Posted by Chia-Yi in Ethnic Marketing, Marketing-Communications China | 0 Comments
Comparison of social portals
In China, the Internet is developing rapidly and social networks there see their member numbers increase rapidly. Earlier we mentioned that the most frequently used Chinese networking sites are often inaccessible or little known outside of China. QQ, which is China’s most popular networking site, has a 50% market share with 380 million users. This site that started out as an instant messaging service has developed itself into a portal and now has its own form of virtual currency. Its popularity is so widespread that it is possible to perform transactions in online shops and gaming sites that function outside of the QQ network.
The popularity of Google in North America is undeniable. Nevertheless, the largest search engine in China is Baidu. Many local varieties of Facebook (51, Kaixin, Renren) and Twitter (Digu, Taotao, Zuosa, Weibo) have tens or even hundreds of millions of users. Even sites such as Youtube and Ebay have very similar Chinese equivalents (Tudou and Taobao respectively). And all this is only within China. The strength and diversity of the Chinese.
Internet is partly driven by its population. It was a lack of understanding of the cultural differences by Western computer giants however, that led to the development of these local alternatives.
Posted by Chia-Yi in Ethnic Marketing | 0 Comments
Who are the Arabs?
The majority of Canadians of Arab origin are Lebanese (41%)[1], 12% are Egyptian whilst the proportions of Syrians, Moroccans, Iraqis, Algerians and Palestinians range from 4% to 6%. The largest Arab community in Canada lives in Montreal. Only 18% of Canadians are foreign-born, but this percentage climbs to 58% (2001 statistics) for Canadians who reported an Arab origin. In Canada, almost half of Arabs live in either Montreal or Toronto, but it is in Quebec that they make up the largest percentage of the provincial population.
When we talk about Arabs, it is similar to talking about Asians, we tend to put them all in the “same basket”, ignoring the multiple and real historical, cultural, religious and other differences. Their reality is diverse, Arabic cultures are a “mosaic” like Canada is. The Arabic language unites them, like Spanish unites Hispanics, but the cultural differences between a Lebanese and an Iraqi for instance, can be as noticeable as those between a Spaniard and a Salvadorian. Many Canadians of Arab origin are also francophone, in particular the Lebanese, Egyptians (although not all) and Maghrebi (North Africans) for historical reasons.
These Arabic communities are culturally vibrant, very far from any obscure fanaticism. To be convinced, one need only to listen to Radio Middle-East, broadcast 24/7 on 1450AM in Arabic (with intermittent words in French and English), that addresses the Arab community (Middle-East and Maghrebi), or go to the Arab World Festival of Montreal, that has been around for 10 years and enjoys the support of numerous private sector backers as well as various governmental support[2]. On the web, Montreal Arabic (French website) also reflects the community’s diversity presenting a wide variety of subjects from advice for new immigrants, to the price of petrol and recipes; furthermore, it offers a selection of videos, articles, topics and debates that concern the host country, but also the Arab world and international scene. Arab restaurants are everywhere and are frequented by many Quebecois, Arab students form associations, entrepreneurs publish company newsletters for which they offer trilingual services in Arabic, French and English and there are exuberant Oriental evenings held in Laval’s flashy restaurants. Canadians of Arab origin are also very present in cultural domains, among others the political scientist Sami Aoun, the intellectual Rachad Antonius, Wajdi Mouawad (theatre), Rawi Haje (literature) and Rachid Badouri (comedy), or the winners of the “Arab Women of Quebec” trophy. To connect with Arabs, there are also numerous “ethnic” newspapers such as Al-Akhbar, El-Ressala, Al Magrheb-Al Machreq, Al-Mustakbal, Atlas, El-Masri, to name only those that have over 10,000 readers. In brief, the Arabs are among us!
This clearly doesn’t happen without paradoxes and incidentally an inquiry by Leger Marketing underlined this in 2007: in spite of popular opinion, the Arab community is one of the most integrated in Quebec society[3]!
[1] http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/89-621-x/89-621-x2007009-fra.htm
[2] http://www.festivalarabe.com/?id=pages/dynamic/Partenaires&lang=fr
[3] http://www.legermarketing.com/documents/spclm/070115fr.pdf
Posted by Chia-Yi in News from Orchimedia | 0 Comments
The launch of Orchimedia’s new blog
Great news! The new Orchimedia blog AsianMarketing.ca is online! Included are a variety of topics such as the new economic trends in Asia, the cultural differences between Asian peoples, ethnic and international marketing and bilateral relations between Asian countries and Canada; we will shine the spotlight on various countries as well as provide you with tools and advice on what is appropriate to do, and what isn’t, in order to develop strong relationships with your Asian partners and thus capitalize on all the exciting opportunities that these fast-growing markets offer. The search button will allow you to perform a simple but focused search of all the content and thus you will have no trouble finding the information of particular interest to you. The blog already includes nine newsletters and we invite all our readers, clients, partners and friends to meet us there so that we all share to better understand China and Asia as well as exchange on any event or meeting specific to this continent so full of promise.
