ShanghaiZhan: All Things Global Marketing, Advertising, Tech & Platforms – Details, episodes & analysis

Welcome to Shanghai Zhan, aka. Shanghai Station. The only station in Shanghai’s world-famous metro that exists as a podcast. Listen to Bryce Whitwam and Ali Zein Kazmi debate with guests on their experiences and aspirations for China. Bryce and Ali are connected to China for over 20 years and are still in Shanghai working in the industry. Both fluent Mandarin speakers, Bryce writes the language while and Ali gets away with using his thick Beijing accent. In their inaugural episode, “After 20 Years of China Advertising: Is There A Bright Future?” Bryce and Ali discuss: 1) Being in China for over 20 years in China 2) Bryce visits a slimming center and is wrapped in plastic. 3) Losing relevance even if you are out of China, even if for a few weeks?! 4) Use and application of data in a PIPL led-world, operating in platforms, is super important, and trusting platforms in exchange for better service & utility. 5) Bryce likes looking at pictures of guns on Instagram 6) Clients pulling advertising in-house, at speed, more strategic, more quantified. 7) Alibaba is still a buy! 8) Consolidation versus creativity. 9) Preconditioned for careers that are “measured”. 10) Too hard to let go. Oh! the energy and the addiction of China! Next up, an analysis of Double 11 featuring one of China’s most prolific alcohol salesman. Stay tuned.

In this episode, we talk with Pierre Delfosse, E-commerce Director at Pernod Ricard China, on the world's largest shopping festival, Double 11, which climaxes on the 11th of November of every year. We are still big in Japan. We are a lot bigger in Hong Kong (S.A.R.) and even bigger in the USA. In this episode we discuss: 1. What we shopped for Double 11 
 2. How has the spirits business evolved over the past 7years 
 3. What Chinese consumers drink, white, yellow, and brown. 
 4. Jiu Jiu or September 9 is Spirits Day in China 
 5. Imported spirits hold 1.5% of share of spirits (minuscule when you put into consideration how much Baijiu is drunk in China). 
 6. Success offline leads to greater success online, especially on that day – building brand is massively important 
 7. Double 11 is not an Alibaba thing alone, all platforms are Double 11 crazy 
 8. Building owned traffic and reducing dependency on the platforms. 
 9. Pierre enjoys Glenlivet and Cognac but sometimes cheats with a Blue Label. 
 10. Don’t drink and drive. 
 Join us next week for another exciting show as we are investigating the evolution of sport. Music: "Bad Cough Syrup" by Bryce Whitwam: https://soundcloud.com/bryce-r-whitwam/bad-cough-syrup?si=cfb30a6e0c0e459da78b912bf60825ac Welcome to Shanghai Zhan, aka. Shanghai Station. The only station in Shanghai’s world-famous metro that only exists as a podcast. Listen to Bryce Whitwam and Ali Zein Kazmi debate with guests on their experiences and aspirations for China. Bryce and Ali are connected to China for over 20 years and are still in Shanghai working in the industry. They are both fluent Mandarin speakers, with Bryce reading and writing, while Ali gets away with using his thick Beijing accent.

Meet Genesis Motor China's CEO Markus Henne as he describes his experience of building a luxury auto brand in China from the ground up. Markus joined Genesis Motor in 2019 from a distinguished career at Mercedes-Benz, and it has only been since October of 2021 that they have begun to distribute cars. How to build a luxury brand amongst all the competition? How to keep customers interested for 6 months after they have put down their deposits? Today's episode is sponsored by our friends of Campaign Asia. 1. How did you end up in China and what are you driving these days? 2. What's different about a Genesis, and what's it like working in the car industry these days? The advantage of a blank canvas 3. Hiring people outside of the industry is key to the Genesis Experience. 4. Advantage Direct-To Consumer model, especially in China 5. What aspects of the Genesis Experience can be exported from China? 6. Big brands want to go to Direct-To-Consumer but they are bound by tradition 7. How do you keep Chinese customers active before they can get their car? 8. NEV/EV - is there a difference in customer experience from regular petrol cars? 9. EV & Petrol: appeal to different consumer groups 10. Expect the big auto players to come back against the new NEV players, but it will take time 11. How do you define Genesis luxury? What is "Athletic Elegance"? 12. How do you define luxury in the after-sales world? 13. Any big differences working for a Korean company vs. a German? 14. Hong Xiao Rou or Schnitzel: It's Schnitzel!

