China digital marketing - Research, tips and news for marketers

Digital Intelligence - a special report about China

Digital marketing has changed the marketing mix across China - changing the way marketers communicate. Successful marketing strategies demand the right consumer insights and channel selection as the media landscape continues shifting.

To keep you on top of how digital marketing is changing in China, here are some key developments and trends we've identified.

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Digital ad spend in Latin America: Brazil to lead growth

Digital ad spend in Latin America is set to double by 2016, with Brazil leading the way, according to new research.

08/05/2013  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

Amazon sells apps in China for first time

Amazon has launched its first paid-for Android apps in China, beating Google, which has offered only free apps.

07/05/2013  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

Alibaba buys 18% stake in ‘Chinese Twitter’ Weibo

Chinese ecommerce giant Alibaba has bought an 18% stake in Sina’s Weibo microblogging site, for roughly $586m.

30/04/2013  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

Baidu to buy Chinese video site for $400m?

Baidu is in talks to buy online video firm PPS Net TV as the Chinese search giant looks to expand its web presence, according to a new report.

26/04/2013  |  Full story...

Countries with the most iOS and Android devices

The US and China have more than 5 times the active installed users than that of the UK, the world's third largest market. iOS and Android device adoption is also very high for both China and the US, China added 150 million devices to its base between January 2012 and January 2013, while the US added 55 million.

Countries with the most iOS and Android devices. The US and China have more than 5 times the active installed users than that of the UK, the world's third largest market. iOS and Android device adoption is also very high for both China and the US, China added 150 million devices to its base between January 2012 and January 2013, while the US added 55 million.

13/03/2013  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

China overtakes US as top smartphone market

China has overtaken the US in terms of having the most active Android and iOS devices, according to new data.

20/02/2013  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

China social networking sites by demographic

This chart shows the breakdown of social network users by age. China's social networking sites are the most popular with 20-24 year olds, the site with the highest percentage of 20-24 year olds being 51.com. Across all the sites studied, social networks are used more by the 30-34 year age group than they are with users aged 15-19.

China social networking sites by demographic. This chart shows the breakdown of social network users by age. China's social networking sites are the most popular with 20-24 year olds, the site with the highest percentage of 20-24 year olds being 51.com. Across all the sites studied, social networks are used more by the 30-34 year age group than they are with users aged 15-19.

28/01/2013  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

Social network ad spend in China

This chart shows the rise (and projected rise) of social network ad spend for Chinese marketers, alongside the percentage change from the previous year (blue line) and percentage of total ad spend (red line). The market will experience rapid growth over the coming years with overall spend estimated to reach US$789.5m.

Social network ad spend in China. This chart shows the rise (and projected rise) of social network ad spend for Chinese marketers, alongside the percentage change from the previous year (blue line) and percentage of total ad spend (red line). The market will experience rapid growth over the coming years with overall spend estimated to reach US$789.5m.

28/01/2013  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

China internet use hits 564m with 75% logging on from mobile

The number of people using the internet in China rose by 10% last year to 564m last year, with 75% of those having access via mobile devices, according to new figures. The data, from the China Internet Network Information Centre, found that the number of Chinese web users who logged onto the internet from mobile devices, including phones and tablets, rose by 18.1% to 420 million in 2012. The rise comes despite the introduction of tighter content rules by Communist leaders, and means that 42.1% of the total Chinese population has internet access during 2012.

16/01/2013  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

Jack Ma steps down from Chinese ecommerce giant Alibaba

Jack Ma, founder of China's Alibaba.com, is stepping down as chief executive but will remain chairman. Since forming the company in 1999, Ma, a former English teacher, has built up the company to become an ecommerce powerhouse. The company has 24,000 employees and is estimated to be worth $40 billion. By its own measure, Alibaba grew to surpass Amazon and eBay combined in terms of sales volume last year. In the first 11 months of 2012, it recorded $157 billion in transactions on its platforms. $3.1 billion of that came in a single day on the company’s 11/11 Shopping Festival.

