Tag: China

Beijing, China –  Mastercard announced that its cardholders can link their cards to WeChat Pay, or as it’s known locally, ‘Weixin Pay’, a mobile payment service within the WeChat app, as a new payments option that further improves the digital payment experience of foreign visitors to the country.

Expanding on a partnership established in 2019 that offers enhanced digital payment solutions, the latest development gives Mastercard full access to WeChat Pay’s merchant network in China and provides a safe and convenient way for international travelers to pay when traveling around the Chinese Mainland.

The extended merchant network includes categories such as dining, transportation, shopping, accommodation, and more. International travelers with Mastercard cards can now utilize multiple payment methods through the app, such as QR codes, payment codes, mini programs, and in-app payments.

In their press release, Mastercard stated, “For merchants, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, the Weixin Pay-Mastercard tie up gives them more opportunities to transact with international travelers who now have access to one of the most widely accepted payment methods in China, allowing them to get around easily, without hassle.”

Singapore –  Xiaohongshu (Red), a lifestyle-sharing site in China has appointed Nativex to be its official cross-border marketing agency, enabling brands and developers from around the world to benefit from user growth on the platform.

By using the user-generated content (UGC) capability, Xiaohongshu provides brands and developers with an engaging and authentic avenue for connecting with users, encouraging engagement, and creating brand identities. With its user population, engagement rates, user loyalty, and influence, the platform has grown to be a destination for many brands.

Nativex is able to provide digital marketing solutions for brands and developers thanks to their knowledge of Xiaohongshu’s user demographics and behavioural patterns. This knowledge enables them to engage audiences, increase user engagement, and experience company growth. Nativex gives its clients the tools they need to maximise their presence on the platform and achieve this by utilising this knowledge.

Speaking about the collaboration, Yuan Lang, head of Xiaohongshu’s commercial channels, said, “Nativex has garnered the trust of numerous global brands and developers through its professionalism and innovative approach. We eagerly anticipate partnering with Nativex to cater to an even wider spectrum of international brands in the future.”

Meanwhile, Cheryl Huang, senior vice president of Nativex, expressed, “Nativex is thrilled to apply our professional expertise and vast experience to support brands and developers in harnessing the immense user base of Xiaohongshu and attaining commercial success in the Chinese market. Whether the objective is to boost brand visibility, promote products, foster user engagement, or drive sales growth, we are dedicated to delivering tangible results.”

Shanghai, China – McCann Worldgroup China has announced the launch of its dedicated influencer marketing business unit. The new division aims to improve integrated marketing campaigns by combining creativity and influence through unique marketing tactics. 

It has also appointed Eve Rong to take the lead in said position as influencer marketing director, whose background spans entertainment journalism, copywriting planning, public relations, and business positions in the advertising industry. Before joining McCann, Rong served as the director of artist coordination for a variety show production company, where she played a pivotal role in the success of popular shows like The Voice of China and Street Dance of China.

With the ever-expanding Chinese social media ecosystem, influencers have emerged in every field, and brands are keen to leverage their impressive consumer following to enhance their marketing efforts.

McCann Worldgroup China’s dedicated Influencer Marketing unit offers an entertainment marketing resource and access to a large and ever-expanding pool of opinion leaders. Furthermore, it provides a high level of strategic thinking and vision to maximize the effectiveness of utilizing Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs).

Shun Wu, managing director of McCann China, expressed the need for diverse solutions in today’s evolving marketing landscape. She emphasised the growing importance of influencer marketing and the expertise that McCann brings to this field. 

Wu also believes that by embedding influencer marketing into the planning stage of marketing campaigns, McCann aims to breathe innovative life into executions and achieve exceptional client results. Moreover, Wu remarked that with Rong at the helm, McCann Worldgroup is poised to establish influencer marketing as a core competency, driving market success.

China – China Duty Free (cdf) Haikou has unveiled a new shopping centre in partnership with WPP’s Design Bridge and Partners. The ongoing collaboration can be seen in the development of its distinctive visual identity and fascinating environment. The brand’s dreamy presence will be retained while establishing a comprehensive ‘one-stop duty-free leisure destination’ with the updated brand design.

