Best 5 Chinese Music Apps

Here is the top list of China’s hottest music apps selected by WeChat Apply team

1. KuGou (酷狗)

KuGou’s karaoke feature (Screenshot from KuGou app)

KuGou, meaning Cool Dog, made its way to the top range by appealing to a very wide audience, in particular those in small towns, according to a report from Sixth Tone. This means that a large portion of their content is dedicated to square dancing tunes and KTV by local hipster population. KuGou has  won users by integrating KTV streaming which enables users to receive “song coins” that can be transferred into real currency. Users can comment on songs through “bullet screens” (弹幕) where comments stream across the video, listen, watch, and interact through the social platform.

Although the app has 228 million MAU, Kugou is still figuring out how to earn money, but it has been earning from their live streaming service Fanxing. KuGou and KuWo are both owned by the China Music Corporation which merged with Tencent’s QQ Music in July 2016.

2. QQ Music (QQ音乐)

QQ is Tencent’s very first social product. It started out as an instant messaging tool back in 1998. Although QQ Music shares some  same features as Kugou, such as radio, KTV, and live streaming. It caters to a more urban crowd. QQ Music also offers articles and enables users to watch music videos, concerts, and interviews with famous musicians, including international stars such as Linkin Park.

The app has 211.43 million users. It owes its success to Tencent’s huge presence in the Chinese market, including WeChat. This enabled the service to strike deals with major record labels and allow its users to buy concert tickets through its payment service.

3. KuWo (酷我)

KuWo is an app with a focus on KTV streaming. The App hosts KTV tournaments with cash rewards. It also streams and broadcasts popular talent shows and comedies. KuWo also reserves a part of its app for China’s rising DJs.

KuWo offers a wealth of video content bordering on trashy which users can comment through bullet screens (Screenshot from KuWo)

Like other apps, KuWo offers song purchases and subscriptions. It tries to make money with in-app gaming and its own brand of headphones and speakers. The app has 107.72 million MAU.

4. NetEase Cloud Music (网易云音乐)

What differentiates NetEase Music from other apps is its stronger focus on indie artists, enabling it to compete with internet giants like Tencent and Alibaba. Besides short videos, the app has social features that enable users to interact with performers which have profiles on the service. It also has a music streaming option for joggers called Run FM (跑步FM) that selects music with a BPM rate that matches the listener’s running tempo. Aside from music, users can listen to podcasts and watch videos.

With 62.7 million MAU, NetEase is the first music service Unicorn securing RMB 750 million in Series A financing in April 2017.

5. Xiami Music (虾米音乐)

Xiami started off as a P2P platform but had to abandon the model due to copyright regulation. Recently the service added more niche content by featuring emerging musicians with original creations. It has launched The Undiscovered Nationwide Spotlight music program, a talent search where users can explore and select their favorite out of more than 6000 artists.

Xiami Music, with 14.4 million MAU, is owned by Alibaba along with another music app called Alibaba Planet (阿里星球).

No different to other online battlefields in China, Music Apps will see more intense competition in 2018. Let’s stay tuned to see who will be up or down the list this year.

The post Best Chinese Music Apps 2019 appeared first on WeChat Official Agency.

Selling online in China is the preferred choice for many foreigners who wish to penetrate the Chinese market. It’s not strange as the market has literally exploded the past years and will continue to grow in the future.

If you plan to sell on Tmall (or Tmall Global), the easiest option is to find a Tmall Partner (TP) who can help you through the process. Not only are they experienced and have a presence in China, they can save you much time and money.

There’s a catch though. It’s not easy to find summarized information about Tmall Partners, about their founders, their management, what clients they serve and what marketplaces they’re active on. Therefore, I’ve written this article where I list some of the biggest and most popular Tmall Partners in China and Hong Kong.

Introductory remark

The companies are listed in a random order.

1. Azoya Group

Azoya Group was founded by Alex Huang and Don Zhao in 2013, it’s one of the biggest Tmall Partners in China and has offices in 12 different locations worldwide.

Prior to co-founding Azoya, Alex acted as General Manager of a big IT company in China with responsibility over more than 2000 employees. Don Zhao on the other hand has a long experience of working internationally, mainly in the telecom industry. Both of them are well-known in the China e-commerce industry.

