Double 11, Singles’ Day, Chinese Black Friday!  You may have noticed signs or banners popping up around town or on your Wechat moments, indicating something BIG is happening on this date.  What is happening and why should we care?

Shopping is one of China’s national sports and Double 11 or ‘Singles’ Day’, where the e-commerce platforms lay the perfect hunting grounds, is a day where records are broken.

Singles’ Day – Once a day to celebrate your singleton, Jack Ma, Founder of Alibaba, has transformed China’s ‘anti-Valentine’s Day’ into a frenzy of too good to be true online sales.

Today, Singles’ Day is the largest day of sales around the world that takes place every November 11^th from midnight to midnight.

Perhaps better known as Double 11, recent Singles’ Day sales generate more revenue than America’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined!

In 2020, Jingdong (JD.com) total 11-day sales during Double 11 2020 grew by 32% YoY and reached 271.5 billion yuan (US$41.02 bn) in GMV. Tmall’s 11-day Singles’ Day sales reached 498.2 billion yuan (US$75.27 billion) with an increase of 26% YoY.

What’s crazy about this giant day of sales is that more and more businesses, influencers, and countries want to take part in it.

Double 11 2019 recap

In 2019 Alibaba pushed the boundaries ones more and achieved  10 billion yuan sales in just one minute and 36 seconds! One of the factors of such high sales volumes was the launching of Double 11 sales in few countries of South East Asia, such as Malaysia and the Philippines. Live-streaming also took place that year and brought a new note to the festivities. 200,000 brands participated in Tmall’s online shopping festiva in 2019l, of which more than 20,000 are foreign. Chinese cosmetic and fashion bands broke into the “top 5” of sales volumes in their categories for the first time.

Double 11 2020 recap

Tmall

250,000 brands in total participated in Double 11 in 2020, of which 31,000 are overseas brands. Tmall’s 11-day Singles’ Day sales reached 498.2 billion Yuan (US$75.27 billion).

JD

According to JD brepor, FMCG products have become the top five categories in terms of sales, while 3C household appliances such as mobile phones, washing machines, laptops and other household appliances rank first by total sales.

What to expect in the year 2021 on the Double 11 day?

As Alibaba keeps updating functions of Tmall and Taobao, this year it is all about live-streaming event! Other update on the Alibaba front: the pre-sales have started mid October, and many brands are shipping the good already! Expected to break all records, the festival is taking over offline spaces too, 90% of retailers hold 11.11 sales for all brands big and small!

KOLs (Influencers) and KOC (Key Opinion Customers) are being the busiest this season, and starting November 1st most will hold hourly sales streams. Wonder when shall you start preparing for 11.11? Our answer is: July!

Read more about KOL (influencer) marketing in China in our amazing guide!

Read more about KOC (Key opinion Customer) Marketing and how to get started with it here!

Discover 13 most popular livestreaming platforms in China!

Double 11 consumers behaviour at a glance

• Price is no longer the most important factor when it comes to purchasing, Chinese shoppers are now focused more on quality.
• Impulsive shopping is increasing as Chinese consumers’ have growing disposable incomes.
• Chinese consumers remain loyal to national influencers, meaning having the right influencer can strengthen your campaign.
• Food and Cosmetics are the top-of-mind categories for Chinese consumers.
• Chinese consumers prefer niche products that represent their lifestyles and their ideals. 
• Live-streaming is expected to reach new heights this year.
• Alibaba will put even more efforts to new Ali-markets such as real estate. 
• Improved AI of the ali apps is pushing consumers to discover products they didn’t even know they need!

You can expect to find a variety of brands utilizing technology that gives consumers the chance to see and select products that are in-store and in virtual stores. Virtual reality is being used to promote unique shopping experiences for consumers with high expectations from the day.

Whether you are planning to participate in Double 11 or not, you won’t want to miss out on the creativity that will be deployed to get consumers in the doors of shops and online making purchases.

Why shall you act now on joining the Singles’ day?

The phenomenal success of Singles’ Day is a snapshot of the times we are living in.  China’s consumers are active, captive and connected by device, with more than 82% of the online transactions during last year’s Singles’ Day taking place via mobile application.  Alibaba has intelligently capitalized on the consumer and technological trends that 21^st century China has experienced over the last 10 years.

It is a culture of early adoption and rapid pace, where e-commerce is not seen as an add-on to a company’s marketing strategy, but increasingly the main event.  It should be noted that Alibaba’s platforms do not themselves sell; they merely provide the interface or platform to enable the buyer to meet the seller.

Alibaba makes money by selling advertising space to sellers and takes a commission from larger retailers.

What Alibaba has done with Singles’ Day is turn it into a celebration of e-commerce.  Celebrities, rock stars, pop stars and sports stars are flown in to help celebrate and the numbers generated from the country’s annual “spend-a-thon” are lit up on a big screen, with analysts eagerly noting down the breakdown of consumer metrics and data by industry, brand category, spending level, region etc.

Alibaba notes its strategy this year is to take Singles’ Day global with a stronger focus on imported products and services, as well as promoting its Chinese brands to overseas buyers. The growth won’t come without some challenges such as language barriers and compliance and trade regulations to adhere to.

However today we are seeing unprecedented levels of cross-border transactions and Singles’ Day celebrates the freedom to “treat youself” by simply swiping and clicking your way through the virtual shopping aisles of the world.

If you want to participate in Chines black Friday, you shall start looking for a TP (Tmall partner), who will represent your products on the platforms, localize your products to the Chine market and get some help from Chinese KOL using  influencer marketing!

Happy Singles’ Day!

Are you preparing for this year’s Double 11? If so, take a look at the previous marketing strategies implemented brands during last year’s Double 11.

