It wasn't long ago when every marketer in China was talking about ecommerce. Alibaba and JD battled it out for supremacy, and then another challenger, Pinduoduo, came from nowhere, and it became a three-horse race.Whilst the traditional ecommerce platforms still dominate online sales in China, the new world of livestreaming, KOLs and social commerce has dominated marketing forums over the past few years.

Can you name one event in your lifetime that has shaken the world more than Covid? The world has forever-changed since early-2020. Whereas many of Covid's consequences have been negative, there have been some silver linings which will hopefully stay with us long after the face masks and vaccine passes have gone.

Over the years, China has made the headlines for its cottage industry of fakes, from infant formula to condoms to fake zoo animals. This has left many with an impression that China is a nation of copycat producers. But in reality, China has been busy beavering away for years coming up with innovative ideas that change the way people live, consume and market.

Nothing beats a good lockdown to dull the spirits of Chinese consumers. As Shanghai's severe lockdown has passed 50 days for some residents, and has recently been re-tightened, a large number continue to struggle to order the staples, let alone purchase discretionary goods and services.

Here is a tale of three brands, each who have seen quite different outcomes in China over the past-12 months. They provide valuable lessons in public relations (PR) in China's increasingly sensitive and less tolerant consumer market.

Last month, there were less than half as many celebrity marketing events in China as a year ago according to a report from Shiqu. The events were undoubtedly impacted by the extended tough lockdowns hitting Shanghai and other cities at present. Shanghai hosts a disproportionate number of celebrity events, and Shenzhen, which was locked down last month, is also a primary destination on the events map.

Health has long been one of the most important trends in China. Horrific smog in 2013 drove China-based researchers to conclude that Beijing's pollution made the city almost "uninhabitable for human beings." The soupy air was an unmistakable reminder of the importance of staying healthy. This, coupled with numerous food scandals, more sedentary lifestyles and the lasting Chinese tradition of being proactive about health, brought health further to the fore. That year, health was the number one concern for wealthy Chinese, mirroring findings across many consumer groups in China.

Visitors to a stunning old vineyard in China represent the increasing sophistication in tourism and general consumer purchases in the market

Foreign and domestic brands in China are increasingly employing marketing initiatives beyond price promotions to ensure long term ROI

The best performing brands in China all have an uncompromising use of data to steer opportunity analysis, marketing and NPD decisions.

Here's how and why bricks-and-mortar retail experiences can surpass the experience consumers get shopping on a smartphone

Besides Covid, the three terms that cemented themselves in the Chinese vernacular last year were PPE (个人防护), lockdowns (隔离) and livestreaming (直播). Over this time, there have been few articles talking about marketing in China that didn’t praise the wonders of livestreaming. The buzz around livestreaming has been infectious for both consumers and brands, with 30,000 new Taobao Live accounts opened by merchants in February 2020 alone.

Back in early 2018, a marketer working with Mercedes-Benz in the West included a Dalai Lama quote on their blocked-in-China Instagram account. There was an uproar in China and the car company issued an apology to the people of China and promised to deepen its employees understanding of Chinese culture and values. 18-months later, similar calls for mass-boycotts of brands in China were aimed at Disney, Coach, Versace, Givenchy, Calvin Klein, Fresh skincare and Japanese sportswear brand Asics for labelling Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau as countries on T-shirts and other products.

Back in August 2018 we were happy to report that China’s seemingly impenetrable ecommerce duopoly had fallen. In less than three years, ecommerce platform Pinduoduo (PDD) had come from nowhere to surpass JD.com’s daily user count.

Skinny readers who’ve been with us for a while may remember when we hypothesised how retailers would be able to tap into China’s facial recognition with consumer scenarios in 2019 and beyond. The anticipated opportunities were the result of China’s leadership in facial recognition tech, coupled with its liberal policies and consumer attitudes towards the privacy. While cities such as San Francisco and Portland have banned the use of facial recognition, the technology has flourished in China with numerous marketing applications. Unfortunately many have been unscrupulous.

Female consumers account for three out of four purchases in China, but in many categories they are underserved by brands and marketing

Happy Niu Year! For our readers who had a break, we hope it was great.Digital platforms have long been more advanced and deeply entrenched in Chinese lives than anywhere. Back in 2017, for every dollar that American consumers spent on mobile payments, Chinese consumers shelled out $250. China's ecommerce market is the largest and most dynamic in the world. 22% of consumers globally are likely to buy groceries online, whereas 59% of Chinese do. While livestreaming is barely visible in most markets, 388 million Chinese viewed it in December, with more than two-thirds making a purchase.

Happy 2021. With China being the only major country to grow its GDP in 2020, economists the world over have been dialling up their forecasts of China's relative might in the years ahead. The Chinese economy is now expected to be larger than the US by 2028, presenting enormous opportunities for everything from milk to Maseratis.