Meet Annie Su, she's a full-time marketing executive and part-time foodie. Originally from Taiwan, most of her career has been in advertising agencies before recently joining the client side. She spent the prime of her career with Ogilvy, first in Taipei, then Beijing, and finally, Shanghai. Annie is also the author of 2 books, 1. 日尝时光：下班陪你进厨房 2. 当冰箱：只剩下乌鱼子, books about food, stories, culture, and the human experience. Annie has had a successful career in the fine art of listening to others. 1. Meet Annie: Taipei to Beijing to Shanghai 2. How has the advertising business transformed since 2007? 3. Annie's 3 big ad agency accomplishments: A Taiwanese female introvert in a man's world 4. Food & advertising: how are they connected 5. Cooking food & telling stories: about Annie's first book 6. Traveling, Conversations & Stories: about Annies 2nd book 7. A future in advertising? Annie's advice for her younger self: Forever Young 8. Join the client or agency after university?: Annie's answer will surprise you 9. The A/B Test: Always the best part of the show

Ali and I decided we needed to have a "Covid lockdown in Shanghai" episode since we are all stuck at home, dividing our time between work, food hunting, and waiting in line for PCR tests. Where are we headed? We're joined by Professor Andrew Field, a Professor of History at Duke Kunshan University and our returning champion, a friend of the podcast, Richard Brubaker, Founder of sustainability consultancy, Collective Responsibility. 1. Shanghai under lockdown overview: From "Zero Covid" to "Dynamic Zero" 2. Living Under Covid: Shanghai vs. the Suburbs 3. Shanghai's Older Population Under Threat 4. Switching Gears Given the Logistical Nightmare 5. From High Tech Health Apps to Decorative Phone Stickers 6. Hard Tactics vs. Self-Management: Which works better? 7. Shanghai's Emotional Weather Report: Locals & Foreigners 8. Painting into a corner with never dry paint: keeping the economy going 9. What's next? Can we hold out for another lockdown level? 10. Communication under Covid: by neighborhood via WeChat 11. China's lack of healthcare infrastructure for a pandemic 12. A/B Test With Andrew: It's Lu Xun and Coach K

We are now in the 4th week of the great Shanghai lockdown. How will the lockdown impact business and the supply chain? To answer this question, we have invited supply chain expert, Cameron Johnson, Head of APAC Strategy for FAO Global. Mr. Johnson is also an Adjunct Professor at NYU Shanghai as well as a Board of Governors for the American Chamber of Commerce Shanghai. 1. Business impact: how will the lockdown affect business and how does it compare to 2020? 2. Impact of the Supply Chain: it's about the trucks, not the ships 3. Covid and China Decoupling: Will companies now leave China? 4. Covid & Human Capital: Will this be the line in the sand for China's foreign business community? 5. When will the lockdown end? What has to happen? 6. Food logistics: how are people getting fed? Any strange vegetables? 7. A/B Test: Bezos & the Seattle Space Needle Cameron Johnson On Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameronjohnsonshanghai/ For everything ShanghaiZhan: http://zhanstation.com/ Donate & become a ShanghaiZhan Patron: https://www.patreon.com/shanghaizhan ShanghaiZhan Theme Music: by Bryce Whitwam https://soundcloud.com/bryce-r-whitwam/bad-cough-syrup?si=cfb30a6e0c0e459da78b912bf60825ac Bryce on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brycewhitwam/ Ali on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alikazmi/

Shanghai's Lockdown will enter its 5th week starting next week. How are brands in China reacting now or should they react at all? And more importantly, how will the lockdown impact the market in the long term and how should brands prepare for the future? Is this a great moment in advertising to connect with the masses? Please welcome McCann Health China's Chief Strategy Officer, Henry Shen, and Ogilvy Shanghai's Strategy Director, Arjun Paul Vendanayagam, to discuss this with Ali and Bryce. 1. Living the life of a strategic planner under Shanghai lockdown 2. Two sides of the coin: The Lockdown has actually brought neighbors closer together. People are starting to lose it 3. Short Term: Brands are being more cautious because they don't want to over-promise. 4. JD.com steps up and tries to deliver truckloads by the day 5. Long Term: Expect 2 Extremes: Carp Diem v. Stock For a Rainy Day: How to achieve the balance 6. Potential territories: Mental Wellness, Real-World Experiences, Comradeship, Live With What You Have 7. Can mental health be a potential brand territory? 8. Don't Waste This Crisis! Yes, it's possible here. 9. Anything you wish you knew as an advertiser? 10. Our 3 Key Lockdown Survival Tips: Yes, one is don't look at your phone so much! 11. A/B Test: Coke, Prison Break, Playstation, and lots of cabbages!