16/01/2013  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

Apple dampens 'cheap' iPhone rumours

Apple’s marketing boss has quashed rumours that the firm is planning to produce a budget version of its iPhone. Phil Schiller, head of marketing at Apple has told a Chinese newspaper that “cheap smartphones” will “never be the future of Apple’s products”. The comments to the Shanghai Evening News follow soon after reports from The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg that said a cheaper iPhone was in the works.

14/01/2013  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

Internet population: China

China's Web users have increased by over 10% since December 2008, reaching nearly 540 million. However, the chart shows how the rapid growth has decreased over time. As of June 2012 the number of online Chinese citizens equalled just under 40% ot the total population.

Internet population: China. China's Web users have increased by over 10% since December 2008, reaching nearly 540 million. However, the chart shows how the rapid growth has decreased over time. As of June 2012 the number of online Chinese citizens equalled just under 40% ot the total population.

08/01/2013  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

Google removes censorship notice from Chinese search

Google has axed a censorship notice on its Chinese search engine, as the firm looks to build on its paltry 5% market share in the rapidly growing market. Launched 6 months ago, the censorship warning notified Chinese users that their searches are filtered by the nation's ‘Great Firewall’. For instance, when people tried to search for the term "freedom" from mainland China, they would get a pop-warning from Google that said, "We've observed that searching for [freedom] in mainland China may break your connection to Google for a short while. This interruption is outside of Google's control," and it would give the person the option to change the search term or search anyway.

07/01/2013  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

Social media in China: Top 6 social networks

For the international marketer, China represents one of the largest digital audiences in the world. With over 550m now online, 400m connecting via mobile, and over 300m on social media in China, the digital audience is growing fast. This article looks at six key social networks in China.

28/11/2012  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

Top 20 social networks in the world in 2012 (infographic)

As Facebook passes the billion users mark, this infographic from Silverpop looks at the top 20 social networks in the world, and charts the growth of the medium of the past decade. Facebook and Twitter are the big hitters with one billion and 500 million users respectivley, They are followed by Google+ and the big networks in China, Weibo and RenRen. The rest of the top 10 is filled by LinkedIn, Badoo, Instagram, Yelp and Tumblr.

26/11/2012  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

Social media in China: Alibaba planning to buy stake in Twitter rival Sina Weibo?

Chinese ecommerce giant Alibaba is reportedly planning to invest in micro-blogging platform Sina Weibo, as it looks to expand its social media reach in China. The report, from China Business News, states that Alibaba plans to buy a 15-20% stake in the Twitter rival, which is hugely popular in China. The report said the investment would increase Sina Weibo’s value to between US$2bn and $3bn.

19/11/2012  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

Global online ad revenue to reach $143bn by 2017: US, China and UK lead the way

Global online advertising revenues will reach $143 billion in 2017, with the US still leading the market, with China catching fast, according to a new report. The Online Advertising Forecasts report, from Digital TV Research, estimates that the 2017 total is more than double the $66 billion recorded in 2010 and considerably up from the $92 billion predicted for 2012.

15/11/2012  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

China: Mobile users Vs laptop and PC users

This chart shows the rise of smartphone owners compared with previous PC and laptop owners. The growth in PC has slowed considerably since June 2011. The adoption of smartphones over this period has increased dramatically, with smartphone ownership exceeding PC ownership in June 2012.

China: Mobile users Vs laptop and PC users. This chart shows the rise of smartphone owners compared with previous PC and laptop owners. The growth in PC has slowed considerably since June 2011. The adoption of smartphones over this period has increased dramatically, with smartphone ownership exceeding PC ownership in June 2012.

01/11/2012  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

Smartphone owners: China

Chinese smartphone owners are one of the key drivers for rising web use. This chart shows that in less than 5 years the number of smartphone users has grown by over 33 million, accounting for 72.2% of total web users. One of the main reasons for this growth is attributed to the affordability of smartphones over PCs and laptops.