The company currently employs more than 220 professionals and has won different awards, for example:

Awarded Multichannel Supplier of the Year by Sigma Healthcare

Marketplaces

Include major platforms like Tmall, JD (Jingdong), VIP, Kaola and RED.

Clients served

Azoya has helped a number of large and medium sized companies, many operating in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry. You can also find clients selling food, clothes and more.

Some examples are:

• Sigma Healthcare
• Pharmacy Direct
• Skin Chemists London
• Beauty Price

Locations

Mainland China, Japan, Korea, UK, Germany, Belgium, Taiwan, France, The Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, United States.

Head office

Shenzhen, China.

2. Web2Asia

Web2Asia is one of the biggest and most reputable Tmall Partners in China, George Godula and Lac Tran co-founded the company in 2006. They have an impressive track record and been quoted in a number of newspapers like the Washington Post, New York Times and Techcrunch. George is also an angel investor and involved in charity work.

The company employs more than 200 people and has won a number of awards over the years, for example:

• Tmall Global Brand of the Year with Hansgrohe
• Tmall Global 2017 Super Brand of the Year with dm Drogerie Markt
• Star-rated Tmall TP Tmall Trade Partner
• Digital A-List Winner 2017

Marketplaces

Include the major online platforms like Tmall Global, Tmall, JD worldwide, JD and Kaola.

Clients served

Web2Asia mainly helps larger and medium sized companies including:

• Procter & Gamble
• Lufthansa
• Logitech
• Starbucks
• Adidas

Head office

Shanghai, Mainland China.

3. Export Now

Export Now is a well established e-commerce agency which was founded in 2010 by Frank Lavin, former US Undersecretary of Commerce and Ambassador to Singapore. Export Now offers an easy, turnkey solution to US brands wanting to take advantage of the China market to accelerate their growth.

The company currently has 70+ employees and has the highest rating from Tmall for its TP services.

Marketplaces

You can get help to sell your products on Tmall Global, Tmall, JD, JD Worldwide and other eCommerce platforms.

Clients served

Export Now mainly helps small and medium sized clients to start selling in China, some include:

• NFL
• Real Techniques
• Ocean Spray
• Nutiva

Locations

US and Shanghai.

Head office

Akron, Ohio (United States).

4. Gentlemen Marketing Agency

Gentlemen Marketing Agency was co-founded by Olivier Verot and Philip Qian in 2012, they are originally from France and China. Both of them have a long experience of working on the ground in China and managed to build up one of the most well-known e-commerce websites in the country.

Marketplaces

Include Tmall Global, Tmall, JD Worldwide, JD and other platforms.

Clients served

The company mainly helps large and medium sized clients to start selling in China. Some of them include:

• Ferrero
• Volvo
• Vogue
• Hennessy

Head office

Shanghai, Mainland China.

5. Baozun

Baozun is the biggest e-commerce business partner in the industry and currently accounts for 25% of the market. The company was co-founded in 2006 by Vincent Wenbin Qiu and Junhua Wu, the management consists of both foreigners and Chinese nationals.

Baozun was listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange in 2015, which simply speaks for itself.

Market places

Include all major marketplaces like JD, Tmall, Redbook and Amazon.

Clients served

The company mainly handles clients in appliances, apparel, 3C, home furnishing, cosmetics, automotive, insurance and fast-moving consumer goods. Examples of clients are:

• BYD
• Brita

Locations

Baozun has a presence in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, United States and Mainland China.

Head office

Shanghai, Mainland China.

6. 2Open.biz

2Open is a well-known and established e-commerce agency, the company was founded in 2011 by Luis S. Galan Lozano, originally from Spain. Luis has a long experience in e-commerce and previously worked for EBay and acted as the Head of Digital & Commerce Business Development at El Pais.

The company currently has 30-50 employees and was recognized by RTVE, Spanish National Radio and TV, in the category of “internationalization”.

Marketplaces

2Open works mainly with product launches on Tmall and JD (Jingdong).

Clients served

The company serves many Spanish clients, but not excluding other countries. Some examples are:

• Port De Barcelona
• Nestle
• Vigente Gandia
• Lottusse

Locations

Madrid, Spain.
Shanghai and Weihai, Mainland China.

