Cultural Observations
Luxury Consumer Culture in China: Inside Observer Interview (Part II)
Vinay Dixit is the Senior Director of Asia Consumer Centers in McKinsey & Company and leads theInsights China by McKinsey service line. He joined McKinsey’s Shanghai office in February 2008 and has led several significant studies on Chinese consumers. His most recent publications include, “The coming of age: China’s new class of wealthy consumers” and “One Country, Many [...]
Luxury Consumer Culture in China: Inside Observer Interview with McKinsey & Company’s Vinay Dixit
Vinay Dixit is the Senior Director of Asia Consumer Centers in McKinsey & Company and leads the Insights China by McKinsey service line. He joined McKinsey’s Shanghai office in February 2008 and has led several significant studies on Chinese consumers. His most recent publications include, “The coming of age: China’s new class of [...]
Creating New Consumer Markets in Emerging Markets – Part I
“We’ve been in China since 1988. We’re only in about 14 categories. We lead all of them but one. But the spending per capita in China is only $3 a year on Procter & Gamble products. That compares to the United States, where we are in over 25 categories, and the per capita spending a [...]
Reaching the Chinese Consumer – Don’t Forget About TV
“Television – with its sound, color, movement, ability to “break through” clutter and forge a brand’s identity – is an indispensible tool in new, untamed markets. Despite the growth of mobile phone and Internet usage in the PRC, China is still a mass market…The thirty-second television commercial still rules, and contrary to conventional wisdom, it [...]
Some Thoughts on Foreign Internet Companies in China
I read a fantastic article last week on the Advertising Age website entitled, “The Internet Does Not Rise Above Nations and Cultures.” The article, by @wolfgroupasia of the Silicon Hutong blog, takes a closer look at why foreign Internet companies in China fail. Wolf writes that through observing past examples (such as: eBay, Yahoo! & [...]
Keep an Eye on E-Commerce in China During The Year of the Tiger
In this recent post on The China Observer about where I see the most potential growth for businesses in China’s Internet space I wrote:
“Companies who wish to succeed in China’s Internet space would best stick to areas that focus on job creation and economic gain that do not overlap with broader social & societal challenges. [...]
Smart Cities - A $30 Billion Opportunity For Cisco, But Will Local Citizens Be Ready?
The following post is about two former colleagues – Asa from New York City and Lifen from Changsha, China. They have never met one another, but their lives are bizarrely linked together because of an emerging trend that’s being spearheaded by a US-based real estate development firm and technology giants like Cisco Systems.
About five years [...]
秒杀 Miaosha, the Chinese e-tail phenomenon
What is miaosha?
Miaosha is a Chinese online consumer phenomenon quickly becoming widespread. Translated literally as “second kill,” the term originated from online multiplayer videogames like Blizzard’s World of Warcraft. In its original context, the term refers to a situation in which a player without any other option is killed or kills his opponent in an instantaneous attack. [...]
Beyond Google: How can foreign companies operate successfully in China’s Internet space?
When Google announced that they may exit the China market, it sent shock waves across both traditional media and new media. I’d like to highlight a few of the thoughtful posts that helped shape my perspective on this issue:
Clearing Up Confusion on Google and China
WSJ China Real Time Report
Why it’s Good that Google.cn Leaves + [...]
You Stole My Vegetables! Toucai – The Latest Addictive Game Application on China’s Social Networks
“你今天偷菜了吗？” “Have you stolen vegetables today?” From middle school students, to white collar workers, and even retirees – Chinese netizens of all ages are obsessed with 偷菜 toucai, the latest online gaming application sprouting up all across China’s social network sites (SNS). Players own a virtual farm where they plant fruits and vegetables. They purchase [...]