Smartphone owners; China. Chinese smartphone owners are one of the key drivers for rising web use. This chart shows that in less than 5 years the number of smartphone users has grown by over 33 million, accounting for 72.2% of total web users. One of the main reasons for this growth is attributed to the affordability of smartphones over PCs and laptops.

01/11/2012  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

China ad spend ‘to increase 13.4% in 2012’

China’s online ad spend is forecast to increase 13.4% to reach 394 yuan ($63bn/ £39bn) during 2012, despite uncertain outlooks in both the Eurozone and the U.S. economy, according to a report. The forecast was made in GroupM’s “This Year, Next Year: China Media Forecasts” report, which also predicts an 11.6 percent hike in 2013 to reach RMB 439 billion.

30/10/2012  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

The rise of social media in China

Chinese social networks are growing at a brisk pace though, with 95% of Chinese residents in the major cities use social networking sites. The infographic, provided by BestFreeOnline, shows that the number of Chinese Internet users is increasing at a dramatic pace — over 2100% in the last 12 years. With almost 1.4 Billion people, that means there is still a ton of room for growth, and this isn’t just free traffic.

30/10/2012  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

ASOS planning China and Russia launch

ASOS has set its sights on launching in China and Russia within a year, as the online fashion group targets two of the biggest retail markets in the world. The internet retailer currently sells to China and Russia, but will develop local language websites in the next 12 months under plans for total sales to reach £1 billion by 2015.

29/10/2012  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

China online retail trends: Sales hit $45bn in Q2 as Taobao dominates

China's e-commerce sector grew a massive 45% year-on-year in the second quarter, accounting for 12.5% of the country's GDP, according to new research. The study, from Analysys International indicates that total sales in China was 278.84 billion yuan ($44.5bn/ £36bn), with Alibaba Group's Taobao capturing a huge 76% of the market.

17/10/2012  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

Google axes music service in China

Google has pulled the plug on its music search and download services in China from next month after a 'disappointing' response from users. More than two years ago, Google effectively shut down its Chinese search engine, providing mainland users with a landing page that redirects to its uncensored site in Hong Kong.

24/09/2012  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

Yahoo sheds half of Alibaba stake for $7.6bn

Yahoo has sold back half of its stake in Chinese internet giant Alibaba for $7.6bn (£4.7bn), in a move that has fuelled speculation that the firm could use the cash to bid for a hot web property, such as Pinterest or Foursquare.

20/09/2012  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

Microsoft hires 1,000 staff for China expansion

Microsoft is recruiting over 1,000 additional employees in China this year and boost research and development spending by 15% as the software giant looks to boost its mobile reach in the highly lucrative region. Microsoft is promoting its Windows 8 mobile operating system but came late to the market and trails Apple Iand Google, whose Android system is widely used in China. In China nearly 400 million people surf the Web using mobile phones and other devices.

11/09/2012  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

Baidu strengthens Chinese internet marketing with browser and cloud launch

Chinese internet marketing giant Baidu is stepping up its product portfolio with major launches in cloud computing and a suite of mobile internet browser tools. Baidu is now looking to markets beyond China and revenues beyond search, directly competing with European and North American mobile, search and hosting firms. Baidu has launched a mobile browser, with aims that 80% of China’s Android handsets will have downloaded Baidu Mobile Browser by the end of the year.

04/09/2012  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

Top 10 countries for video use: Asia Pacific

Vietnam has the highest proportion of online video viewers across the Asia Pacific region, but China dominates the market in terms of sheer numbers of viewers, according to new research. The study, from comScore, coincides with the introduction of its Video Matrix measurement service in Taiwan, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines.