7. Voyage One

Voyage One is an established and well-known Tmall Partner in China, the company was founded by Dennis Zhang in 2002. Being one of the pioneers in the industry, the company has expanded much over the years and currently employs over 200 professionals, serving large multinational clients in the US and other countries.

Dennis has a long history of entrepreneurship and previously founded Devicom in 2002 which managed to reach USD 30 million in revenue.

Marketplaces

The company lets clients sell their products through their own online department store, Liking. Your products can reach the major marketplaces like Tmall Global, depending on your product type.

Clients served

The company mainly helps medium sized and larger clients to sell products in China, some examples are:

• Wella
• Spalding
• Champion
• Real Madrid

Locations

Los Angeles, United States.
Shanghai, Hangzhou and harbin, Mainland China.

Head office

United States (Los Angeles).

8. Cleargo

Cleargo is one of the biggest Tmall Partners in Hong Kong and was founded by Charles Chan in 2009. The company has grown much since its inception and currently has a dozen of employees spread out in three different countries: Mainland China, Hong Kong, Australia and Singapore.
Some awards won by the company include:

• Best E-Commerce Solution (Silver) – Marketing Magazine’s eCommAs Awards 2017

• Best E-Commerce Marketing Agency (Bronze) at Marketing Magazine’s eCommAs Awards 2017

Marketplaces

Cleargo help foreigners to get access to the major eCommerce platforms like JD, Tmall and others.

Clients served

Cleargo mainly works with medium and large sized clients, for example:

• Kenneth Cole
• Philips
• Gore Tex
• Joyce

Locations

Mainland China (Shanghai), Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia.

Head office

Hong Kong

9. TLG Commerce

TLG was originally founded in Barcelona in 1999 and became a global company when opening offices in Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai in 2008. The company was founded by Marius Rossell and currently has around 80 employees. He previously worked at Capgemini where he held different management positions, before starting TLG Commerce.

The company won the TICanola prize during the UAE Awards 2015.

Marketplaces

You can get help to sell your products on Tmall Global, Tmall, JD, JD Worldwide and other eCommerce platforms.

Clients served

TLG mainly helps medium sized and larger clients to start selling in China, some include:

• Lacoste
• Volkswagen
• Muji
• Media Markt
• Herman Miller

Locations

Barcelona, Spain.
Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong, China.

Head office

Barcelona, Spain.

How much does it cost to hire a Tmall Partner?

First of all, let’s have a look at the options you normally have when choosing a Tmall Partner:

1) Open your own dedicated Tmall store with the help of a partner.

2) Sell your products via the partner’s own flagship store on Tmall.

The second option is the preferred choice if you’re an SME, in fact, many companies won’t even qualify to the list of companies who get access to Tmall. This option is less expensive and preferable if you want to try out the Chinese market.

So how much do you need to pay if you sell via a partner’s own flagship store?

First of all, we need to break down the different costs involved to get a better understanding:

• Entry fee
• Running costs
• Revenue shares

(Other costs might be added depending on what Tmall Partner you choose).

1. Entry fee

This is a fee paid up front to the Tmall Partner in order to get started.

The fee can differ much depending on a number of factors, for example: how many products you want to sell, what kind of products you want to sell and which partner you choose. Giving you a ballpark price, entry fees normally start at USD 5000 – 10,000, but can be significantly higher.

Costs covered by the entry fee (examples):

• To analyze your product
• Confirming with the China customs that the products can be imported
• Creating product descriptions
• Preparing and designing your own page on Tmall
• Translations
• Logistic setups
• Warehouse preparation
• Others

2. Running costs

Once you have paid the entry fee, you also need to pay for services to maintain your Tmall store. It’s not uncommon that more established partners charge as much as USD 10,000 – 20,000 per month to keep the machinery up and running.

As mentioned, you can also find partners that are more suitable to SME’s, offering a higher revenue share (%), but charging you significantly lower running costs.

3. Revenue shares

If you decide to set up your own Tmall store on your own, you will need to pay commissions and yearly fees to Tmall, there’s no way to get around this.

Tmall Partners offer different revenue shares, usually stretching between 5-20%. For partners who charge lower entry fees and running costs, the revenue shares are normally higher and can be as high as 30-40%.

How can I find the right Tmall Partner?