Double 11 in 2021: Strategies Chinese brands use to reach their sales goal over the years

Perfect Diary brand strategy

Brand introduction:

Perfect Diary combines the facial and skin characteristics of the Asian population with the European and American fashion trends, to develop a series of high-quality and easy-to-use cosmetic products for the new generation of women. The brand supports China’s fashion industry and aspires to become an internationally influential Chinese beauty icon. Perfect Diary supports the younger generation and believes that they should not be bound by external labels, band should instead actively explore more possibilities in life to become the best version of themselves.

Marketing strategy:

Perfect Diary’s marketing strategy combines Celebrity endorsements with KOL corporation and KOC sharing on social media, with a goal to create an overwhelming response for the 618 and Double 11 shopping season!

Prior to 618 and Double 11, Perfect Diary launched a large number of new products and opted for celebrity endorsements and famous KOLs to help build a successful brand image and attract more interest from the public. The brand spent lots of money on KOL reviews.

Perfect Diary selected 2-3 new products, and invited small and medium-sized KOLS (with thousands of followers) to share the products on social media to attract more traffic and brand awareness. Just before 618 and Double 11, Perfect Diary invited popular celebrities to make recommendations and specifically focus on one or two products.

However, Perfect Diary needs new marketing methods to better enhance the brand’s interest and influence. So, their solution is Brand crossover. Like many brands, Perfect Diary looks for stars to better promote its products and events. The brand also takes advantage of the fashion week, with famous brands and supermodels seeking cross-industry cooperation. Perfect Diary also seeks cooperation with major international well-known IP.

For brand, this marketing approach not only helps the brand to penetrate into different consumer groups, but also expands its user circle and enhances the brand’s reputation.

Consumer review:

Three Squirrels brand strategy

Brand Introduction:

Three Squirrels Co. LTD was founded in 2012 and its headquarters are located in Wuhu, Anhui province. It is the first online food brand in China and is the largest food e-commerce enterprise with the highest sales volume in China. It mainly sells nuts, dried meat, dried fruit, pureed foods and other snacks. On December 3, Three Squirrels announced that its annual sales in 2019 exceeded 10 billion Yuan – making it the first company within the snack industry to exceed 10 billion Yuan.

Marketing strategy:

Three Squirrels is mainly internet based and uses B2C platforms to implement its online sales. This unique business model closes the gap between merchants and customers, ensuring that customers are able to enjoy fresh and tasty food. Three Squirrels pioneered online food sales in China.

Three Squirrels’ offline business is a self-run food store (200 square meters), that focuses on the consumer experience and physical display of products. The brand plans to use Alibaba’s retail channels to enter thousands of community stores. According to Zhang Liaoyuan, Three Squirrels now has 700,000 stores, with a product repurchase rate of 75%. The Three squirrel stores (cooperative shops with young entrepreneurs), rely on the owners’ IP to sell their products. As of August 10, 2019, the number of Squirrel stores exceeded 100.

With its unique sales model, the Three Squirrels came first place in the Tmall nut industry on Taobao on the double 11, 2012, with daily sales of nearly 8 million Yuan. Its rapid development made history in China’s e-commerce. In 2013, Three Squirrels sales exceeded 300 million.

Three Squirrels are transforming into a digital supply chain platform. Zhang Liaoyuan believes a large number of food producers should connect with consumers to make the two links shorter. In the end, the efficiency of the industry will be improved, costs will be reduced, the quality will be better, and consequently, there will be a higher consumer demand.

Adolphbrand strategy

Brand introduction:

Adolph is a personal cleaning and health care brand, part of Guangzhou Adolph Personal Care Products Co. LTD.  Its headquarters are located in Guangzhou. The brand’s founder, Chen Diansong, met Adolph Martins Ganning, a Spanish performer, when he was traveling in Europe. Adolph created a classic smell that evoked strong emotion, referred to as “the smell of love”. The founders hope to pass on “the smell of love” to commemorate Adolph.

Marketing strategy:

Originally, Li Zhizhen suggested experiential marketing because “Adolph products do not use spokespeople or magazine advertising, but instead share samples with a number of potential customers to reach a bigger audience.” Adolph uses money in this way to save on advertising.  Over 90% people who try the products come back to Adolph and become a customer.

The product is delivered by the manufacturer and the store agent does not have to pay for it. With this in mind, the store’s purchase price is just 3.3 percent less. There is enough profit to promote and build teams for store, which means that the brand can still be present on channels without a spokesmen or advertising.

Regarding the brand’s marketing, Adolph collaborates with popular Mobile game social platforms, variety shows so that the brand is able to receive huge brand awareness and traffic on a global scale.

PurCotton brand strategy

Brand introduction:

PurCotton is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the robust medical group, Shenzhen PurCotton Technology Co. Ltd. It has 20 years of professional technology and production experience within the medical cotton industry. It provides laced, cotton spun, non-woven fabrics. The brand has expanded from medical products to civilian products. As the only high-end cotton household goods brand with a medical background in China, its core concept “cotton care for health” commits to providing safer, more comfortable, and environmentally friendly healthy cotton products.

At present, PurCotton specializes in four main product categories: maternal and infant care, female care, quality life care, and medical care. These categories include products such as soft towels, sanitary items, napkins, baby diapers, cotton household items, etc. and they are all widely recognized and favored by the customers.

Marketing strategy:

Every “PurCotton” product has a lasting guarantee. It has eight main types of products, such as clothing, household goods, baby and children’s products, women’s care, and many more. The basic “PurCotton” materials are imported from American and are of a very high quality. In 2010, PurCotton fell into the trap of wasting money to buy online traffic. However, in 2011, it adjusted its strategy and began to establish trust between its products and users, resulting in a better reputational position and improved sales prices. Over time, the brand’s trust has gradually accumulated with the establishment of direct sales – both online and offline. As of 2015, the PurCotton brand has more than 90 offline stores.