29/08/2012  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

Baidu targets travel sector with international deals

Chinese search engine Baidu has inked a deal with Edinburgh-based flight search company Skyscanner, posing a challenge to Google's advantage in the lucrative online travel sector. The move will give Baidu users flight information presented with results from Skyscanner’s database. The move comes after Skyscanner expanded its operations to Singapore and Russia.

24/08/2012  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

Top Chinese browser Qihoo ditches Google for own brand search engine

China's most popular Web browser Qihoo has replaced Google with its own newly launched search engine as default choice. The firm said the move was prompted by a decline in Google's customer service declined since its exit from China in 2010. The new search engine, called so.360.cn, was launched last week. The service replaced Google as the default search engine on Qihoo 360's portal Hao.360.com, which will radically alter the existing structure of Chinese online search engine industry.

23/08/2012  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

Mobile advertising forecast data – market to triple

The latest mobile advertising forecast data suggests the big boom is yet to come, with the market trippling in side within the next 4 years, Yankee group are forecasting more than $11 billion being invested by brands just in mobile media space, before considering the investment to make websites compatible for mobile phones and tablets. After 10 years of hype, this mobile advertising forecast shows the tipping point is finally being reached. Here’s why…

17/08/2012  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

Chinese internet market - search engine Baidu toughens stance on corruption

In the Chinese internet market, the search engine Baidu dominates traffic generation to websites. This week it announced that four of its staff have been dismissed following corruption allegations that posts were deleted on its websites in exchange for personal payments. With three of the staff subsequently arrested by Chinese police, it shows the importance Baidu has achieved in the Chinese internet market.

09/08/2012  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

Asia Pacific ad spend growth in 2012

Television is the only media that decreased in ad spend in the Asia-Pacific region. Cinema ad spend showed the most growth with a 27.1% increase from the previous year.

Asia Pacific ad spend growth in 2012. Television is the only media that decreased in ad spend in the Asia-Pacific region. Cinema ad spend showed the most growth with a 27.1% increase from the previous year.

View larger image

08/08/2012  |  Related stories: 

Baidu staff arrested for ‘deleting negative forum comments’

Chinese search giant Baidu has become embroiled in a bribing scandal, with four of its employees suspected of accepting payments to delete posts on the company’s forum. Baidu has already fired the four staff members involved - of which three have now been arrested. It has not been confirmed why the fourth member has avoided further action, nor what posts were deleted.

07/08/2012  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

'Map of the internet' shows size of web giants

Google, Facebook and YouTube are the biggest sites in the world, followed by the likes of Baidu and qq in China, according to a new graphic looking at global web use. The map, depicting the size and relationships of the biggest 350,000 websites in the world, was created by Ruslan Enikeev. He measured 2 million links from 196 different countries to create the interactive graphic.

03/08/2012  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

Baidu Q2 profits grow 70% as search ad sales soar

Baidu the Chinese search giant has posted net profits of 2.77bn yuan ($436m) for Q2, up from 1.63bn yuan in the same period last year. Revenues were up 60% and reached 5.46bn yuan ($858.8m).

24/07/2012  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

China mobile internet use - Tipping point as internet use shifts to mobile

China has crossed a tipping point in technology as China's mobile internet use has overtaken traditional PC internet access. With over 530m people connected by mobile, this is a reminder that the mobile web experience will be the first internet experience for many consumers in the world's largest internet market.

23/07/2012  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

Apple finally settles China iPad trademark dispute ‘for $60m’

Apple has agreed to pay $60m (£38m) to Chinese firm Proview to settle a dispute involving rights to the "iPad" name, a court in China has said. Proview had claimed that it owned the rights to the iPad name in the Chinese market after registering it in 2000. However, Apple had insisted that it had acquired the worldwide rights for the name in 2009.

03/07/2012  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

Apple brings iTunes to more Asian countries... but still no China

Apple is launching iTunes online store to Hong Kong, Taiwan and 10 other Asian countries, but the online video and music store is still yet to maake an appearance in China. The move continues Apple's push to sell music and video to more users in the company's fastest growing region.