Design Bridge and Partners came up with a concept that goes beyond standard browsing after taking into account the changing expectations of Chinese consumers. The “Ultimate dream island” concept is employed to create a refined and energising shopping experience.

The cdf Haikou retail shopping experience fosters a link between reality and fantasy by mimicking a live island suspended between the skies and the sea. Visitors get a chance to explore the enchanted “Ultimate Dream Island,” travelling from the ocean’s depths to the ethereal skies and entering another dimension.

Moreover, the 280,000 square metre cdf Haikou International Duty Free City Shopping Complex lies on the west coast of Haikou City, Hainan. It provides people with a wide range of luxury products, tax-free dining and shopping experiences, as well as special online/offline premium membership services. The primary visuals for cdf Haikou’s grand launch integrate with the duty-free areas while evoking Peter Pan’s Neverland and emphasising the marine and natural aspects of the city. 

Design Bridge and Partners came up with a concept that goes beyond standard browsing after taking into account the changing expectations of Chinese consumers. The “Ultimate dream island” concept is employed to create a refined and energising shopping experience.

The cdf Haikou retail shopping experience fosters a link between reality and fantasy by mimicking a live island suspended between the skies and the sea. Visitors get a chance to explore the enchanted “Ultimate Dream Island,” travelling from the ocean’s depths to the ethereal skies and entering another dimension. Moreover, the complex’s virtual setting is built to adapt and produce one-of-a-kind scenes that seamlessly merge with brand narratives, providing guests with limitless excursions and engrossing tales to explore.

Nikki Lin, managing director at Design Bridge and Partners China, said, “This project is a perfect example of revolutionary design and how our teams create experiences based on consumer insight and brand ethos. Design becomes the heart of the story with the power and ability to connect touchpoints,” 

“We are now working closely together with China Duty Free on a few projects, including the rebranding of CDF group and the membership branding, which will continuously enhance our long term partnership,” he added.

 Beijing – Following a required pitch evaluation, BMW China has officially announced TBWA\China as its lead agency. To ensure the delivery of an improved brand experience, TBWA China, BMW’s many marketing divisions, and other agency partners must work closely together under this new role.

Joanne Lao, CEO, TBWA Greater China, said, “It’s truly an honour to continue our relationship and partner with BMW for another five years. Together we have challenged category norms to build brand love amongst Chinese consumers. We are excited to continuing to work together to heighten the brand’s success in an ever-evolving market landscape.”

As the initial contract was about to expire, TBWA won the contract renewal with BMW China. The new agreement extends the collaboration between the two businesses from July 2023 to June 2028 and includes a 3+2-year extension option in case it needs to be extended further.

Stephane Koeppel, VP brand and marketing, BMW China, commented, “In China, we’ve been committed to remaining truly relevant to Chinese consumers, becoming a part of local culture while continuing to build on our global heritage. As we continue our journey with TBWA China, we look forward to delighting audiences with work that builds our brand and business.”

Shanghai, China – Ogilvy has announced that Jack Yin has been appointed as the new president of Ogilvy Experience in China.

In his new role, Yin will bring together Ogilvy‘s expertise in customer interaction, commerce, marketing technology, analytics, CRM, loyalty, and digital innovation in this crucial job. 

Jack formerly served as Sapient’s managing director for China, bringing a lot of experience in engaging with well-known international and local businesses to provide personalized experiences on a big scale. His experience includes high-tech, automotive, travel, and consumer packaged goods. Prior to joining Sapient, Jack had senior positions at PWC, Dell, Alcatel-Lucent, Accenture, and Deloitte. Jack is an experienced professional in his area, with over 25 years of broad experience in digital technology, user experience design, and integrated digital operations.

Chris Reitermann, chief executive officer for Ogilvy Asia and Greater China said, “In today’s ever-evolving market landscape, particularly with China leading as the most digitally advanced market in the world, we recognize significant opportunities to collaborate with our clients on their transformative journeys and further expand and expedite our offerings in this space. Jack’s extensive experience in China will empower us to fully leverage our strategic and creative capabilities and deploy them across the Chinese digital and technology ecosystem.”