Some people have a misconception that they can simply go out and find the first best Tmall Partner. But it’s not that easy. Even if the most established brands handle most product categories, you’ll most likely work with a smaller partner in case you’re an SME.

The size of the Tmall Partner

If you’re a smaller company and visit a Tmall Partner who has hundreds of employees, catering brands like Adidas and Levi’s, you’ll probably need to find a smaller partner that charges lower fees as well.

It’s not uncommon that smaller companies get the cold hand or simply ignored by the biggest companies.

Product categories

Some Tmall Partners focus solely on some specific product categories, might it be food, health care products, clothes or electronics. Choosing a Tmall Partner who has a proven track record and a good knowledge about your specific product category is crucial for a smooth launch, to maximize sales and to meet customer satisfaction.

Marketplace

Even if most Tmall Partners have access to other platforms like JD, Kaola and VIP, you need to confirm this up front. While Tmall focuses mainly on clothes and cosmetics for example, JD (Jindong) focuses mainly on electronics and home appliances.

Do you plan to sell food? Then Kaola is probably the website to go to.

Location of the Tmall Partner

It can be preferable to work with a partner who’s located in the same country, or at least with proximity to where you live. There a number of reasons to this:

a. You are in the same time zone.

b. You can visit the partner in person more easily.

c. Sometimes, you even speak the same language.

d. The partner has probably helped clients from your country and managed product categories that are often exported from that country.

The post Top Tmall Partners in China & Hong Kong appeared first on WeChat Official Agency.

Over the last few decades, every aspect of business worldwide has changed for good. There are new technologies, improved systems, modern methodologies, and on top of that, the young generation is always pushing for innovative ways to do things more efficiently in and less time. For any business, marketing and management are two critical aspects that can make or break a company. The marketing aspects have changed entirely with the rise of social media over the years. Talking about social media, the rise of WeChat has been epic in the last decade in China, and they have inspired innovations in the marketing and management practices in the industry. It has shown how to achieve more by spending less.

WeChat And Event Digitalization

First of all, WeChat has become a go-to place for all brands where they take the full advantage of its e-commerce platform. The e-commerce platform is suitable for both established brands as well as startups to get recognition. The reason why startups are getting heads up on the platform is due to WeChat event management and marketing features. With innovative marketing techniques, the startups are getting noticed and selling their products beyond their expectations. Not just that, even foreign brands are getting exposure easily and seizing their share in the Chinese market. Overall, this digitization of the economy is bringing its benefits to the brands as well as the consumers.

Not just that WeChat Event Marketing platform is making it easy for the brand to market products and manages various events perfectly. It is due to the WeChat event platform that brands are more attracted to it, and WeChat event platform is one of the major reasons for the success for WeChat e-commerce platform. The following is the list of the benefits of WeChat event digitalization.

Data Gathering – Data is the most important things for any business which they can analyze and understand the opportunities, risks, performance, and take decisions for further events. Therefore, data hold the key to the success of the company, and event digitalization main job is to collect as much data as possible.

O2O Experience – O2O is online to offline conversion, which means WeChat event marketing will let the businesses provide a shorter path for conversion and purchase during hosting the event as well as after it is over.

Better Experience – WeChat event management lets the brands use AR and VR technology to have the users experience these innovative technologies for a better experience. The improved experience will make the products enjoyable.

Better Communication – You can personalize the event specifically for those attending, and you can collect data and send personalized updates and messages.

Apart from that, WeChat event digitization helps the brands to cut down cost in comparison to traditional marketing.

Event important day calendar concept

Why Is WeChat Best For Event Marketing?

There is no better platform than WeChat for event marketing in China. Everything is available for complete planning of event marketing activities associated with before, during, and after the event. The following is a list of the reason why WeChat is an automatic choice.

– WeChat Brand Zone lets the brands interact with followers directly.
– Brands can do viral marketing and promotion through WeChat Official account.
– Various advertisement options are available for better reach and successful campaign.
– WeChat mini-programs help in setting up everything about event marketing ultimately.
– WeChat mini-program provides options for registration, booking, payment, and others related to events.
– Data analytics namely CRM helps to collect data from the attendees.
– Providing support to the customers during and after the event.
– Survey option available with mini-program for feedback.