We're taking a much-needed break from Shanghai's recent Covid lockdown to talk about the globalization of C-Beauty. What will it take for Chinese beauty brands to go global? How important are influencer networks and what is the role of technology? Will fast-fashion platform, Shein.com's use of AI predictive analytics be a beauty industry game-changer? We're joined by Lisa Shiqi Yu, Founder, and CEO of GENLAB Group, based in Shanghai. GENLAB is a selective incubator supporting purpose-led entrepreneurs to complete their global vision. We are also joined by Elijah Whaley, who is VP of Marketing for Gainfluence, a company specializing in influencers for NFT & crypto projects. 1. Lisa and GENLAB's mission: finding Chinese brands with purpose, sustainable platforms, willingness to go global, and a bit of fun in their DNA. 2. Introducing Zeya - Hard Soda with No Pressure 3. Beauty & Influencers: Is the China KOL model exportable? 4. Moving beyond the First Year Momentum That Most Chinese Brands Face 5. China's Supply Chain Product Mindset to Meaningful Brands: What's Learned From Western Brands 6. Convincing a Chinese Brand Owner Wanting To Go Abroad to have a World View: It's Tough 7. Brand Building Outside of China for Non-Beauty: Leaning on Product 8. The Shein.com Story - From Fashion to Beauty? 9. Data Hub vs. Philosophical Brand Hub: who will win? 10. Perfect Diary: Will They Be China's L'Oreal? 11. Should a Brand Embrace Private Traffic? 12. A/B Test: Baijiu, Rocky Mountain Oysters, Cucumber Soda & Kool-Aid

Do SaaS Marketing platforms have a future in China? Yes, the platforms here are different, but there are also a lot of cultural reasons why SaaS hasn't taken off here. According to McKinsey, China is still 10 years behind other markets in SaaS platform development. Why? What needs to change? We spoke to our good friend, Alex Duncan, Co-Founder of social media SaaS platform, KAWO, who has lived in China for 15 years, where his passion for adventure, user experience, and technology has flourished. 1. What on Earth is Saas? Why do marketers need it? 2. Why did Alex come to China? For the adventure, of course! 3. What is KAWO? Why do China brands need it? 4. Is There a Connection Between Social Media Execution & Brand Planning? It Depends on the Outcome You’re Looking For. 5. WeChat is Still a Great Place To Build Brands, But It’s Not Easy 6. Is Private Domain Traffic or Is It Just a FOMO Gimmick? 7. Media Efficiency or Media Planning Intelligence? Sorry to say, it’s the definition of insanity 8. Why has not SaaS not been popular in China? 9. The Huge SaaS Potential in China and China Needs it. 10. Why Isn’t Adobe or Salesforce Big In China? Is it a Cultural or a Unique Ecosystem? 11. What Do SaaS Platforms Need in China to Grow? 11. What Gets You Inspired and Why Did you Get Inspired to Run a SaaS company? 12. A/B Test: Mathematics, Specialized and Bearded (of course!)

We've seen a lot of change in the Chinese media landscape over the past 20 years, so what about the next 20? Where is it going, and is there a future for media agencies given all the sophisticated technology, in-housing and big platform plays that control the data? We're joined by Doug Pearce, the former Chairman, and Group CEO at the Omnicom Media Group. Doug left OMG in 2018 to form his own company, the Doohken Network. We're also joined by Jun Yuan, who is the Founder and CEO of Cross-Border Digital Marketing Consulting firm, SparkX. 1. Doug and Jun’s beginnings in the China business and the transition of media 2. Jun’s SparkX: providing both outbound China for Chinese brands and inbound China for others 3. Outbound China media is still within the Small-Medium Businesses 4. Inside/Outside Media Buying will split the media buying world into 2 camps 5. China is further developed in first-party data and evolving their CDPs, while the West is further along with Martech 6. How do influencers fit in within the programmatic and tech media ecosystems? 7. KOCs and the eventual monetization of consumers to sell products for brands 8. Can outbound China players build brands abroad is it all low-cost ROI-driven solutions? 9. China’s media ecosystem is more effective, lower-priced and highly targeted 10. What’s the future of the media agency? A bullshit filter 11. A/B Test: INXS, Harleys, New York, & Melbourne