He added, “I am thrilled to extend a warm welcome to Jack as he joins Ogilvy. With his exceptional passion and leadership, I am confident that he will spearhead the evolution of our agency’s offerings, employing cutting-edge practices to elevate our Experience business to new heights.”

Meanwhile, Krishnan Menon, president of experience for Ogilvy Asia, commented, “Jack’s leadership, expertise and experience is an important and welcome boost to the team. He will make the most of the power of the Ogilvy network, and the deep tech and data capabilities within it, to deliver meaningful digital experiences, omnichannel CRM, loyalty programs & continuous commerce and create impactful relationships between brands and consumers across the China market.”

Speaking on his new role, Yin said, “Ogilvy is an iconic company that I have admired for many years, one that is constantly pushing creative boundaries and innovating to create impact for clients. In China particularly, Ogilvy has an exceptional value proposition that empowers us to facilitate clients’ growth through harnessing the power of creativity, brand expertise, and a deep understanding of customer experience (CX). I am extremely honored to have this opportunity collaborating with a diverse group of talented individuals and experts to nurture our existing client partnerships and foster exciting collaborations for the future.”

Shanghai, China – Advertising agency McCann in Shanghai has been appointed by multivitamin brand Centrum to handle its strategic and creative communication in China until 2024. This comes ahead of Centrum’s 30th anniversary in the market.

Shu Wu, managing director of McCann China, said, “McCann has always been dedicated to helping brands earn a meaningful role in people’s lives, and Centrum has provided us with an excellent opportunity to showcase our strength in the field of healthcare.” 

Wu added, “Together, we will help Centrum to resonate more deeply with consumers through more emotional and personalized communication, so Centrum will become the top-of-mind brand for people when buying healthcare products for themselves or their family”.

To celebrate their 30th anniversary in China, Centrum plans to upgrade their brand image, as well as establish and strengthen its reputation as a daily health empowerment brand for Chinese consumers.  

Since its entry into the Chinese market in 1993, Centrum has been a leader in the multivitamin category, enjoying widespread popularity and an excellent market reputation. With the nation’s rapid economic development and corresponding lifestyle changes, the Chinese people’s focus on healthcare has evolved to place more care into daily health management.

Beijing, China – We Are Social, the global creative agency network, has further boosted its international growth through the opening of a new office in Shenzhen, China. 

The Shenzhen quarter marks the network’s 18th office location, adding to the agency’s existing ones in Shanghai and Beijing in mainland China. It will be led by Dickens Dong, the agency’s general manager, whilst Aaron Breeds will serve as the Shenzhen leg’s creative director. 

Breeds will be overseeing a seven-strong local creative team as well as the other creative team members in different locations. He will be working with clients Chinese smart wearable brand Amazfit and consumer electronics brand CHiQ, as further shared by the agency. 

Dong said that the team is very excited to be putting down its roots in Shenzhen and, all the more, in such a thriving tech area. 

The new office is specifically located in the Nanshan district of Shenzhen, known as the city’s Silicon Valley. It is an area bustling with innovative tech players, enclosing 100+ listed companies and 1,000+ high-tech businesses, and moreover, is said to contribute to 25% of Shenzhen’s GDP. 

Dong commented, “Our growing roster of clients will benefit from our immersion in tech culture and of course the opportunities that naturally arise by working in Shenzhen.” 

Pete Lin, We Are Social’s North Asia CEO, also said, “Shenzhen has become strategically important for us in the past few years, as its technology brands have increased demand for our global marketing services. We believe that by being there on the ground in Shenzhen, we can more effectively address the needs of our current and future clients.”

Meanwhile, Nathan McDonald, the Group CEO at We Are Social, remarked that as We Are Social continues to expand globally, Shenzhen is just the perfect fit for the agency. 

“It’s home to a busy, thriving tech community with both emerging and established brands who are looking to grow in China and beyond. We’re excited to be on the ground with a talented team, closely supported by their colleagues in China and the wider We Are Social network,” he added. 

