New Chinese Style elements are being incorporated into products by local and foreign brands across categories such as beauty, food & beverage, fashion and furniture

NE China's colourful jackets are getting coverage in Western capitals and on Chinese consumer products

H&M has come back from being ‘cancelled’ in China, to investing in its China Design Hub to be closer to consumers. This is a wise move, not just to understand the local market, but also its competitors who are taking share globally

It's a lot cheaper to retain a customer than acquire a new one, so the old adage says. Many marketers in China don't seem to have got that memo, with marketing plans based around increasingly expensive livestreams and KOLs for sales, with limited initiatives to retain those customers once they've transacted.We track many loyalty initiatives at China Skinny, but one of the most exciting we've seen lately is from Chinese EV brand, Nio. Car sales have been one of the brightest categories in China's retail sphere, last month growing 17% year-on-year. As we noted in July, Beijing has been strategic in putting its weight behind car sales - it takes a lot of packaged goods or shoe sales to match that of a single car in making retail sales look rosy.

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.

"If you protect yourself from the sun, you will be whiter than others. If not, you will be uglier," so said a sun hat advertisement last month on Douyin from the multi-billion dollar Chinese sun protection brand, Beneunder.

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.

It was March 2021 when the EU-China agreement protecting geographical indications (GIs) came into force. This aimed to recognise and protect around 200 distinct agri-food producing regions. It included well known specialties such as Feta, Prosciutto di Parma, Irish whiskey, Münchener Bier and Ouzo from Europe and Pixian Bean Paste, Anji White Tea, Panjin rice and Anqiu Ginger from China.

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.

KFC's marketing success and then threatened boycotts provide valuable insights about marketing in China

Although geopolitical challenges and nationalism are on the rise, the traditionally-foreign holiday of Christmas is as large as ever in China

Recent security concerns with WeChat is likely to see B2B comms change to alternative channels in China

Beijing's Common Prosperity is impacting the ways brands market in China

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.

An omni-channel approach, adapting data-led insights and optimising sales structures are areas foreign brands are falling behind in China

The drivers behind China's rising second-hand market provide some important trends which brands selling in China should take note of