Xiaoxiandun brand strategy

Brand introduction:

Xiaoxiandun is a beauty product made from bird’s nests in Malaysia and Indonesia. It was established in 2014 and has a shelf life of 15 days. It has no additives and is a cold and fresh product that gets delivered to thousands of houses every week. Its brand mission is to make tonic health care easier and hassle-free.

Marketing strategy:

Consumers don’t often know how to select or make this product at home which makes the consumption of it very few. Therefore, Xiaoxiandun focuses on making the process much simpler for consumers. For example, the brand selects the ingredients (with no additives), freshly stews it, and chills it ready for delivery (uses a C2m business model) – making the customer journey effortless and hassle-free.

Providing a natural solution for pregnant women and those who love beauty

Traditional tonic products, such as those made from bird’s nests, seem like products that only middle-aged and elderly people can afford. However, the demand for tonic health care is rapidly changing and there is becoming a much bigger demand from the younger generation.

Advice to brand’s live-streaming in 2021

1. Live broadcasting has become a very common way for users to learn about a brand and its environment – similar to the experience of going to an offline store to buy things as the customer is able to meet the employees and get a feel for the business.
2. When broadcasting, the brand image should be considered, e.g. the style that the anchor conveys and the type of environment being showcased.
3. Different brands should have a professional anchor landing style.
4. Profits, including gifts, should be very clear and diversified.
5. Live broadcasts should be planned well in advance and holidays/events should be taken into consideration. For example, the seasons, Christmas, Chinese New Year, 618 and Shuang 11.

HI-COM is a multilingual communication agency dedicated to providing China specific social media communication and e-commerce marketing services to businesses around the world. Working with more than 100 brands, HI-COM is the go-to partner of companies that want to enter China market!  Contact us for your free consultation today!

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With the end of the year approaching, we are proud to have been able to continue our activities and translation projects despite the COVID-19 pandemic and would like to thank all our customers for being here this year!

Goodbye to 2020! Thank you to all of our friends, clients, and partners who made it memorable in a good way. Happy new year from everyone at HI-COM!

HI-COM ASIA IN 2020! Check out our achievements this year!!!

We would also like to congratulate the whole team across the different offices in China and France for managing to adapt their lifestyles to the current health crisis and for maintaining an excellent standard of work.

The pandemic started in January for China and HI-COM was able to adapt to the containment by placing priority on the safety of our employees and the continuation of their work.

Whether remotely or in agency, we have remained open to meet all your needs for translation, interpreting and other services.

In addition, despite the cancellation of many events and conferences, we have provided everything from simultaneous and consecutive interpreting in 2020, to translation and content writing projects, and continue to help brands gain a foothold in China’s social networks.

2020 for HI-COM was synonymous with innovation! Thanks to our talented team, the Shanghai office has enabled the creation of HI-LIVE, a weekly live streaming program. Every Monday, we introduced a new expert in a particular field to present directly from our Shanghai office.

In addition, Kate Chernavina (our marketing director) and Olivia Liu (our digital marketing manager) have created a workshop called HOW TO CHINA to help expatriates and companies wishing to expand their market in China. We present articles, infographics and workshops. Our very first workshop at the end of the year on social networks and digital strategies in China took place successfully.

In 2020 HI-COM also carried out more than 1500 translation projects in France, China and around the world, including more than 500 certified translations to help with visa procedures, moving abroad and other matters.

Despite the cancellation of events and conferences in China and elsewhere from the beginning of 2020, we have been able to adapt by offering remote interpreting for online conferences and have provided 25 simultaneous and consecutive interpreting towards the end of the year in China following the reopening of certain conferences.

Finally, we also provide services related to Chinese digital marketing and social networks translation, such as how to set up and communicate on these networks. In 2020, we helped more than 60 Asian and European companies to build a digital strategy and become successfully established on Chinese social networks such as WeChat, Weibo, XiaoHongShu or Douyin.

Once again, thank you for this wonderful year, the whole HI-COM team wishes you a happy holiday season!

Contact us about your projects or for any other requests!

Today, founder of 1 World, Jean-Luc Duong, a successful TP in China discusses with us ways in which foreign brands can enter the Chinese market effectively.  Below, he shares his advice, guidance and top tips on current trends, high-demand products and effective USPs in China.

China is today the world’s largest E-commerce market and the retail sales revenue is set to hit over a trillion USD this year.

China’s E-commerce market has shown exponential growth in the past five years and is predicted to continue growing by 8.6% the next five years (CAGR 2020-2024). With a window of seemingly endless opportunities on offer, the China E-commerce can prove to be extremely advantageous and beneficial to any brand attempting to enter the Chinese market – as long as it’s done the right way.

1 World is a China market entry and strategy consultancy and TP in China. The company helps international FMCG brands to get successfully established on China E-commerce and to drive their business.

Before you share with us your advice, can you explain what a TP is, its role and the importance of the TP in China to a brand?

A Tmall Partner (commonly referred to as TP), is a brand’s Chinese e-commerce partner.  With the right TP in China, brands are able to manage their day-to-day e-commerce business effectively and contribute towards the overall company growth.

Effective management of the day-to-day business is fundamental as it includes store operations, logistics, customer service and post-sale service.

A brand’s store rating is based on its sales figures and consumer satisfaction, and a store rating in turn influences the sales.

In addition to the flagship store, sales can also be generated on other channels. The right TP, with a strong distribution network, can boost a brand’s sales on Taobao, Tmall Direct Import, WeChat, RED and other relevant platforms.

It is therefore absolutely vital for a brand to choose the right partner.

How can a company see whether the China E-commerce may be interesting for their brand?

To see if their brand may be a good fit for the China E-Commerce, a company could ask itself the following questions: Is the product category of our brand trending? How does our brand stand above our competitors? Do we have a long-term strategy and vision for the Chinese market?