The Shenzhen office will be opening with a team of 20 and plans to double said count by the end of 2023. 

Other offices of We Are Social are located in New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, Madrid, London, Singapore, and Sydney, amongst others. 

In July 2022, the North Asia region of the network also saw it acquiring Hong Kong-based above-the-line agency Metta Communications. As a result, the latter had been rebranded to ’Metta/We Are Social’. 

Singapore – Performance advertising company Rakuten Advertising has announced the appointment of Neil Cao to the position of commercial director for China. His new role is part of the international leadership team and will support the growth of an incredibly dynamic and innovative region for affiliate marketing.

Based in Shanghai, Cao will be responsible for leading the Rakuten Advertising business across China by developing and implementing performance marketing strategies for clients and accelerating growth in the country.

His background spans over a decade of experience in the digital ecosystem, ranging from e-commerce, to consumer electronics, to app and gaming. As an advocate for full-funnel performance strategies, he has leveraged various media channels including search, display and programmatic to help clients drive engagement, sales, loyalty and beyond. 

Cao has a proven track record in digital advertising and business development, including successfully selling programmatic advertising to new-to-DSP Chinese merchants and hitting the one million-dollar milestone with MiQ. He has also managed the monetisation of mobile apps, leading to a successful NYSE listing with Cheeta Mobile.

Speaking on his appointment, he said, “I am thrilled to join Rakuten Advertising where I will have the opportunity to collaborate with the world’s leading brands in a thriving Chinese market. My goal is to offer invaluable in-market insights and empower both local and international merchants to connect with their target audience. I’m excited to work together with our clients, partners and team to leverage our performance-based advertising solutions, unlocking growth potential in this challenging yet exciting era.”

Meanwhile, Stuart McLennan, senior vice president for the APAC region at Rakuten Advertising, spoke of Cao being a perfect fit for the company.

“We are delighted to welcome Neil to the team at Rakuten Advertising. With his extensive knowledge of the digital landscape and a proven history of success working with both advertisers and publishers, he is perfectly equipped to help our Chinese clients and partners thrive in their next phase of growth. Under his leadership, I am confident that we can help local and international brands outthink and outperform in a dynamic and highly promising Chinese market,” McLennan said.

Shanghai, China — Marketing and communications network WPP has brought in industry veteran Caroline Slocombe to lead OpenX, the entirely new offering created for The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC) that carries an integrated agency model comprised of creative, media, social, data, tech, PR, and commerce experts from across WPP.

In her new role, Slocombe will be overseeing the relationship of TCCC and its portfolio of iconic brands across all WPP’s agencies in Greater China. 

For 25 years, Slocombe has built her strong working experience with agencies. From directing multi-market and multi-functional teams, she has served for some of the world’s biggest CPG and FMCG brands. 

She was previously an executive director for Red Fuse Communications in APAC where she drove growth for a portfolio of over 10 brands across 15 markets. She was also a general manager in LOWE, currently known as MullenLowe Profero, in Hong Kong where she oversaw office operations and manage the Johnson & Johnson business across APAC.

Considering China as an important part of growth and innovation, Laurent Ezekiel, global CEO of OpenX from WPP & WPP CMO said that Slocombe will be an asset for supporting the company’s transformation in the country. 

Commenting on Slocombe’s appointment, Chris Reitermann, chief executive officer of Ogilvy Asia & Greater China added, “Her strategic marketing understanding, combined with her extensive experience in the region — having worked in Asia for more than two decades — made her an ideal fit for this vital role within the OpenX from WPP framework, which is all about delivering giant ideas that create giant value for The Coca-Cola Company.” 

Meanwhile, Slocombe commends The Coca-cola Company for its portfolio of iconic brands and recognizing its global success. 

She added, “Being able to help lead their marketing transformation agenda forward in this part of the world, which is so vibrant and innovative, is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I couldn’t be more excited to be working with all the talented experts that make up the OpenX from WPP team and together push the boundaries of possibility.”