Conclusion

There is no alternative to WeChat for event marketing in China. The platform offers all the features a brand will ever need to make the event successful and collect the required data as well as connect with the users after the events in the best possible way. It is time for the brands to explore the platform and make the most out of it.

About WeChat apply

WeChat apply is an award winning China WeChat digital marketing agency based in Sydney.Working across all aspects of the marketing solutions like WeChat promotion, WeChat Official Account Registration, WeChat KOL, WeChat Mini Program Ad. and so on, we will ensure you have a solid marketing strategy together with perfectly delivered campaigns. Wechat apply  will transform your China online marketing to increase your lead generation, brand awareness and market engagement.

The post HOW TO USE WECHAT FOR EVENT MANAGEMENT AND MARKETING? appeared first on WeChat Official Agency.

If you’re a Western university seeking to market your academic offer to Chinese students, then there are two key challenges to overcome; 1) ensuring your institution can be found online by your target audience and 2) building brand awareness and trust.

These challenges can be met with the right integrated marketing strategy, which will begin with the creation of a Chinese language website, tailored for your target audience (and typically, encompassing both Chinese students and parents alike).

In this blog, we’re going to look at the steps Western universities should take to successfully create a Chinese language website.

Do Western universities really need a separate Chinese language website?

In the past, some universities would simply choose to offer a language translation option on their English language website. This was primarily because of the time and expense involved to create websites a decade ago.

However, a simple translation option misses a trick. Firstly, Western website content is targeted for Western readers and doesn’t take into account the unique content needs of a Chinese audience. Secondly, it tends to offer a poor user experience. Chinese digital users are highly sophisticated and expect to see content that is targeted to their locality, with appropriate storytelling, symbolism, nuance, cultural appreciation and engaging, relevant content – as well as the right language!

The easiest and best way to deliver this is through the creation of a bespoke Chinese website, tailored to the needs of the audience. So what is the process to getting Chinese website design right?

1. Start with research

You already know that your Chinese website design needs to be optimised for mobile, with over 98% of the 772 million internet users in China preferring their smartphones. Did you also know though that Chinese branding for your institution is well worth the investment, to help localise your website and make it more relevant to your audience? Remember that names are highly significant with Chinese consumers, and a carefully chosen Chinese brand and name helps to add value, provide engagement and connection, and supports brand awareness – whilst allowing you to differentiate from the competition. It’s always worth bearing the key principles of close personal relationships (Guanxi) and trust (Xin) in mind when seeking to market to this audience.

2. Plan your localised Chinese website

This means considering content, design, coding and user journeys. Every aspect should be considered with in-depth knowledge of your market. For example, when planning your content you must ensure that it is:

– accurately translated, both in terms of concept and idiom as well as vocabulary
– of the right length, as Chinese characters can lead to a 25% text length shrinkage from English and have a knock-on effect on graphics, tables and more.
– correctly formatted, with simplified Chinese characters and traditional Chinese characters being preferred in different parts of China.

It is also important to remember that the Chinese like to carry out plenty of research as consumers. They also value the recommendations of their peer networks, are naturally risk-averse and value quality Western universities. Case studies, trust marks and accreditations, employment prospects, university partners, trusted recommendations from Chinese alumni… all of these are examples of content that can be leveraged effectively for a Chinese audience.

3. Register the .cn domain

Register your Chinese domain extension (.cn or .com.cn). This will support your digital marketing efforts and give your website credibility. There is a fairly complex administration process required to do this, but Market Me China can assist with the registration certificate, ID requirements and other documentation needed by the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), and manage the process end to end for you.

4. Organise hosting in Mainland China or Hong Kong

Again, this takes some administration, as universities with a business licence in China can host their websites within the country to get around the Chinese firewall, but they must get a corporate ICP licence from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. This takes around 20 days if the process is followed accurately. If your institution doesn’t have a Chinese business licence, it is best to maximise accessibility by hosting your Chinese website in Hong Kong.

5. Build and test on your audience

User journeys in China differ from the West. For example, Chinese users like to be able to access important information from the homepage and appreciate long-form content. They expect to see social media integrated at all turns and value symbols of trust. Tailoring of content is essential, any translation must be done carefully and expertly, and – of course – content remains king! Chinese users love useful, engaging, trustable content that adds genuine value. Additionally, if you need to integrate a payment platform for any kind of booking or purchase, then you should also ensure that your Chinese website is integrated with AliPay, WeChatPay or UnionPay.