 Could we discuss these questions in detail?

 1) Is your product category trending in China?

What are the most popular type of imported products in China? 

In general, Chinese consumers, who can afford it, still prefer international brands as they stand for high quality and trust. The highest-performing imported product categories are mum&baby care, beauty, food, and fashion.

The last two years we saw new categories trending and these are pharmaceuticals, vitamins & dietary supplements, pet care, kitchen & homeware, and high-end sportswear. These categories are growing double-digits year on year.

Which countries are best known for products in the above categories? 

Western brands as well as brands from East-Asia enjoy a good reputation among consumers. For the categories mentioned above, many of the strong performing brands are from Germany, France, the US, Australia, Japan or Korea. There are of course also brands from other countries that are doing well.

Are there any product groups that aren’t doing so well in China?

China E-Commerce is still growing strongly. Many FMCG categories are still showing an YoY double-digit growth, there are however few categories that have slowed down, to a high single-digit, which is of course inevitable after high growth.

China’s market is nowadays on every brand’s radar. The competition not only increased among international brands but also between international and local brands, as the latter ones are gaining in quality and appreciation from Chinese consumers. This just highlights the importance of choosing the right partner or TP in China to enter the market, to operate your E-commerce and to drive your sales.

How can brands get the type of information on local trends that you just shared with us? Is there an effective way of doing this? 

There are constantly new and updated Chinese e-commerce studies that can be found on Google, but for best results and to ensure the most accurate and up-to-date information, I’d strongly recommend getting directly in touch with an agency in your field of interest. Partering up with a competent agency allows you to gain a clear view on the opportunities and challenges that the Chinese market can represent for your brand.

2)Branding and USPs:

 You mentioned that the competition increased in China. How can brands make sure that their products stand out?  What do you think are the most important brand/product attributes to have when entering the Chinese market?

Chinese consumers are nowadays spoilt by a great number of choices and are looking for brands that are trustworthy, reliable and capable of supplying a high-quality service.

Brands need to set themselves apart from the competition to attract the consumers’ attention. The brands’ USPs that work back home or in Western markets may be only partially applicable in China. There is, after all, still great cultural differences between the West and China.

It is essential that brands adapt their USPs to speak to Chinese consumers and to be relavant.

To help with this, brands can rely on the support of China strategy and market entry consultancies and marketing agencies.

The differentiator for brands that succeed in China is their level of commitment to developing their brand in China. It not only requires a substantial marketing budget but also time and dedication of their team.

3) You shared that commitment and dedication are key. Can you further elaborate?

How dedicated does a brand need to be when it comes to entering the Chinese market?

Building a brand takes time and it is not different in China. It is essential that brands that have the intention of entering the Chinese market, have not only the proper strategy and realistic expectations but also a long-term vision for the market.

Most internationally well-known Western brands are not known to Chinese consumers. This means a start from zero, which is a great challenge on any market, but perhaps a slightly greater one in China. Commitment means in this case being prepared to take time to build your brand as well as to invest in marketing.

Another important point is the partner that brands choose to support them in this challenge, as it is decisive for the brand’s success.

What sort of marketing budget is to be expected?

The market entry costs in China are nowadays comparable to international levels. Building a brand, engaging with consumers, driving traffic and such require a substantial budget. This budget will depend on the category and the expectations of the brand. A new brand may expect to invest 30 to 40% of its annual targeted GMV for the first two to three years. The ratio budget to GMV decreases to around 20 to 25% the following years, once the brand has gained brand awereness.

The first half of the budget is usually invested on on-platform marketing (i.e. Tmall) for banner ads, SEO and such to drive traffic to the brand’s flagship store. The second half is invested on off-platform brand building on the Chinese equivalent of Instagram or Twitter and also through KOLs, Livestream, as examples.

These are recommended ballpark numbers and examples. Every brand needs its individual marketing strategy

Thank you for your very useful insights on the China E-Commerce. Last questions: What are 1 World’s USPs and what are the reasons brands should choose you? 

Thanks to our European and Chinese backgrounds, we fully understand the particularities of both the Western and the Eastern mindsets, cultures and values. We know how to translate the values of a Western brand to values relevant to Chinese consumers.

Over the past 13 years we built and enhanced our expertise on the Chinese market and the E-commerce industry.

Our focus on the FMCG industry has allowed us to establish a strong distribution network across various FMCG product categories and this with partners who are among the leaders in each of their category.

Conclusion

If would like to learn more about the Chinese E-commerce landscape, TP in China, and ways to successfully entering the Chinese market, feel free to get in touch with 1 World.

If you would like to become more familiar with Chinese social media channels, KOLs, contact HI-COM today to find out how we can help you!

HI-COM is an international communication and localisation agency with over 10 years of experience in the Chinese market. With offices in Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong, HI-COM serves its loyal customers in more than fifteen industries, including tourism, hospitality, e-commerce, and retail.

For more information about e-commerce translation  or Chinese Social Media content management and Chinese KOL/Influencer marketing support, get in touch!  KOL marketing is one of the most effective ways for a brand to connect with its target audience, and China is one of the most “influenced” societies in the world.

When it comes to dual localization, brand name translation, especially into languages such as Chinese, Japanese, and Arabic, can be very sensitive, and despite the fact the end result may only consist of one or two words or characters, the amount of time, research, and effort involved to arrive at this point can be enormous. This is especially the case in China, where one character may have several meanings, and these meanings may morph into something completely different when paired with another character.

8 out of 10 brands localize their brand name when entering foreign markets. In markets like China it is necessary because local customers may not be able to pronounce your brand’s usual name.

To illustrate this, 好（hǎo) means “Good”, and 好坏 (hǎo huài) means “Very bad”!

