Heard about the Chinese version of Instagram, Facebook version?
Just like Instagram verified accounts learn how to navigate those waters, make them relevant to your business and set them up.

Personal Experience: set up the weibo, wechat official account, Baidu’s own SEO search engine for JINNNN and ARETE, aligned all the marketing communication between Chinese and global platforms.

Who are the influencers? What are the effective media? How do you ensure that the message is received as intended?
Even with fabulous marketing content and uncapped budgets without the right vessel it’s difficult to be heard or seen. Find and pick the right channels to hit the right targets, whether it’s to raise brand awareness or for sales purpose.

Personal experience:
PR: liaised with all major fashion influentials, including stylist, editors to be featured in the main press, as well as bloggers and KOLs. LUNA by Acorn Studio was featured in Bazaar, Vogue, Ignition, as well on Taiwanese national television, as well as .
Conducted events together with governmental institution to garner more press coverage.
Guerilla Marketing: partnered with the National Palace Museum.

You’ve heard about market a/b testing in UX but how would you know if your product will sell in a new market? As you may not appeal to everyone do you know your demographics?

Personal Tips: Market reports or trend reports are not enough to really gauge the temperamental fast changing China (or Hong Kong market. “Go to the mattress”, talk to the locals, set grassroots campaigns and then launch collaborations, create event to really engage with direct consumers to see its response.

Personal Experience:
Direct Consumer Market Testing: conceptualized and executed market testing (also budget friendly) with events like Singapore Night Festival (Singapore, over total 500,000 attendees) in 2018 by doing a pop-up event in the Singapore Design Museum, work with cross-overs with unique concept stores for shop in shop, Acorn Studio x Curated Taiwan x Ethos (Hong Kong) which pulled together influentials from different industry to create a one of kind experience, as well as Shanghai’s Vogue Fashion Night Out in 2015, trend setters fairs’ Shanghai Showroom, or by occupying high foot traffic open space: The Grounds (Alexandria, Australia) (2018), Common Grounds (Hong Kong) (2015).

Set the ground work for a long lasting collaboration.

3 basic steps:

- Localisation and translation in Japanese.

- Risk averse. Preference for local agent or importer to ensure that all problems that might arise are taken care of.

- Repeated testing for quality assurance.

Personal Tips: annually exhibit in trade fairs, a sign that your startup is healthy a/o company is stable. Find key influential and relevant partners, support the local market diligently in Japanese, create buzz and locate influential media, consignment agreements are a viable option to ease their hesitation in signing for big orders.

Experience in Japan: Signed sole distributor agreements for LUNA, consignment agreements, conducted thorough market intelligence, a/b testing marketing campaigns, exported goods to Japan. Case Example: Brand collaboration with Tabi Labo, featured as well in magazine Shopping Design (FB followers 140k).

E-commerce has reduced global time latency but is requiring an increased amount of quality control, check in balance between online and offline for every step of the business/project.
The fear that the Asian counterparts won’t hold to their end of the bargain, misunderstandings of how the market operates have kept many companies reluctant to enter the Chinese jungle.

Yet, there’s many low hanging fruits, with the right strategy and with the right compromise it could be a window of opportunities.

Personal Experience: Build up global distribution network both online and on brick and mortar, aligning global brand positioning and creating seamless O2O integration. Frequent visit to ensure that visual merchandising was fresh, appropriate product placement, stores’ personnel training.
Opened the door to European boutiques, Energia Positiva (Madrid,Es), as well as department stores, e.g. Harrods (London, UK) , as well as in Cities in The Galleria (Dubai, UAE), Eslite (Taipei, TW).