Leaders

China: 2012 Highlights & 2013 Challenges

by

Laure de Carayon | February 06, 2013

Laure de Carayon, founder of China Connect, asked a host of China-based luxury professionals their thoughts on 2012 and what’s next in 2013.

What Was Most Important to Your Business in 2012?

Kaiser Kuo, International Communication Director, Baidu: “For the Internet industry in China, the huge surge in smartphone usage and access to the Internet via mobile devices has been most significant”

Alexis Perakis-Valat, CEO L’Oreal China: “The rising importance of the post 1980’s and 1990’s generation and everything that goes with it.”

Seth Grossman, CEO Vizeum Asia Pacific: “2012 has been a year where the world has come to rely on China more than ever. Where the scale caught up to the growth. Where quarterly earning reports seemed incomplete without a mention of China. “

Lena Yang, GM publishing, Hearst Magazines China: “Two important facts have shown great changes in Chinese lifestyle. The quick growth of Chinese tourists, and their desire to enjoy life, experience the world, and express themselves, has motivated the Chinese market, but at the same time brings in new challenges. What local luxury business can offer as-outstanding services to attract the most critical and mature consumers? The second is the booming of E-commerce (challenging traditional marketing and sales). Across all categories advertisers have started to invest in OnlineTV”

Thomas Bouillonec, MD, Piaget China: “In 2012 the Mainland Chinese became the number one customer for high end luxury goods, which I believe they will remain for a very long time if not forever”

Yirong Xu, CEO, Meilishuo.com: “The user base of smart phones in China grew to over 300 million. The value of social media is becoming better recognised by advertising clients.”

Sam Flemming, Founder & President CIC China: “Social media is becoming ‘mainstream’ for communications for brands; WeChat takes hold as the new ‘Facebook’ of China with strong CRM potential."

Mykim Chikli, COO Zenith Optimedia China: “The rise of Online TV and the merge of Youku & Tudou”

Thomas Reemer, CEO 88tc88: “Growing Chinese consumer confidence and the resulting market segmentation has been the biggest change in the musical industry. Also content platforms starting to charge for their services (Baidu Music, etc)”

Tom Doctoroff, APAC CEO, J.Walter Thompson: “Consumer confidence has taken a hit due to both global uncertainty (not a new thing) and increasing lack of confidence in the central government to implement gradual reform. There is no panic, but more nervousness than in the past. This has affected both multinational corporationsand local enterprise investment robustness When confidence is down, procurement departments become more powerful within client organization. Pitch results and retainer fees become increasingly competitive and price-driven, and this is one things that has affect margins for many agencies in 2012.”

“ Consumer confidence has taken a hit due to both global uncertainty and increasing lack of confidence in the central government ”

What will be challenging and exciting for your business in 2013?

Kaiser Kuo, International Communication Director, Baidu: “The most exciting and challenging issue is clearly the shift to mobile.”

Alexis Perakis-Valat, CEO L’Oreal China: “The rising importance of the post 80’s and the post 90’s generation and everything that goes with it (again!)”

Laura Lai, MD Van Cleef et Arpels China: "Continue growth from a Maison to the Grand Maison in China. Van Cleef & Arpels regards China market as one of our priorities. We will have large investments in the expansions in 2nd tier cities in China in the following years”.

Seth Grossman, CEO Vizeum Asia Pacific: “The chance to work with media partners in far more creative ways than ever before. We need to think ever more deeply about bringing content into people’s lives that they welcome in at a time of their choosing. Digital will be at the forefront of this but there are brilliant writers, producers, and editors in print and television who can guide when it comes to the content proposition, regardless of where and when it might be delivered.”

Lena Yang, GM publishing, Hearst Magazines China: “For the media industry, the digital platform will become from now the most important new field to exercise the expertise of media. Digital and traditional are no more counter parties but united as one. Media shall act as multimedia platform content producers and offer constantly a global solution to consumers (users and readers) and its partners (advertisers, media associates).”

Thomas Bouillonec, MD, Piaget China: “Trying to get Mainland Chinese consumers to buy in China!”

Sam Flemming, Founder & President CIC China: “Growing brands/business in a (relative) slower growth market in China"

Yirong Xu, CEO, Meilishuo.com: “We have more than 30M users, who are Chinese white collars women, and this number keeps growing. We began to cooperate with many famous brands such as Lamer and Estee Lauder.”

Thibault Villet, CEO Glamour Sales: “2013 will be an exciting year as we will also focus on the growth of a new luxury e- commerce platform, www.neimanmarcus.com.cn, a full price platform offering a curated assortment of in season luxury and fashion designers."

Mykim Chikli, COO Zenith Optimedia China: “The emerging Chinese middle class is the most interesting we need to understand. The raise of new consumers will change the market and the media consumption across China.”

Thomas Reemer, CEO 88tc88: "Launching our mobile musical content platform Paishouba in January and growing it into a success.”

Tom Doctoroff, APAC CEO, J.Walter Thompson: “2013 is likely to be much the same as 2012: by international standards, continued growth but no longer heady. And digital creative will become even more mainstream, an opportunity for the advertising agency if they structure their operations correctly.

“The key thing to look out for, is consumer confidence, which could swing either way depending on whether or not the new President, Xi Jinping, outlines a credible reform agenda. More micro, group chat (Weixin/WeChat) will explode.”

“ The most exciting and challenging issue is clearly the shift to mobile ”

2013 in One Word

Kaiser Kuo, International Communication Director, Baidu: Mobile

Alexis Perakis-Valat, CEO L’Oreal China: Exciting

Seth Grossman, CEO Vizeum Asia Pacific: Evolving

Lena Yang, GM publishing, Hearst Magazines China: Innovation

Thomas Bouillonec, MD, Piaget China: In 4 words: China and Chinese again

Yirong Xu, CEO, Meilishuo.com: Challenging but exciting

Sam Flemming, Founder & President CIC China: Social CRM

Mykim Chikli, COO Zenith Optimedia China: Engergetic

Thomas Reemer, CEO 88tc88: Market share (it’s two words, I know)

Tom Doctoroff, APAC CEO, J.Walter Thompson: Anxious


To further investigate the Chinese luxury market on Luxury Society, we invite your to explore the related materials as follows:

- Bringing Fine Wines to the Chinese Market: Sarment
- The Most Sought-After Luxury Watch Brands in China
- PPR’s Push Into Mainland China

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