance in taking part in the lucky draw on their
mini site, in addition to the voting campaign on what type of flavor and man
would win the princess‘ heart.
 Users could enter a code on their package via the mobile site.
 The prize would be announced every hour.
 Users could vote for two celebrities to win prizes too.
2.7 TIME TRIGGERED EXPERIENCE

Part1
Brands are creating a new business model by merging digital storytelling and E-commerce.
The communication is not any more about the message
calling for action, but more a story that immerses customers
in the brand experience. The experience then results in
purchase decisions.
Every story tends to lead to selling the product and service,
while also satisfying consumers with the offered
experience.
Businesses are tying marketing and sales closer, linking
digital experiences with e-commerce. They try to make
every story lead directly to a sales transaction.
2.8 MAKE EVERY STORY SELL

Part1
Uniqlo and its KOL story approach
Uniqlo leveraged KOLs to promote healthy cooking as a lifestyle
on their platform which was also connected to EC.
Ju.so - A story behind the creative products
A platform for creative incubation where users can enjoy the
story behind a beautiful product.
Through the integration of online, offline, e-commerce,
production, and cooperation between brands and other
resources, Chinese creators are able to push their personal
projects and have a chance to break into and build their
popularity in the mass market.
2.8 MAKE EVERY STORY SELL

IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIP & CULTURE
part 3

3.1 Online culture is the culture

Part1
BEHAVIOR & CONTENT RELATED ‗TUHAO‘

Part1
2010 2013 2013.9
THE EVOLUTION OF ‗TUHAO‘
Unlike ―Diaosi‖ which was created by netizens. ―Tuhao‖ has been well known since the age of Land Reform and revolutionary China.
However, its meaning has been completely changed from its usual simple description of ―a cheesy wealthy‖. Nowadays ―Tuhao‖
commonly refers to those who are extravagantly wealthy and who love displaying it. The word ―Tuhao‖ is no longer critical sarcasm but
more a friendly joke.
What is ―Tuhao‖?
The traditional
―Tuhao‖
First quote in cyber
world
―Tuhao, please be my
friend!‖made ―Tuhao‖ a hit
Public attitude towards
―Tuhao‖——a friendly joke
The traditional ―Tuhao‖ refers
to those who are rich but also
evil. They are exploitative by
nature and have no mercy.
Those who spent lots of
money on computer-
gaming outfits were called
―Tuhao players‖.
The joke ―A young man and a
Cham master‖ brought the
word ―Tuhao‖ into the public
view.
The Weibo activities ―Tuhao,
be my friend please‖ and
―write a poem for Tuhaos‖
ranked highly among hot
topics, which made the word
continuously in vogue.

Part1
FROM ‗DIAOSI‘ TO ‗TUHAO‘ – THE MENTALITY CHANGE OF NETIZENS
People used the word Diaosi to laugh at themselves in 2012.
In 2013, Tuhao became their new weapon to launch a new war of words against others.
The birth and the popularization of every top word reflects a subtle metaphor of social ecology in China, where the wealth gap
remains wide and social mobility remains weak. Therfore, Diaosi is a kind of self-mockery, while Tuhao is a mockery to others.
DIAOSI
A self-mockery: the word
―Diaosi‖ can be used to
refer to one‘s self as well
as other people.
A description of someone
in a predicament.
A dual-mockery to one‘s
plight and his inability to
change.
TUHAO
A mockery to others:
generally used to banter
with others only.
More envy than jealousy
―Tuhao, be my friend
please‖ is a kind of
defense mechanism

Part1
‗BIG TIMES‘ TO ‗TINY TIMES‘
"Let's make friends, TuHao―. This interesting, ridiculed topic led to a huge cultural boom, up there with other topics such as reform and China's future, food
safety, environmental pollution and other public issues. Internet users paid more attention to "Tu Hao", but does that mean the other topics matter less to the
public? We are in an awkward situation, where "Big Times" and "Tiny Times" are together in this Era.
BIG TIMES
‗Big Times‘: the grand narrative, Passionate
ideals, society having relatively centralized
themes, ex people wanting to achieve a certain
goal together.
TINY TIMES
‗Tiny times‘: Individuals, preferences,
special tastes, a decentralized, even
fragmented environment.
From ―hatred of the rich‖ to ―joking with TuHao‖,
this subtle psychology changes could explain why Chinese youth turn to Tiny times.
Youth born in the 80s and 90s have entered the ―Tiny times‖, a socio-economic structure dominated by materialism and fueled by developed media
technology. Individuals, preferences, and niche tastes can be better expressed in this environment. Netizens envy those who are materially rich, but
―hatred of the rich‖ has changed to ―tolerance and acceptance of the rich‖. This is a more complex social attitude than self-deprecation. ―Let‘s make
friends, TuHao‖ is the youth‘s dark humor, meaning they no longer care about the gap between rich and poor.
‗Big times‘ will melt away quietly because of the rapid spread of Internet culture and ‗Tiny times‘
‗Tiny times‖ represents the way to escape from the unfinished political cultural ideal. Together with the online culture such as "Tuhao", "Diao
Si", it has been eating away the "Big times‖.

3.2 Emerging but invisible tribes

A NEW CHAPTER OF SOCIAL NETWORKING
Netizens are now beginning to cut and filter fragmented information in favor of more accurate
constructs. Strong ties tend to take the place of weak ties.
Perhaps this is a kind of rational return after the wave of mass, fragmented information.
This return brings us both more concrete and complex relationships, as well as opens a new
chapter of the social networking age.

We are at that new stage where the lines between the physical and virtual world are blurred.
WHAT IS NEXT?
People and things are connected through technology into a big network; an hyper dimensional network
This hyper-reality is built through technology and brings solutions to our emotional or everyday life needs
We are facing a real life ―Inception‖ where an experience will change our behaviors

T H A N K Y O U
China
T H A N K Y O U
China

Digital & Social Trends in China 2014

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