27/06/2012  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

Which countries generate the most ad impressions: Global

2011 saw American publishers account for the highest percentage of online impressions. However, the chart shows that throughout 2011, the Asia-Pacific publishers in China and Japan progressed sigificantly ahead of their Northern European counterparts.

Which countries generate the most ad impressions: Global. 2011 saw American publishers account for the highest percentage of online impressions. However, the chart shows that throughout 2011, the Asia-Pacific publishers in China and Japan progressed sigificantly ahead of their Northern European counterparts.

(Click on the headline to view a larger image)

01/06/2012  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

Top countries by display ad impressions- US, China and Japan top list

The US accounts for nearly a quarter of all display ad impressions in the world, followed by China and Japan, according to new data revealed by Google. The research, from Google’s display ad properties, including DoubleClick for publishers, the DoubleClick ad exchange and the Google adsense network.

30/05/2012  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

Latest China Internet use data

A staggering 1 in every 5 people online are from China, and there is still plenty of room for growth amongst its 1.3 billion plus citizens, according to new data. Online statistic portal Statista has assembled an infographic displaying key trends amongst Chinese citizens, as the country begins to match the US in terms of internet use.

25/04/2012  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

Online video use in Asia - new report shows overtaking Western markets

Asia (excluding Japan) and BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India and China) have overtaken Europe and western markets on television viewing and video consumption via Internet or mobiles, according to a new report looking at online video use in Asia. The findings, from Nielsen’s global media consumption index also shows that globally, 14% of advertising expenditure goes towards digital.

25/04/2012  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

Alibaba partners Pinterest rival to bring social shopping to China

Chinese online shopping giant Alibaba is partnering with community site Mogujie, offering shoppers a more social way to find and buy products online. The deal will see Alibaba’s eTao search engine offer a new social sharing ecommerce platform called eTao Faxian, which means “discover.”

02/04/2012  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

Facebook to return to China? Zuckerberg’s Asian trip sparks rumours

Mark Zuckerberg has been spotted in Shanghai this week, sparking rumours that Facebook could be eyeing a return to the lucrative Chinese market after being blocked three years ago. Facebook now has at least 845 million users around the world, but has been banned in mainland China since 2009.

30/03/2012  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

Consumers ‘trust social brands more’- China and India survey

The vast majority of consumers in China and India trust brands that are responsible or sociable, according to new research. The study, from Havas Media, also indicates that only 20% of brands have a notable positive impact on consumer’s sense of wellbeing and quality of life. Of those polled, 95% and 85% said they trust companies with a responsible or social profile more than those without in China and India respectively.

21/02/2012  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

Low-Cost Android smartphones ‘to take 80% of market in Africa, India, and China’

Low-cost Android handsets will reach a penetration rate of 80% of total smartphones in Africa, India, and China by 2015, accoriding to new research from In-Stat. The low-cost Android smartphone segment is comprised primarily of smartphones released with Android 2.2 or 2.3, since these versions are a good blend of features with modest memory and processor usage.

20/02/2012  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

Top Chinese mobile marketing firm Madhouse launches in India

Madhouse, China’s leading Mobile Marketing Company has launched in India, in partnership with global ad giant WPP. Madhouse offers brands mobile solutions across the spectrum of paid, owned and earned media on smart phones and tablets.

17/02/2012  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

China reaching 1 billion mobile connections: Smartphone use soars

China is closing in on the 1 billion mobile connections mark, which it will likely surpass before the end of March, according to new research. The findings, from Wireless Intelligence report, indicates that China is poised to grow further as its huge population is now embracing mobile data services.

24/01/2012  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

China: Micro-blogging craze pushes web audience over half billion mark

The number of internet users in China has surged past half a billion and online citizenship continues to grow fast, according to latest figures. The China Internet Network Information Center report also shows the use of social media sites – Twitter equivalents called weibo – has greatly expanded among the country's 513 million web users. The number of microbloggers expressing themselves in the relative privacy of cyberspace has exploded – quadrupling from 63 million in 2010 to just over 250 million in 2011, or half the entire internet population, the figures show.

