China media study

Like fish in a school

Young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 in China and Germany differ fundamentally in their media use, brand perception and advertising reception. Frank Quiring, Stephan Urlings and Wutao Wen from the rheingold institute approached the sensitivities in in-depth interviews.

The article appeared in planning&analysis on April 24, 2018.

China is the marketplace of the future and Western companies are pushing into this dynamic and lucrative market. Here, brands must be positioned effectively and the potential of Chinese economic growth must be exploited to the full. We wanted to know which communication mistakes to avoid and which cultural misunderstandings prove to be real killers.

In order to provide fundamental insights into the differences between Germany and China, an in-depth psychological self-study was conducted among young adults in China as well as in Germany on the topic of media use, brand perception and advertising reception.

Yin and Yang meets Dialectic

The differences between young adults in China and Germany are striking - yin and yang meets dialectic, community meets individualism, harmony meets conflict. These differences can also be found in media use and advertising reception: brands play very different roles. If you want to be successful with your products in China, you have to be aware of these differences and align your marketing strategy accordingly.

These are the most important theses:

• Young Chinese are concerned with belonging to the collective and an identity as international citizens of the world.
• For the Chinese, brands are not about differentiation, but about acceptance in the collective.
• Young Germans look to brands above all for support and orientation and want to express their individuality.
• While the German consumer uses brands for self-stabilization, the young Chinese feels secure in his inner core even without the brand.
• Brands are more like a house for young Germans, a window for Chinese.
• The smartphone is of utmost importance to young people in both countries - but only the Germans already feel weariness from time to time.
• Chinese advertising likes to convey a kitschy world of awakening and harmony - conflicts are taboo.

Chinese culture is built on the primordial principle of yin and yang: They are opposites that are always thought together and depend on each other. This means that despite all individual differences and deviations, their unity is always emphasized (Taoism, Confucianism). This is the basis for the collective culture of China, in which the individual is seen as part of a community without which he cannot live. The highest commandment is the harmonious balance.

"We are like fish in a school. Everyone swims in the same direction. I swim a little deeper. That way I know I'm a little different, but I want to swim with the others."

young man, 24 years, service staff in a karaoke bar in Beijing

What is often experienced as exhausting in Germany is a beloved way of life in China: Re Nao, hot and loud, are densely packed groups, cultivated and lived at temple festivals, family celebrations and many other activities.

At the same time, there is a tremendous drive for development among young Chinese. They are hungry for new experiences, for education, for knowledge, for travel. Recognition of the group is a high priority. The goal is to become part of a modern, educated global community and still live up to Asian traditional values.

Even though the young Chinese are dressed in a Western style, often with distinctive accessories such as hats or bags, it is clear from the interviews that they do not want to set themselves apart in a Western sense. It's about being accepted by everyone.

Young Germans tick dialectically

In terms of intellectual history, Western culture goes back to the principle of dialectics (Plato). It is not about harmonious balance, but about independent opinions, whose representatives argue with each other and develop further. The goal is above all personal development and freedom.

In the meantime, however, our culture has become individualized to such an extent that one can speak of a crisis of the individual. This is shown by various rheingold studies across all sectors. Unifying elements are eroding, and there is a great need for stability and orientation. The state of mind of the young German respondents is like a dilapidated house that was secured in the past by stable pillars of religion, social values and norms - today, this task is increasingly being taken over by the media, brands and advertising.

While the German consumer uses media, brands and advertising for self-stabilization, the young Chinese feel secure in their inner core even without these pillars. Their protective, stable house is the collective. Brands tend to take on the function of windows through which they can be inspired by foreign worlds and take a look at new development potential. The urge for departure among young Chinese is also channeled into consumption because other fields, such as society and politics, are heavily regulated. Consumption is free and unrestricted, and brands promise progress and development for the Chinese.

For the Chinese, it's all about acceptance

In China, as in Germany, big, well-known brands are important. There is Coca-Cola, for example, as the promise of the eternal fountain of youth, or the bestowal of divine omnipotence by an Apple smartphone on which worlds are moved with the swipe of a finger.

In Germany, small, lesser-known brands are also important in order to emphasize one's own individuality. Chinese do not want to stand out as individuals and therefore love the big international brands. With an Apple product, for example, they can be the proud owner of a status symbol, but still remain part of a comprehensive brand collective.

This principle is even evident in people who become a brand. Chinese model Liu Wen (刘雯) has more than ten million followers on Weibo (the Chinese Twitter) and works as one of the few Chinese runway models for shows by Burberry, Chanel or Jean Paul Gaultier. Nevertheless, her fans call her Biao Jie (cousin) because, despite her fame, she has the Chinese modesty and family approachability.

Young Chinese love to dress and accessorize like the idols they adore. It is important that they are well-known stars, preferably with countless followers, such as Angelababy, model, actress and singer. Because on the one hand you can show how modern and progressive you are and at the same time you feel like part of a big group.

Alibaba's online platform Tmall.com places the brands sold there in their own brand framework: This is not only brand strategy, but also serves the desire of the Chinese to feel part of a collective: when you buy on Tmall, you are embedded in this large framework.

Television as a family touchpoint

Media use is also embedded in the desire for anchoring in the collective and the urge for development. Print hardly plays a role (as in Germany); TV is heavily censored in China and is perceived as an embellished, but also protective touchpoint.

Television is associated with childhood memories, many young Chinese watch TV especially together with their parents and siblings, it stands for warm, family values. TV commercials absolutely have to convey this tonality in order to be accepted.

The kitschy world of Chinese advertising

In China, advertising often looks like a strikingly overdrawn, sometimes kitschy, brave new world to the Western eye. This is an expression of the cultural background: advertising is supposed to inspire dreaming, convey a sense of departure, transport people to new worlds. At the same time, however, the world must remain harmonious, which is why commercials often appear quite smooth and unbroken.

Conflict-based (dialectical) advertising, which is appreciated in Germany, hardly works in China. IKEA experienced a social shitstorm in October because of a TV commercial in which a conflict between parent and daughter was staged. Germans are inspired by such scenarios because they correspond to the familiar principle of dialectics. To young Chinese, they seem downright disturbing.

Chinese develop western view from desire for harmony

The Chinese harmony tendency can even become a problem on a professional level. This was the experience of Western agencies that hired Chinese employees to develop apt communication concepts for the Chinese market. But the Chinese employees remained true to their desire for harmony with their new employer. Their own view was adapted in such a way that the result was typically Western advertising that did not go down well in China.

Collective shopping frenzy

In China, conflict and isolation are avoided on principle. The best example is the "11.11." shopping festival, with which the rather individualistic online shopping is transformed by China's largest e-commerce company, Alibaba, into a collective discount experience day. At the glittering countdown gala, Chinese and international A-list celebrities encourage viewers to make purchases.

The highlight of the event is unveiling of the sales, which is hailed by the state media china.com.cn as a "success of social coordination". Alibaba has successfully united the lonely buyers through the "11.11" event.

Smartphone more ambivalent for Germans than for Chinese

The smartphone has the highest importance for both nationalities and is used similarly: For connecting via social networks, infotainment and as a practical everyday companion. However, young Germans do not experience it with the unbroken euphoria and growth momentum as in China, but are much more ambivalent about it.

People always complain about smartphones when their use gets out of hand and they threaten to lose themselves - some people then deliberately give up their cell phones or certain social networks.

In China, permanent networking with friends, the small collective, is central. The cell phone is the shelter that one inhabits with one's friends.

At the same time, it grants a certain independence: Since it is comparatively uncensored, unlike television, people can express their own opinions and participate in global developments via platforms like Weibo. A perfect combination for the mentality of young Chinese.