What is the process of brand name translation?

When working on brand name translation, it is important to follow the methods applied by professional naming agencies. The goal is not only to find a Brand translation that will mean and/or sound the same as the original, but also to make sure the new name will be positive, sound right, be original, and fit the new location’s market.

Brand names can be translated in different ways. They may reflect phonetic specifications, meaning or be more independent, or include both.

The brand name translation process includes 4 key parts:

1. Brand Image definition
2. Definition of the target audience
3. Benchmark of existing competition and their brand names
4. Brand name translation

Brand Image Definition

When conducting research on Brand Image, one should include the brand’s attributes (what type of organization it represents, what it stands for, the meaning of its logo etc.), association (the meaning and emotions that the brand name brings out), targets (the type of audience the brand is aiming for), domestic market (the category to which its loyal customers belong), and price positioning (is it a luxury, mass market or niche brand?). This research is critical for creating a successful foundation to brand name translation.

The second step is about defining key words associated with the brand. This can be done in focus group studies.  Ask your group what they think are the main associations people make when hearing your brand’s name. Then work around the key words they have used to describe your brand.

Why should you translate and localize your brand name when exporting your company?

You need to ask yourself how your customers will pronounce the name of your brand. Do they include words or sounds that may have a different meaning in another language or that could cause offence?

When it comes to translating your company name or even your product name, it’s important to ask yourself these questions. You can either transliterate the name which means create a name that sounds like your brand or one that is spelt similarly. Or you can also transcreate which means creating a name that has the same meaning as your brand name even if the spelling is quite different.

At HI-COM we offer both of these services to help you expand your market especially in China, where the native language looks and sounds completely unlike Latin languages.

Find more about brand name translation here!

For example, your focus group thinks that your brand is associated with modern fashion and ethical/responsible products. When describing high quality association, they use words like young, good quality, design, and fresh. And ethical association was all about sharing, support, and charity. Even with such limited information, brands like TOM’s come to mind. The goal is to create a new brand name that will not distract from the brand’s current image but at the same time, ensure it sticks in the minds of the brand’s new audience.

Definition of the target audience

The goal of this research is to find out who are we talking to. The Brand’s market research and your marketing strategy will be at their most useful here. If you are working on a brand name translation of a famous cognac brand that wants to enter China market, your market may be:

• 25-35 years old (demographic), youngsters and young-at-heart who are looking for a subtle and modern cognac
• They are energetic, modern, sophisticated drinker

Benchmark of existing competition and their brand names

One of the most important tasks here is to determine who the relevant competitors are, analyze their names and find similar trends.

Take into account the origins of your competitors, as translated and original names may play by different rules. Try to see what similarities the translated names have. Can you apply these trends to your brand name translation?

Brand name translation – putting it all down

Now, when you have all you need, you can now start the actual brand name translation process. Decide on how important it is to be close to your original name phonetically. See how many syllables the brand name has, and (if you work with Chinese brand translation) what meaning each syllable shall have. Pay attention to cultural norms and habits. For example, Hyundai Accent had consistently declining sales in the Russian market, until it was renamed as Solaris.

Of course, a strong linguistic background is required to choose the best variations, that will not sound strange together.

How big brands translate brand names to Chinese

It is very important to leave brand name translation work to the pros, otherwise you might end up on the pages of “failed marketing” articles. But be careful, even pros can fail. Therefore it is important to double check your results with an extra focus group before you make it official.

1. Funny on the ear

A buzz around AirBnB’s new Chinese name 爱彼迎 （àibǐyíng) appeared after the seemingly innocent characters 爱 (love) and 迎 （welcome) (which does not mean, but sounds like another character 淫 (yín) with meaning of “”lust, excessive, loose” ）were separated by a second character 彼, making the name sound a little like a word for female genitalia. The original meaning of 彼 is “those”, but its spelling is not so important, as it sounds the same. And considering that the business of Air BnB is based on inviting strangers to your home, this may give some a strange impression of the company’s main line of business…

2. Brand name translation: Missing the point

Examples of major campaigns such as KFC’s “finger-lickin’ good” being translated to “bite your fingers off” in China a few decades ago, and Pepsi’s “Now it’s Pepsi for those who think young” translated as, “New Pepsi is for people with the minds of children” have basically become classics in failed marketing.

3. Brand name translation: Irrelevant meaning 

When translating a brand name, keep in mind that the characters have to remind a customer of your scope of business. So if you are in the automotive industry, pick characters that represent speed, safety or even an animal like a “precious horse” (BMW with their 宝马 （bǎomǎ）), or a tiger on a road (Land Rover with 路虎（lùhǔ) ). If you work in the IT business, opt for words relating to “ideas”, “progress” or “knowledge”.

When Google picked 谷歌（gǔgē）, which literally means “a village song”, their supporters were, let’s say, a bit confused.  And in the case of Best Buy,  百思买 （bǎisīmǎi） their name is more of a warning: think a hundred times before buying!

4. Skipping a translation 

So as you can see, it’s a minefield out there. No wonder some companies have never localized their brand name in China. Look at GAP, or Facebook, for example. But if the first one has 3 letters and somehow fits into local minds, the second one is called by the users as they please which can be a good excuse to turn a brand into a joke (脸书（liǎnshū））, and in the worst case scenario an English name of a brand will be long/complicated/unmemorable for Chinese customers, so they will just not talk about it, putting a stop to word-of-mouth. This actually happened to Hermes; for the first few years, Chinese customers simply did not talk about the brand, giving the company no choice but to pick a Chinese name.

You would think that companies as big and as prestigious as Hermes would know better and would never make poor judgment on such an important task as brand name translation, but apparently no one is immune. So think twice before deciding to do such a job in-house.