18/01/2012  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

India and China ‘most active social media users’- are marketers missing a trick?

India and China have the most active social media users, while web users in the US, Europe and Japan are less likely to post information on social networks, according to a new report. The global survey by Forrester Research, found that three out of four Chinese and Indian web users write blog posts or upload pictures and music. The online survey collected from 95,000 Internet users in 18 countries.

09/01/2012  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

Developing markets 'to deliver half global adspend growth'

Over the next three years nearly half (48%) of all the world’s growth in ad expenditure will come from just ten developing markets, including China, Russia, and Indonesia, according to new research. The study, from ZenithOptimedia, predicts that the four BRIC markets alone (Brazil, Russia, India and China) are forecast to account for 33% of global growth.

20/12/2011  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

WPP buys stake in Chinese digital ad firm

Global marketing giant WPP has taken a minority stake in Leading Smart Holdings, the British Virgin Islands-based parent company of Moment Systems, a digital advertising measurement firm in China. The move marks WPP’s second investment in a Chinese digital firm this month.

26/10/2011

26/10/2011  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

Chinese social media giant RenRen buys video sharing site

Renren has bought online video sharing site 56.com for $80 million, as the Chinese social networking site looks to boost user engagement. Founded in 2005, Guangzhou-based 56.com is a video-sharing website where users can upload, view and share videos.

28/09/2011  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

Top markets for Blog penetration: Global

Taiwan ranked highest globally for blog engagement, with 85.5% of its online population visiting blogs, followed by Brazil (85.2%), South Korea (84.9%) and Turkey (81.9%).

Top markets for Blog penetration: Global. Taiwan ranked highest globally for blog engagement, with 85.5% of its online population visiting blogs, followed by Brazil (85.2%), South Korea (84.9%) and Turkey (81.9%).

21/09/2011  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

Alibaba takes on Baidu with Chinese search engine eTao

Alibaba has launched a new search engine called eTao, as China's largest e-commerce company looks to take on Baidu in the search market. Alibaba has launched its search engine called eTao.com after a beta trial last year. Alibaba's eTao site has been designed primarily as a shopping search engine, allowing users to query for products and group-buying deals. But the site also allows users to search for general web pages as well. eTao's market share, however, is so small that research firms don't list it.

14/09/2011

14/09/2011  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

Zynga expands to China without Facebook

Zynga is to create a Chinese version of its CityVille game, despite its platform of choice, Facebook, being blocked in the territory. The game will be played via internet portal Tencent instead of Facebook, where most of its games are played, but which is blocked in China.

Zynga recently filed for a much anticipated IPO but has been criticized for being too dependent on Facebook, its primary distribution platform, which accounts for the overwhelming majority of the company’s users and revenues.

05/08/2011

05/08/2011  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

China: Number of websites ‘halves in 1 year’

The number of websites in China almost halved last year, as increasing online censorship laws take their toll, according to new research. The report from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), a government think tank, found that there were 1.91 million websites at the end of last year, a 41% drop. The findings mark the first time that the number of websites in China has decreased, with some commentators linking the statistic to recent censorship laws coming into force.

14/07/2011

14/07/2011  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: 

Microsoft partners Baidu for English-language search

Microsoft has struck a deal with Chinese search giant Baiduto offer its English-language search functions to Chinese users. Baidu has struggled to match Google's English search capabilities and is expected to introduce Microsoft Bing by the end of the year. However, the version that will have to adhere to the country's censorship rules. The agreement comes more than a year after Google pulled out of China, largely over disagreements about censorship, and ceded just under half its market share to Baidu.

06/07/2011

06/07/2011  |  Full story...  |  Related stories: