China Direct

Long Museum to host GREAT Festival of Creativity in Shanghai

 

The Long Museum (West Bund), the largest private institution of collection in China, was unveiled as the official venue for the GREAT Festival of Creativity in Shanghai.

Speaking at the Long Museum, British Consul General in Shanghai Brian Davidson said, “Choosing this as the venue for the GREAT Festival was an easy choice in the end as the U.K. and China needed somewhere really special to allow for creative exchanges between two of the world’s largest economies."

The setting on the West Bund area and the attractive space on offer will play home to up to 2,500 British and Chinese business leaders from 02-04 March 2015.

Please read more here.

CBI Strategic Partners Monthly Roundup Nov 2014

 

 

Dear CBI Members and partners,

Please find the Nov 2014 Strategic Partners monthly roundup below.

Detailed information can be downloaded from the Executive Summary at the bottom of this note.

• 2015 U.K.-China Year of Cultural Exchange
• British Ambassador to China opens GREAT campaign-funded exhibition in Chengdu
• British Business Awards 2014 held in Beijing
• CBBC signs agreement with Chinese Service Centre for Scholarly Exchange
• Chinese-speaking students to be placed with U.K. companies to help them break into Chinese market or find new investment
• Duke of Cambridge to open GREAT Festival of Creativity in Shanghai
• GREAT British Online Film Festival brings top British features and short films to netizens across China
• Leading British entrepreneurs announced as speakers at GREAT Festival of Creativity in Shanghai
• London-Hong Kong Forum convenes for fourth meeting
• U.K. Communities Secretary visits China
• British organisations invited to join U.K. digital health demonstration centre in China in January 2015

Download CBI China Monthly Roundup November 2014

Philips and Alibaba to work on China IT-infrastructure services

CBI member Philips and Alibaba Group announced that both companies had entered into a framework agreement for IT-infrastructure services in China.

Through its Alibaba Cloud Computing (AliCloud) division, Alibaba Group will support Philips with cloud computing services to store and process the data of certain of Philips’ new connected products and solutions in China enabled by Philips’ HealthSuite Digital Platform.

The Smart Air Purifier launched in China in October is Philips’ first connected product supported by Alibaba’s cloud computing services.

The new framework agreement marks an important step in the collaboration between the two companies. Under the terms of the agreement, AliCloud will support Philips with IT-infrastructure services including cloud servers, cloud databases, cloud storage, cloud security, and data processing.

This will help to fulfill Philips’ needs for its cloud-based connected consumer products and solutions in China enabled by Philips’ HealthSuite Digital Platform.

This agreement represents Philips’ first deployment of its HealthSuite Digital Platform into a local cloud outside of Europe and the U.S.

Please read more here.

CBI Member Burberry celebrates launch of new Shanghai flagship store

 

CBI member Burberry recently celebrated the launch of its new Shanghai flagship store, Burberry Kerry Centre.

Celebrating with a global audience, over 1,500 guests, including a number of celebrities, followed a paved London street flanked by city street lamps into the auditorium of a cinematic theatre style set.

On the banks of the Huangpu River, the custom-built venue in the Shanghai Shipyard features handcrafted elements inspired by the brand's global flagship, 121 Regent Street, which was originally the site of one of the first cinemas in London.

The evocative space became the backdrop for a journey through the Burberry worlds of Britishness, heritage, music, and fashion, and the brand's story unfolded in a series of emotive, musical scenes, featuring the Burberry family of musicians, models, and dancers, blurring the physical distance between London and Shanghai with digital technology.

The event is the start of a multi-year programme of investment activity in the city and wider region. In a year of transformation for Burberry in Shanghai, the brand opened four new stores in the city, completed by the new Burberry Kerry Centre. The brand has stores in 36 cities in China.

The event also marked the start of a new collaboration with the Alibaba Group, with the opening of the official Burberry Tmall.com store, offering the purest articulation of the Burberry brand on any of the Alibaba platforms to date.

Christopher Bailey, Burberry Chief Creative Officer, said, "We are very proud and honoured to be here in Shanghai. This is a hugely significant moment for the Burberry brand.

"Tonight's event was a celebration of everything we stand for—our Britishness, our belief in creativity and innovation, and our authentic heritage. So many of these themes are shared with this incredible city. Shanghai is a place of such spirit and energy, and it has truly inspired us. This evening's experience was a magical, immersive journey through our Burberry brand blurring the physical with the digital—it merged fashion, dance, with music, craftsmanship, and artistry. It connected our worlds—from London to Shanghai."

Please click here to read the full press release by Burberry.

EU SME Centre Beijing invites you to a free web seminar on building a China digital marketing strategy.

 

China Direct is delighted to invite its SME members to attend a free web seminar on developing a digital marketing strategy for China.

Our thanks to the EU SME Centre in Beijing for sharing this information with us. Details and how to register can be found below.

 

"How to develop a robust digital marketing strategy in China?"

The EU SME Centre invites you to a web seminar on Tuesday 19th February.