In the early 2000s, Dosirak instant noodles from Korea entered the Russian market. “Dosirak” is what is written on the Korean packaging to this day. The product did not sell well as the brand name sounded too funny to local ears (associated with a “person who has very frequent bowel movements”), and the noodles were renamed to “Доширак” (Doshirak). Given that the letter “sh” doesn’t exist in Korean language.

Looking for a trustworthy professional with experience in China in brand naming? Then HI-COM is here for you! We are an international multilingual expert that makes communication easy, professional and engaging. With our rich pool of resources all over China and an ever-ready international team, HI-COM will make sure your message is fully understood, localized according to the highest standards, and delivered on time! Contact our team today!

HI-COM is proud to have provided consecutive interpreting for China’s 2019 Offshore Summit Series. The event took place from the 12th-14th of November, at the Grand Kempinski Hotel in Shanghai.

HI-COM is proud to have provided consecutive interpreting for China’s 2019 Offshore Summit Series. The event took place from the 12th-14th of November, at the Grand Kempinski Hotel in Shanghai.

HI-COM supported the two-day event by providing consecutive interpreting in both Chinese and English.

The China Offshore Summit was designed exclusively by China Offshore & local practitioners. With an average of over 500 attendees per event, the annual Summit provides a premium platform for information exchange, business development and education for Chinese intermediaries.

Here at HI-COM, we believe that effective interpretation goes beyond just language fluency, and is about understanding cultural nuances, speaking idiomatically and being experienced in the field that is being translated.

HI-COM provides reliable and cost-effective Interpreting services, with a network of highly skilled, qualified and experienced multi-linguists.  For more information, please get in touch.

China and Blockchain are not two words you would normally associate together, until recently. President Xi Jinping identified blockchain as “a crucial breakthrough point for indigenous innovation of core technologies” during the meeting of the 13^th National People’s Congress (NPC) standing committee.

China and Blockchain are not two words you would normally associate together, until recently. President Xi Jinping recently identified blockchain as “a crucial breakthrough point for indigenous innovation of core technologies” during the meeting of the 13^th National People’s Congress (NPC) standing committee. The technology has for a number of years been surrounded by suspicion and controversy, especially regarding blockchain. However, China’s congress recently voted for more research to be conducted in the cryptography technology area, (including Blockchain) and the law will take effect from 1st January 2020.

President Xi Jinping recently said during the NPC meeting, that he regards Blockchain as one of the pioneering technologies of the cryptography generation. He emphasized the importance of China’s goal to become number one in this emerging area. Blockchain has always been credited for having the characteristics of decentralization, transparency, and unchangeability. The new law states that it is necessary to facilitate research into cryptography (particularly Blockchain) and find out how it can adapt to a number of the country’s industries.  China eventually wants Blockchain to be applied to the country’s priority projects such as education, employment, old-age care, reducing poverty, health care, and food safety.

China has heavily invested in technology areas such as big data and artificial intelligence. It doesn’t surprise us that China wants to be at the forefront of Blockchain technology. As President Xi Jinping has publicly endorsed Blockchain, this has resulted in a huge surge in shares in Blockchain technology companies. With this increase, we believe that a lot more companies will be looking to translate their White Paper.

What is a White Paper?

A White Paper is an informative, highly structured and technical report about the company. The purpose of the White Paper is to inform individuals about the company’s background, technical models and credentials. The White Paper job is to incentivize potential investors to invest in their company. A persuasive and informative White Paper can be critical in securing an investment.

How to set out your White Paper?

Setting:

• A brief history and overview of Blockchain
• A brief history and overview of the industry your company is in
• A clear and concise explanation of your company’s purpose in the industry globally.

Explain ‘how’ the investment will help:

• Introduce yourselves
• Clear explanations of how you will achieve your goals.
• Diagrams and models of your platform architecture, the technology and methodologies used.
• The team’s page should show the team member’s backgrounds including their resumes and experiences. This would showcase the team’s credibility.
• Showcase previous credentials of supporters and early investors.

Map out your White Paper

• This is where you explain in more micro-terms why you need the funding, what steps you will take using the money invested and how it will be applied (e.g. Legal, Operational, Marketing)
• Set out a roadmap of milestones so investors know the schedule you are working towards

Disclaimers and Risk Warnings

• This probably needs no explanation. Make sure you have consulted with your legal team to ensure this section is sophisticated and accurate in law, but not too legalistic.
•  A well-drafted Risk Warning section will reinforce your credibility and will give confidence to potential investors.

Why is it important to translate your White Paper?

Global reach:

There could be a number of potential investors globally who can’t be reached through the language your company is set up in. For example, in recent news about how China is becoming more open to Blockchain technology. Although, it is to be expected that other companies will now start to translate their White Paper into Chinese. Translating your White Paper into a number of languages will increase global investment and bring about more global awareness to your company. Presenting your White Paper in key languages will also give your company invaluable access to new markets and investor bases.

What languages to translate your White Paper:

Your company should translate their White Paper into the languages of the countries they want to get more investment from. Based on a recent boost in share prices in Blockchain companies because of President Xi Jinping words, an obvious White Paper translation would be from English to Chinese.

Here is a list of the top 10 countries that are using Blockchain technology the most:

• Japan
• China
• Singapore
• UAE
• Switzerland
• UK
• Estonia
• Malta
• USA
• Sweden

There are other countries such as Australia, Denmark, Gibraltar, France, Korea, Denmark and South Africa who are rapidly embracing Blockchain.

If you need help with translating any documents then HI-COM is here to help! Drop us a line!

If you are thinking of starting a business and raising funds, China could be a good option for you – after all it is a land of millions of startups, both Chinese and Foreign owned. But how do you really get your foot in the door of this Asian tech paradise? Finding the right incubator and accelerator might just be what you need! If you are thinking of starting a business and raising funds, China could be a good option for you – after all it is a land of millions of startups, both Chinese and Foreign owned. But how do you really get your foot in the door of this Asian tech paradise? Finding the right incubator and accelerator might just be what you need!