Ce blogue est également disponible en français sur MarketingAsiatique.ca
Posted by Chia-Yi in Marketing-Communications Hong Kong, Marketing-Communications Taiwan | 0 Comments
Similar Heritage, Different Cultures
East-West cultural differences are not the only things that you need to take into account. Although the Chinese, Taiwanese and Cantonese mostly originate from the same Han roots and many share the same language, religion, ethnic traditions and dynamic culture, there are a number of differences between these groups. For example, the Taiwanese passion for baseball, for which the mainland Chinese people are not very keen, results from the influence of the Japanese colonisation that lasted for half a century.
Chu and Chan (2008) have looked into the differences between Taiwanese, Cantonese and Chinese consumers. Among others, they have discovered that the Taiwanese respond much less to promotions that aren’t based on price, unlike the two other groups. They also noted that the factors that positively influence consumers when faced with the image of a company differed from one group to another. Brand names, product packaging, labelling and how easy the product is to purchase are the factors that the Taiwanese consider the most, while Cantonese put more attention on the availability of the goods and product presentation (display shelves, window displays, etc.).
In a world where few communication barriers remain, culture is more and more subject to various influences. What characterises a nation today may not be the case for future generations.
Sources : CHU, K-M et CHANG, H-C (2008). “Cross-cultural Consumer Behavior of General Merchandise for Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Shanghai, Taiwan”, The Business Review, Cambridge , Vol. 11 , No. 1
TAO, S-P (2003). “Life Style and Consumers in Taiwan and the United States; A cross cultural comparison of Activities, Interests and Opinions (AIOs)”, Thesis, University of Minnesota.
Posted by Chia-Yi in Marketing-Communications Taiwan | 0 Comments
Cultural differences and the implication on marketing
The cultural gap that separates the East and the West is profound. As consumer behaviour is strongly influenced by culture, international advertisers face big challenges when developing their communication strategy. Some researchers have studied the difference between American and Taiwanese consumers towards advertising. For example, as elsewhere in Asia, Taiwanese society has been strongly influenced by Confucianism, it is thus always dominated by men on the whole. This variable has an impact on the way that advertisers can promote their product. For instance, Tao (2003) explains in his thesis how an advertisement that promotes a cosmetic product focusing on the importance of having young-looking skin to please one’s spouse has a lot more chances of success in Taiwan than in North America. Another of his findings is that the Taiwanese tend to boycott a product mentioned during a TV show that they don’t like, or because they don’t like the advertisement. This is why it is important to be particularly prudent when engaging in media planning.
Sources : CHU, K-M et CHANG, H-C (2008). “Cross-cultural Consumer Behavior of General Merchandise for Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Shanghai, Taiwan”, The Business Review, Cambridge , Vol. 11 , No. 1
TAO, S-P (2003). “Life Style and Consumers in Taiwan and the United States; A cross cultural comparison of Activities, Interests and Opinions (AIOs)”, Thesis, University of Minnesota.
Posted by Chia-Yi in Marketing-Communications India | 0 Comments
Think global, act local
It is understandable that a company whose brand or brands have a huge notoriety would prefer to change as little as possible when trying to penetrate foreign markets. But it could be disastrous to transplant a product from any cultural context to another without carrying out certain adjustments. This is particularly true in India. Kellogg’s learned this when it wanted to launch its product Corn Flakes a few years ago in a country where it is common to eat a bowl of warm vegetables for breakfast, and where the minority who do eat cereal for breakfast prefer to eat them with warm milk. The flakes could not stand up to the heat, became soggy and much less appetising. Paired with a very high price, the product did not experience the success that was expected.
He who wants to win, wants the ball…
Who could have believed that McDonald’s, whose main product is a hamburger, would succeed in a market where the vast majority of people don’t eat beef and a quarter of the population eat no meat at all? Yet, there are currently 160 branches across the country! This is because McDonald’s adapted its products to match local taste in a distinct menu, with no beef or pork but lots of vegetarian options. In fact, more than 70% of the menu is indianized (compared to a general average of 33% in Asia). Besides, they were able to keep their branding and link it to an image of quality, impeccable services, cleanliness and world-wide values.
Sources: http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/may2006/id20060508_952455.htm
http://www.slideshare.net/rangnekar/mcdonalds-india-launch-presentation