To register please click here.

Join this webinar and discover:

• Why EU SMEs should be considering digital marketing in China?
• Ways to promote your brands and products online and particularities in China.
• How to capitalise on e-markets, social media and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) in China?
• Case studies, best practices and tools of digital marketing a la Chinese.

Background:

Internet and mobile phone growth in China has been a remarkable phenomenon over the last decade. By the end of 2011, China counted 513 million internet users and more than a billion mobile phone users.

This has contributed to China becoming the world’s largest market for online selling in terms of the number of online shoppers and forecasts indicate that the market will grow to some USD 176 billion by 2014. With such an audience and trends, one cannot afford to ignore the rise of the online realm to promote their brands, products and services.

Details:

Time: 17:00-18:00 (Beijing Time)

Date: Tues 19th Feb

Cost: Free of charge for SMEs and Intermediaries

For full details in pdf format please download below:

Download How to develop a robust digital marketing strategy in China

 

National People's Congress 2012 - an analysis

 

[Image courtesy of www.apcoworldwide.com/china]

China Direct would like to thank CBI member APCO for kindly providing the following analysis of the recently convened annual National People's Congress in Beijing.

For more information and analysis please download below.

Download NPC_2012

Thank you.

B&M flying high for Dragonair and Cathay in China

[Image courtesy of www.bm.com]

CBI member Burson-Marsteller was recently awarded a one-year retainer to manage the media relations and engagement in mainland China for Hong Kong-based airline Dragonair and its sister airline Cathay Pacific Airways. The firm will also provide Dragonair with corporate social responsibility counsel and support.

Burson-Marsteller will serve the two airlines from each of the firm's five offices in China.

Chris Deri, Burson-Marsteller China's CEO, said, "China's travel industry is growing at an exponential rate. We are pleased to work with these two Hong Kong airlines to raise their profile in mainland China. We have found during our work with premium brands that clearly communicating a company's values and actions are essential in rapidly growing industries where brand value and recognition significantly influence buying decisions."

Sam Swire, Dragonair and Cathay Pacific's General Manager China, said, "As the China airline market grows in size, the country's fliers become increasingly discerning. It is very important to Dragonair and Cathay Pacific that passengers in mainland China know what we stand for and demonstrate our commitment to them and the China market. We look forward to partnering with Burson-Marsteller China as we work to engage passengers, media, and industry stakeholders to increase awareness of our two brands here."

Please click here to read the full press release by Burson-Marsteller.

CBI Member McKinsey shares China insights via new website

 

 

 
[Image courtesy of www.mckinsey.com]

CBI member company McKinsey has recently launched an exciting series of podcasts ranging from topics such as the Twelfth Five Year Plan to China's insatiable thirst for energy on its new China website at http://www.mckinseychina.com/podcasts

Please note that the series can also be downloaded from iTunes under "McKinsey on China".

For more information or any queries please contact Glenn Leibowitz at: china@mckinsey.com

China Direct would like to thank McKinsey for sharing this information with our CBI members.

Chinese brands go global - with help from the IPA

 

 
[Image courtesy of www.ipa.co.uk]

CBI member The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) recently launched a research and development service for Chinese brand owners aiming to go global.

The new consumer research and development service is called the IPA 'International Brand Incubator' and draws on the expertise of UK-based planners and creators within IPA member agencies to provide Chinese companies with the opportunity to test the consumer appeal of their brands outside Asia.

Commenting on the new IPA initiative, Janet Hull, IPA Director of Marketing, said, "This is the perfect time for Chinese companies to take their brands global via the UK. The relative strength of the Chinese economy makes brand investment highly efficient. All the economic indicators show that those companies that invest in brands in an economic downturn reap extraordinary rewards in terms of market share gain and profitability."

Sebastian Wood CMG, Her Majesty's Ambassador to the People's Republic of China, said, "The UKTI team in China welcomes this initiative and is available to support the internationalisation plans of Chinese brand owners who are seeking to use the UK as their springboard into new global markets."

Please click here to read the full press release by the IPA.

 

Penguin wins Cathay Pacific China Business Award

 

 

[Image courtesy of www.penguin.com]

CBI member Penguin recently won the 2010 Continued Commitment Award at the annual Cathay Pacific China Business Awards, which recognises ongoing, large-scale, sustainable and ethical investment in the region.

The award highlighted Penguin China's work in encouraging and training a new generation of literary translators in the country through its Chinese-English Literary Translation programme, launched in partnership with the Chinese government in 2008.

Commenting on the award, Jo Lusby, managing director of Penguin China, said, "Publishing is an important part of the UK economy, and Chinese literature is something of great interest to publishers, but difficult to execute. Building these bridges between publishers, agents, translators and authors will hopefully create a stronger, broader offering that can be made available to readers in the UK in English from this rapidly developing yet ancient literary culture." She went on to note that, "The coverage around the award came to the attention of the British business community, and raised our profile in China. Chinese government officials commended us for our commitment."

Please read more here.