π In China right now, the biggest celebrities are trying hard to look like normal people, and the best normal people are becoming celebrities. That flip is one of the clearest marketing shifts I have seen this year, and it changes a real decision every foreign brand has to make: do you book a famous […]
“Do Chinese KOLs work only on a commission basis? With big brands, yes. With small brands, no.” Philip Chen, GMA’s CEO, posted that line on LinkedIn and it got more replies than either of us expected. It’s the question every brand asks before their first livestream deal, and the honest answer sits between the two […]
How our team helps brands reach millions of Chinese gamers through esports KOL marketing, strategic planning, and local expertise.
Strategies we use with KOLs in China to build brand awareness, boost sales, and build lasting connections with Chinese consumers.
Short answer: yes, KOL marketing works in China. Just not the way it was sold to you. It still moves product. It also burns more foreign budget than any other line on a China plan I get asked to review. The difference between the two outcomes is not luck. It is what you buy, who […]
Taobao Live launched in 2016. By 2019, it was moving billions of yuan of product every month. By 2026, it is one of the most mature live commerce platforms in the world, with its own ecosystem of professional hosts, brand-operated studios, and influencer tiers that brands need to understand before spending a single yuan on […]
π€ Chinese marketers have a new favorite phrase this year: “ζ±εΌδΈεδ½”, which roughly means “looking for a cross-industry partner.” Type it into Xiaohongshu and you get a wall of posts from brand managers, small business owners and independent creators, all asking the same question: who can I team up with to reach people I cannot […]
ποΈ China is having a podcast moment. Big names are leaving TV and short video for long-form audio and video talk shows, and brands are starting to notice. This is one of the 11 marketing trends for 2026 flagged by Chinese media outlet Huxiu (θε η½), in an article titled “2026ε½±εεηη11δΈͺθ₯ιθΆεΏ” (“11 marketing trends that will […]
Douyin is the Chinese short video app owned by ByteDance. It is not the same product as TikTok: different app, different servers, different rules, and in 2026 a different scale entirely. In March 2026, Douyin passed 1 billion monthly active users inside China alone, the first short video platform in the country to cross that […]
If you run a small tourism business, a boutique hotel, a family-owned tour operator, a regional destination board, and you keep hearing that Chinese tourists are worth chasing, this article is for you. Ten concrete tips, no jargon, no budget for a big agency required. Olivier Verot has run GMA from Shanghai since 2012, working […]
Discover how to enter the China olive oil market with expert tips on sales channels, branding, e-commerce, and consumer trends.