International Incubators in China: a perfect way for everyone to start up a business

One place of great interest is an incubator called the K-tech Innovation Hub. It’s a host for Chinese and Foreign startups that provides businesses with a good environment and lets entrepreneurs try out their skills in the Chinese market. Located in Hongqiao hub, a developing area with quick access to bullet trains, air travel and other convenient modes of transportation, making it one of the highlights of this incubator and accelerator. Considering that entrepreneurs often visit factories in Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces, the location was a pretty good choice. Exciting startup profiles vary from tech to fashion. Just recently a French entrepreneur who started his business in China by tapping into the field of AI, joined K-tech. With the aim of developing a pilot product prototype, he is looking to obtain proof of concept, right after which he will be able to receive his first funding by a K-tech investment fund or from an outside investor.

Entrepreneur visa to China

Another reason entrepreneurs are joining K-tech is because it enables them to apply for China’s new “entrepreneur visa”, for which K-tech is providing full support. Private incubators work with the government, in order to assure a smooth landing procedure (visa, tax and document declaration, internet access etc.).

“60% of investments fail”

The entrepreneur visa is issued for a period of one year, without the possibility to extend it. In order to obtain this visa, your project must meet the criteria of the incubator. The rest of the documents are collected easily, and your visa and a space in K-tech is something that can be arranged within a few days! K-tech is gaining its respectable reputation for a great community of mentors, pitching meetings and startup boot camp programs. It’s a perfect place for a students and young entrepreneurs to try out their luck and skills in China. As a private incubator, K-tech provides a special space for founders from China and abroad to meet and exchange ideas and even cooperate and find the benefits of both ecosystems. The incubator and accelerator welcomes cooperation of any kind. One popular activity involves organizing weekly pitch events on different topics, inviting startups from outside as well as within the K-tech community to pitch to a potential investor, and find a match. There is a mix of Chinese and foreign startups pitching weekly, with a possible translation option on-site.

Your start up in China: How to join an accelerator program

The procedure for joining the incubator is quite easy! A startup presents a tech related business plan, after which K-tech will evaluate it and in case of acceptance, will propose one of the various program packages they provide.

 “To reach 5M RMB in revenue, it takes a minimum of 2 years”

Mr. Zhang, the director of Investments of K-tech also stated that in order to be financed by the incubator’s fund, a company  needs the following requirements:

• Incubation in K-tech
• Within the first two years reach up to 20 or more employees
• Have a yearly revenue of 5 million RMB (750K USD), and feature on the list of possible K-tech investments.

How much can you receive in funding from incubator funding? K-tech will provide funding of 5-10 million RMB, and assistance on finding local resources and clients. That is against 10-20% of the shares. The screening process includes:

• Product core advantages
• CEO and CTO profiles, skills, compatibility with the new business model/product/market, ability to find clients, etc.

The screening time is 3-4 months. Keep in mind that after 4 years (from the investment date) K-tech will withdraw the investment or sell their shares to other investors.

Raising funds: what types of startups are receiving the most funding?

According to Mr. Zhang the best sectors to invest in are technology and AI. Some special industries such as medical tech are attracting fewer investors, due to longer lead times from research and development to product launch (at least 5 years). One of K-tech’s startups called Cleantonic, was running a business generating 20M RMB in revenue, when Mr. Zhang noticed them. After evaluation of the company, Mr. Zhang on behalf of the investment fund he represents invested 10M (which is approximately 15% of the shares). In just over a year, Mr. Zhang sold his shares for 25M. The main reason of such success is that after the investment, the companies’ revenue went from 20M to 1.5B. K-tech invests in 2-5 companies in a year, with a maximum fund available per startup of 30M RMB. K-tech is ready to support their startups during the first two years, including policy support (up to 1M RMB), and help in finding customers. Fully foreign owned companies can’t profit from policy support, but can still benefit from tax breaks.

Forbidden key words in Advertising Law are enforced primarily to prevent sellers from using fake advertising to mislead consumers when purchasing products or services. Advertisement censorship in China: What is fake advertising? Today we will take a look at China’s new Advertising Law and introduce ways of checking your content to be safe out there!

Following global trends, the concept of content marketing in China is hotter than ever before. Products are sold by selling stories. Enriched with humor and amusement, marketers are now storytellers, linking their brands and products to the most trending topics, fighting to reach the top ranks of search engine lists.

When paid advertising is used, both the channels and platforms will impose rather strict censorship against certain key words. However, when it comes to their own official websites, WeChat accounts and microblogs, vendors or sellers have control.  This creative freedom comes with the risk of unintentionally using forbidden key words.

The sizzling “PG One” scandal that hit Estée Lauder not so long ago is a quintessential textbook case that brought copyright and IP issues into the spotlight.

While the line between acceptable and unacceptable marketing words or phrases can be blurry, we have compiled a list of prohibited words or sentences to serve as a practical guideline.

The purpose of prohibiting key words in Advertising Law is primarily to prevent sellers from using fake advertising to mislead consumers when purchasing products or services.

Advertisement censorship in China considers an advertisement fake if the products or services concerned relate to any of the four points below:

• Products / services that are effective under experimental environments, but whose effectiveness cannot be testified under practical daily application;
• Products / services where no industrial standard is available, or where industrial standards have been falsely quoted;
• Products / services whose scientific research results, statistical information, investigative data, article abstracts, quotations, etc. have been faked, forged or cannot be verified;
• The effects of the products or services received are overplayed or exaggerated;

After purchasing a product, if a consumer can testify that one of the aforementioned loopholes exists in the product purchased, he or she can file a claim to the industrial and commercial bureau against the fake advertisement of the seller. The consumer can take action by simply taking any word from the seller’s web page (in the form of a screen shot, for example) that is also listed in the following collections.