6. Integrate with social platforms and online advertising

Successful Chinese websites will invariably have links to social platforms such as Weibo and WeChat, allowing brands to maximise the reach and shareability of their content, and to extract the maximum value of content repurposing across channels. You should also ensure that your landing pages are correctly linked with any online advertising campaigns you are planning in China.

7. Assess and improve

At Market Me China, we use a three-tier benchmark to assess Chinese websites. This weighs up cultural customisation, Chinese UX and translation quality. By combining this approach with analytics and user feedback, we can help our clients to continually improve and refine their Chinese marketing efforts for the best possible results.

About WeChat apply

WeChat apply is an award winning China WeChat digital marketing agency based in Sydney.Working across all aspects of the marketing solutions like WeChat promotion, WeChat Official Account Registration, WeChat KOL, WeChat Mini Program Ad. and so on, we will ensure you have a solid marketing strategy together with perfectly delivered campaigns. Wechat apply  will transform your China online marketing to increase your lead generation, brand awareness and market engagement.

The post What Western universities should know about Chinese website design appeared first on WeChat Official Agency.

WeChat Mini Program

Mini program or some people call it Mini App, is a new function of WeChat. Launched in January 2017, mini programs have similar functions as native Apps, but they are hosted within WeChat App. Mini programs have a number of significant advantages over native apps, as well as complementary features to WeChat official verified accounts, either service type of subscription type.

Benefits and Advantages

Easy access – Users can access mini programs by scanning a QR code, by searching for their service name on WeChat, or by clicking on a link shared by friends. Once opened, mini programs will are automatically saved under the mini programs folder.

Speed – Mini programs run faster than Apps.

No download/Install – They takes far less room on a user’s phone because they do not require download and install. For example, Ctrip’s streamlined mini program is just 1MB, compared to 114.6MB for the full-function app.

Searchable – They’re also easy to find directly through WeChat they work on any kind of smartphone.

Lower cost and less time to develop – Mini programs takes half of the time needed to develop an App, saving money and time.

Flexibility on what you can build for your user – They provide massive flexibility for any WeChat official verified account’s manager who has development capability.

Native apps require both iOS and Android versions, as well as testing, but mini programs do not.

Better UI. They load much faster than HTML5 pages, so they run more smoothly and are easier to navigate.

Pinable at phone home screen or on top inside WeChat App. A mini program can work concurrently with other WeChat functions, as it becomes a standalone page that can be pinned to the home screen, acting in effect as a native app. The huge advantage here is that users can check their WeChat messages without having to retrieve the mini-program page afterward.

Mini programs are very strong when it comes to promoting online to offline activities. For example, a retail company can create a mini program for each individual shop, with the address, contact information, coupons and membership cards. Users can then search these mini programs through the ‘mini programs nearby’ LBS function, allowing them to find nearby shops and look at what kind of promotions and products they have there. Mini programs can be used to sell directly as an e-commerce program.

On the other hand, businesses can also encourage offline to online use by providing WeChat users at an event or shop with QR codes that will then open the mini program on the users’ phones.

Mini programs can be used as an ecommerce platform, as they already are by luxury brands like Lane Crawford. This can complement companies with content-driven subscription accounts by giving them a good monetization opportunity. In terms of travel, review sites like Qyer or Mafengwo can now use mini programs to sell travel products, while keeping their subscription accounts content-focused. At the same time, mini programs can drive sales campaigns with promotion and coupons.

Application in travel industry

WeChat mini programs can provide a good complement to subscription accounts, as they can be used to sell products directly. Like mobile apps, mini programs can also support bookings, check in and other travel services, and they are already being used by travel brands like Booking.com, Huazhu Hotels and Spring Airlines.

Canadian national park, Banff & Lake Louise Tourism has been one of the first overseas travel destinations to launch a WeChat mini program. This mini program serves as an interactive, digital brochure to help visitors keep up to date with the park’s activities, and it is promoted on Banff’s WeChat account. Users have access to a directory with quick links to activities, restaurants, accommodation, shopping, attractions and more useful information, and they can also create and save itineraries. An LBS function provides location-based recommendations for visitors at the destination, which helps local providers to reach a Chinese audience. A map function and photos of attractions, restaurants and other destinations allow visitors to visualize and plan their time at Banff and Lake Louise most effectively.

Future growth

Tencent is very focused on making this function a success. WeChatApply has already seen more and more applications of these programs for a varieties of sectors. WeChatApply development team has successfully helped a number of Clients to achieve this function in the last 6 months. With so much potential, as well as relatively quick and easy development compared to native apps, WeChat mini programs are a promising new area for digital marketing in China.

About Wechatapply

Wechatapply is an award winning China WeChat digital marketing agency based in Sydney.Working across all aspects of the marketing solutions like WeChat promotion, WeChat Official Account Registration, WeChat KOL, WeChat Mini Program Ad. and so on, we will ensure you have a solid marketing strategy together with perfectly delivered campaigns. Wechatapply  will transform your China online marketing to increase your lead generation, brand awareness and market engagement.

The post WeChat Mini Program appeared first on WeChat Official Agency.

Chinese celebrities, when attending overseas events, have become increasingly politically sensitive about certain issues including China’s position vis-a-vis Tibet (and the Dalai Lama), Japan and Taiwan. They have learnt lessons of their peers, either in China or overseas, who were blocked or boycotted due to their “inappropriate” comments unwelcomed by the Chinese authorities or Chinese consumers.

The same seems to go for luxury and fashion brands that operate and do marketing in the Chinese market. Lancôme, Hermès and the Italian luxury carmaker Fiat have all learned the hard way that “political correctness” is an absolute must if you’re doing business in China.

Even when issues arise that have little to do with the brands themselves, they still have to bear the brunt of the negative outcome not only from the Chinese government but from consumers as well.

Following are five times when the political positions or views of celebrities have had repercussions on the luxury and fashion brands they represent in China. Hopefully brands can learn—what not to do—from their examples

1. Dennis Ho and Lancôme

In mid-2016, the French cosmetics brand Lancôme was involved in a public relations (PR) battle after Dennis Ho, a Hong Kong singer who had publicly expressed anti-China remarks online, performed at a mini-concert hosted by the brand. The case even caught the attention of Global Times, the state-run newspaper, who wrote a critique of the collaboration. Meanwhile, Chinese consumers residing in the company’s home country, France, launched an online petition calling for a boycott of the brand. Even though Lancôme immediately cancelled Ho’s attendance and released a public apology to Chinese consumers, the brand lost many loyal customers for the issue.

2. Jane Birkin and Hermès

Created by the French luxury powerhouse Hermès in homage to British actress Jane Birkin, the classic Birkin bag was dragged into an unexpected spat in 2016， When Birkin’s personal involvement with Tibet and the human rights movements crossed a line. The actress was banned from getting Chinese visa to participate in a concert in Shanghai in 2016. Commenting on the issue, Global Times mentioned in an article that the actress participated in a protest against China in 2008 while carrying her namesake signature bag. To a certain extent, this put the spotlight on Hermès.

3. Sharon Stone and Christian Dior 

In 2008, Hollywood star Sharon Stone, who was at the time the face of Christian Dior’s beauty products, put the brand in a tailspin when she made a public statement that the 2008 earthquake in China’s Sichuan province on May 12 (which killed nearly 70,000 people) was the result of “karma” from Beijing’s Tibetan policy. Chinese consumers were so furious over the statement that they boycotted her and Dior. In the end, the brand issued an official apology and dropped the collaboration with the actress.

4.Richard Gere and Fiat

In 2008, the Italian luxury carmaker Fiat was attacked by Chinese consumers for featuring the Hollywood star Richard Gere in its commercial ad campaigns. Gere is a long-time friend of the Dalai Lama, and a vocal supporter of the independence of Tibet. The brand dropped Gere and apologized for its choice.

5. Vivian Xsu and Chando

The collaboration between Taiwanese actress Vivian Xsu and the local Chinese premium beauty brand Chando also ceased when Xsu’s inappropriate remarks on the Sino-Japanese relationship caught the public’s attention.  At the 2010 Tokyo International Film Festival, which Xsu attended on behalf of Taiwan, when the Chinese delegation at the festival requested the host country add “China” before “Taiwan” instead of listing Taiwan as a separate country, Xsu, who also was active as a celebrity in Japan in the 1990s replied, “Japan is like my stepmother…. I would never set foot in mainland China.”

She was completely blocked out at China’s Social Media Weibo. All existing ad were pulled off and all music and songs related to her were completed wiped out.

 “Sorry, there is no search result related to Vivan Xsu, QQ music recommends you whether you have input a correct keyword.”

The controversy is where brands have been always taking extreme cautions when choosing their brand ambassador in their advertising/marketing campaigns, however brands have got no control over what their comments would be in future. Some people may argue it is shameful to bend over to the new powerhouse. While from marketing perspective alone, any brand would have already done their homework of SWOT analysis and have been aware of macro risk assessment. It is a one of the key factors to take into account when chasing your china marketing goals.

About Wechatapply

Wechatapply is an award winning China WeChat digital marketing agency based in Sydney.Working across all aspects of the marketing solutions like WeChat promotion, WeChat Official Account Registration, WeChat KOL, WeChat Mini Program Ad. and so on, we will ensure you have a solid marketing strategy together with perfectly delivered campaigns. Wechatapply  will transform your China online marketing to increase your lead generation, brand awareness and market engagement.

The post 5 Deadly Celebrities Backfire Impacting Luxury Brands’ Marketing in China appeared first on WeChat Official Agency.

WeChat, owned by Tencent and known as Weixin in China, will total 494.3 million users in China in 2017, according to WeChatApply’s latest forecast.

Adoption of the platform is widespread among smartphone users, with an estimated 79.1% of handset owners accessing the app regularly in 2017. China’s mobile audience is very likely to communicate via WeChat; some 84.5%* of mobile phone users are expected to access the platform.

While any thought of WeChat as simply a communication tool , would be far from accurate. Users will spend more than one hour and half a day using WeChat this year, according to Tencent. In addition to messaging features like texting, video conferencing, as well as photo and video sharing, the app’s more advanced functions are primarily responsible for driving engagement. Give donations, Share Red Pocket money, online shopping, booking ride services, food ordering, checking your facilities bills and pay those bills, login third party platform using WeChat logins, etc. have made the platform an essential daily ecosystem for consumers breathe and live in China. It becomes people’s natural habit to browse through WeChat’s friends moments or digesting WeChat Official Account’s social posts while standing in life, seating on trains, waiting for food, etc.

Additionally, an April 2017 study from China Channel found that 83% of WeChat users access it for work and business purposes.

With WeChat’s large presence in China, WeChatApply expects 40%of the population (1.379 billion in 2016) and every 6 out of 10 Chinese internet users to regularly use the platform this year.

Tencent first launched WeChat in India five years ago, marking its first foray into international markets. So far, WeChat has done well in markets with a large population of expats from China, or with large populations of Chinese-speaking people, such as in US, Canada, Australia, Europe and South America. WeChat has effectively penetrated into its global market by introducing its Payment Solution WeChat Pay as the door opener to the non Chinese markets.

On the contrary, more and more overseas B2C, B2B businesses, education organizations, tourism groups, even government organizations are realizing the importance of the unique Chinese characteristics of social economy and are seizing the market entry opportunity provided by WeChat to target Chinese audience. For example, Study Adelaide, Tourism Australia, Macquarie University, City of Melbourne Council, Westpac and countless others have recently applied and set up their WeChat official account on which they build their Chinese language marketing content and strategy. Interested to learn more about how to get started? Seek advice from our professional team at WeChatApply, the official WeChat authorized partner looking after Asia Pacific and Oceania region.

*Data sources eMarketer post written by Corey McNair on 13 July 2017

About Wechatapply

Wechatapply is an award winning China WeChat digital marketing agency based in Sydney.Working across all aspects of the marketing solutions like WeChat promotion, WeChat Official Account Registration, WeChat KOL, WeChat Mini Program Ad. and so on, we will ensure you have a solid marketing strategy together with perfectly delivered campaigns. Wechatapply  will transform your China online marketing to increase your lead generation, brand awareness and market engagement.

The post WeChat Users Surpass 490 Million This Year appeared first on WeChat Official Agency.