Do you think you’d be able to point to Fuzhou or Xiamen on a map? How about pronounce the names of these two Chinese cities?*
A recently published McKinsey report suggests it might be high time that Australian marketers learn to differentiate their Wulumuqi’s from their Ningbo’s, so to speak – or risk being looked at as a bit of an ‘shagua’** to Chinese consumers.
It is no longer enough to lump Chinese consumers all together under the ‘China’ banner. Marketers need to know more about the nuances of residents in each Chinese city, as well as their behaviours and preferences in order to better engage and attract Chinese customers.
In a country of such a large, rich and diverse population, it stands to reason that there is more than meets the eye when it comes to talking about ‘Chinese’ consumers.
For example, the report found that the citizens of Fuzhou and Xiamen (combined populations of close to 5 million people) are confident their income will significantly increase over the next five years. It also found that citizens of the Byland–Shandong city cluster were much more pessimistic, with just one third of consumers expressing such confidence.
Indeed, it is a well documented fact that Chinese economic growth over the past 15 to 20 years has been exponential, resulting in a growing middle class with increasing purchasing power. The McKinsey report contains many more valuable insights and information about Chinese consumers. Click here to read more.
For the kind of unique, strategic insights needed to ensure next-level marketing for top brands, it is time to drill down even further.
As multicultural marketing/ diaspora marketing/ CALD (culturally and linguistically diverse) marketing experts, MultiConnexions has the experience to create audience-insights-driven creative concepts. These are culturally tested to ensure they resonate with the audience.
By Katrina Hall
*An editor’s note for the curious among us: Phonetically, the cities Fuzhou and Xiamen are pronounced Foo-Jo and Shya Men. They are less than 300 kilometres from each other, on the coast of mainland China, close to Taiwan.
**Shagua in Chinese means ‘dummy’ (literally a ‘dumb melon’).
Katrina Hall is MCX PR Manager. She has lived and worked in China and the Middle East. Katrina’s firsthand experience and understanding of Chinese culture and language assists MCX clients to connect with the Chinese diaspora. Katrina also speaks fluent Mandarin, which she considers is essential to doing business with the Chinese diaspora.