List of Chinese marketing terms (translated to English) that are banned in China:

1. Words related with “the most”

Most, best, most equipped with, most beloved, most profitable, most excellent, most fantastic, biggest, highest extent, highest, highest level, highest end, most luxurious, lowest, lowest level, lowest price, deepest, cheapest, most fashionable with the cheapest price, most trendy, most popular, most concentrated, most compliant with, earliest, most advanced, most advanced science, most advanced processing, earliest enjoyment, last, last wave, latest technology, latest science.

2. Words related with “number one”

Number one, number one in China, number one on the internet, number one in ranking, only, number one famous brand, NO 1, TOP 1, only, number one in whole country, first tier, single day, only once (one type), last wave, one of most famous brands in China.

3. Words related with “level”

National level, national level product, global level, cosmic level, world level, top level (peak/pinnacle), ultimate level, extreme level.

4. Words related with “first/national”

First, first choice, exclusive, exclusive recipe, first issuance, first issuance on the internet, first issuance in the nation, exclusive on XX network, first time, first type, number one in selling quantity in China, national level product, nation (national inspection exemption), leaders of the nation, filling up the blank in the nation, famous brand in China (famous brands), international quality.

5. Words related to the notion of a brand

Big brand, gold brand, famous brand, top brand, leading brand, world-leading, substantially more advanced, leader, founder, creative and leading brand, first on the market, famous star, celebrated, master, invincibility, pinnacle, luxury, excellent, leader, king of, winner, champion.

6. Words related with false expressions

Non-parallel in history, unprecedented, forever, omnipotent, family legacy, special effect, invincible, completely natural, 100%, high end, authentic product, real leather, super bargain, precise.

7. Words with authority related expressions

Aged brand, famous trademark of China, exclusive offering, specified offering, expert recommendation, quality inspection exemption, no need of national quality inspection, sampling test exemption, recommended by the national leader of XX, recommended by the XX governmental institute, use of RMB currency pattern (except being approved by the central bank)

8. Words which may mislead or trick consumers

Click for drawing a lottery, congratulations for the awards, free for everyone, click for a surprise, click to win, click to turn your body, click to try the clothes, click to overturn, pick the prize.

9. Words which overtly seduce consumers

Instant purchase, explosive purchase, none comes after this, no way to be cheaper, become XX without it, window of opportunities closes by missing this, thousands jostling for this, everyone vying for this, frenzy selling/buying.

10. Words relating to time

Time limit must be marked with concrete time schedule (currently used by JD), today, this very day, days and nights, countdown, for now, just, only limited to, weekend, anniversary, big discount coupon, large shopping initiative, brand group, high end group, single product group (must be noted with activity timeline).

11. Other forbidden words

End at any time; the price increases at any time; the price will decrease immediately.

All the above words are listed in the Advertising Law of the People’s Republic of China, which has been in force since September 1^st, 2015.

This is the first time the advertising law has been revised in the last twenty years. The revision was highly extensive, involving the clarification of definitions, and it made specific references to common representations of fake advertising. The new Advertising Law created new legal obligations and responsibilities for advertisers and marketers, and reinforced the need for supervision and censorship of mass media advertising.

Some prohibited advertisements are categorized as “illegal” which is a more serious status than the previous status of being “in breach of regulation”. This is a controversial issue in many industrial sectors, where a large number of companies have voiced their opposition to such stringent laws. The growing mentality is that advertising is now becoming an impossible business to be involved in.

In the life of China’s millions of conspicuous consumers, many purchasers are indeed willing to part with their hard-earned money upon hearing words such as “best”, “finest”, “exclusive” or “advanced”. On a related subject, many professional anti-counterfeit activists are also a growing force in the market. To reap the benefits from the punishments advertisers can face – between 200,000 – 1,000,000 RMB in penalties, nitpicking internet counterfeit fighters will be more than willing to survey your official website and fish out words which contravene the Advertising Law, and use this as leverage to receive a payout from you, at the threat of being reported to the authorities.

The pressure to get it right is high. Pay attention to the wording and phrasing on your website, and ensure you avoid using the forbidden words stipulated in the Advertising Law.

Advertisement censorship in China: How to make sure you use the right words

With so many forbidden key words, we recommend using this online tool to help you stay on the right side of China’s Advertising Law. (http://www.jinyongci.com/).

Here is how it works:

When you follow the link, you will see the dictionary-like window where you can input your Chinese key words – and if the words stay in black colour – it is “legal”.  On the example below we have used the word 漂亮 （piaoliang) – beautiful, which passed the censorship and is ready to be used. Press the blue button with the magnifier to launch the check.

However, if you insert one of the forbidden terms they will turn red. In the example below we used the word 最好 (zuihao) – ‘the best’, one of the words restricted by the new law.

The above list of forbidden marketing terms is not exhaustive, and is simply a guideline. The content of this article must not be considered as legal advice; we recommend seeking proper legal advice to ensure full compliance with Chinese advertising law.

The Chinese Government is set to introduce the National Standard for English Translations at the end of the year.

As China becomes more popular as an expat hotspot, these “Chinglish” public signs are getting more exposure in the international scene, providing foreigners and the outside world with great entertainment.

The Chinese government has decided to put a stop to this and (finally) introducing the National Standard for English Translations, this will come into effect on the 1st of December 2017.

Is this going to help improve the overall standard of English in China?

Is this the end of our “Lost in Translations” post?

We will find out

Cleaning robots, smart homes, e-cars, drones, VRs, you name it…. Video from CES ASIA 2017

Technology to build a better world.

Cleaning robots, smart homes, e-cars, drones, VRs, you name it….

Technology to build a better world.