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3 tips for adapting your marketing strategy for the Chinese culture

By Elin Box on October 23, 2020

The Chinese market is the most populous in the world, with 1.4 billion people.

That is a lot of people who may be interested in buying your products or services!

Brand awareness is very important in China, but it is not just a case of launching your existing marketing campaigns there.

If you want your brand to succeed there, you need to tailor your marketing activities to the Chinese culture.

Let’s look at three ways you should adapt your marketing strategy for China.

1. People in China are much more focused on the future, than on the present or the past

People tend to be pragmatic, and saving and investing for the future is important, as the future is their focus.

When marketing in China, you should therefore focus on how your product or service can help them in the long-term.

Do not focus on getting quick, instant results, as that is not relatable. Instead, focus on long-term benefits.

2. China is a strongly collectivist society

This means the culture is very different from more individualist countries like the US and the UK.

In collectivist societies like China, people see themselves as part of a group, rather than a standalone individual.

They are loyal to their group, strive for group harmony, and consider the wellbeing of the group to be very important.

When targeting people in China, you should therefore emphasise how your product or service can benefit the group.

Celebrity endorsements work well in China, since celebrities are seen as influential members of the group – and people are quick to copy their behaviours.

Looking more at B2B, make sure to spend time nurturing a personal relationship with your prospective clients, as interpersonal relationships are seen as very important.

3. China is quite a restrained society

People are good at controlling their impulses and desires – and in fact see indulgence as a negative thing.

Bear this in mind when coming up with your marketing messaging, and make sure not to come across as promoting something too extravagant, as this may be seen as distasteful.

I hope this blog post has given you a useful introduction to how you need to adapt your marketing strategy for the Chinese culture. For more in-depth information, read Webcertain’s online consumer behaviour report here. 

This 219-page report gives concise, up-to-date overviews of the cultures of 38 countries worldwide.

  • Learn how each country scores for Hofstede’s cultural dimensions.
  • Discover what this means in terms of marketing.
  • Get additional insights directly from our experience helping global brands.
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Elin Box

Content Marketing Manager at Webcertain
Elin is a Content Marketing Manager at Webcertain. She is responsible for Webcertain’s Self-learning platform, producing in-depth guides on a range of international digital marketing topics. She also helps run the Webcertain blog and is the writer of the Webcertain search and social report, an annual report summarising digital marketing best practices in over 50 countries. She is passionate about educating and empowering people to make the best decisions for their business and is proud to help share Webcertain’s wealth of digital marketing knowledge with the world. Elin is from the UK.

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