Consumer Trends 2015 CHINA

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Transcript of Consumer Trends 2015 CHINA

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CONSUMER

TRENDS 2015

CHINA

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04 

Get Smart

What’s happening in 2015? 05

Why consumers will buy into this 06

Where next? 10

12Pollution Protection

What’s happening in 2015? 13

Why consumers will buy into this 15

Where next? 16

18Real World Retail

What’s happening in 2015? 19

Why consumers will buy into this 22

Where next? 26

28Tapping In and Speaking Out

What’s happening in 2015? 29

Why consumers will buy into this 30

Where next? 32

CONTENTS

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Chinese consumers surveyed refers to online consumers aged 20-49 across tier one to three cities in China. 2  3

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GETSMARTThe world of synced devices, homeappliances and wearable technologywill become mainstream, as trustedretailers and manufacturers moveinto the market and convertconsumer appetite into action.

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WHAT’SHAPPENINGIN 2015?The Internet of Things – from smart

watches to smart ceiling fans – appeals

to consumers because it saves

them time and money while also

promising them convenience

and control. Wearable

technology has expanded

smart options for

personal data collection.

These connected

devices are broadening

the horizons of our digital

narcissistic culture by increasing

self-knowledge and creating more

opportunities for analysis.

What’s changing is that this is no longer

the domain of start-ups offering home hub

hardware – the major players are now

embracing the trend and raising consumer

condence in it. Companies such as LG,

Panasonic, Cisco, and Haier have already

teamed up to make sure their future

products can communicate with each other.

Google is also launching Android TVs, while

LG is launching a new webOS operating

system for smart TVs.

New software will also help

consumers seamlessly sync

their mobile devices

with their hardware,

including home appliances. Apple’s

HomeKit enables consumers to use Siri

voice commands to control smart lighting,

doors, thermostats and other home

appliances. Our health will also benet

as systems like Apple’s HealthKit brings

users’ data from various tness devices

into a single location. And with the new

 Apple Watch, using these programmes or

other apps becomes much easier when

they’re on our wrists.

With greater consumer adoption,

interaction with smart devices will become

much easier, and application will go far

beyond health and home. 2015 will also

see oPhone launch ‘scent messaging’

devices which work with a related app to

allow consumers to remotely fragrance

their homes – or send odors as a form

of communication. The whole idea of

integrating technology into everything will

trickle down to change how consumers

interact with everyday items like their nail

polish or food packaging.

Putting our smart devices to use could

get also easier as network providers

are adding Wi-Fi on planes a nd trains,

allowing people to be connected

anywhere, anytime – making it ultra-

convenient for us to “Get Smart”.

 

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Ralph Lauren,Polo Tech Shirt

Ralph Lauren,

Polo Tech Shirt Results

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WHYCONSUMERSWILL BUYINTO THISMany Chinese consumers have

already adopted digital tools that

help them track their own bodies and

sync their devices.

Some 13% of Chinese adults aged

20–49 say that they have a wearable

digital product in their household.

Ownership is driven by afuence,

with up to 29% of consumers in the

highest personal income brackets

owning one of these devices.

More than one in three Chinese

adults (36%) say their household

has an internet-enabled TV.

 Across categories, consumers are

keen to use products and services

that provide them with convenience

or greater health awareness

 – two things that are

certainly relevant to

today’s connected

device market.

 As many as 81% of Chinese

consumers say that they are willing

to pay more for products and

services that make their lives easier.

Meanwhile, 39% of consumers say

that it is worth spending more on the

products or services that can help to

improve health, such as paid health-

tracking apps.

With widespread ownership of

smartphones in China, devices that

are compatible with or controlled

by apps are ripe for development;

indeed, smartphone ownership is

near ubiquitous in China as 95% of

Chinese consumers report owning

a smartphone. We have already

seen app and tablet controlled coffee

machines, such as the TopBrewer

launch in the marketplace and such

technology will continue to evolve.

When it comes to connected

devices, multifunctionality and style

also come into play. Despite more

product offerings and the emergence

of new product categories (such as

wearable technology), consumers

are concentrating on fewer items

that are more multifunctional to

satisfy daily needs. Almost half

(45%) of Chinese consumers say

they own six or fewer consumer

technology products.

Meanwhile, 64% of Chinese

consumers believe it is fashionable

to use wearable digital products like

the Nike+ FuelBand or Jawbone,

according to the same report.

This is certainly a global trend.

 Around the world, consumers are

showing more interest in digital tools

that link their devices together.

In the US, 59% of consumers say

they would be interested in using

an app or website to control their

home. And in the UK, 76% of

potential TV buyers are interested

in a TV with the ability to wirelessly

stream content from other devices

(while 28% would pay more for this

feature).

Consumer interest in wearables

and apps that track health also

suggests huge growth potential. In

the US, 22% of all consumers have

purchased a wearable device, e.g.

smart watch or Fitbit.

In the UK, 21% of adults already

use either a wearable device or a

health-related mobile app. Roughly

one in three consumers is interested

in using a smart watch with tness

functionality (31%), a device that

tracks heart rate, blood pressure and

movement (40%), or a device that

tracks steps and sleep (34%).

The whole ideaof integratingtechnology intoeverything willtrickle downto change how

consumers interactwith everydayitems like theirnail polish or foodpackaging.

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 Apple Watch

oPhone Uno

Samsung Smart Home

Philips Hue

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1 Mist Shine Bloom Necklace

Increased adoptionof wearable devices

might force moreconversationsregarding regulationsabout digital deviceetiquette.

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WHERE

NEXT?In 2015 and beyond, we’ll see

smart devices advancing into new

areas. Wearable technology will

have to transcend the convenience

of connectivity and offer wearable

devices that are both secure and

fashionable. Indeed, increased

adoption of wearable devices

might force more conversations

regarding regulations about digital

device etiquette.

 Aesthetically, wearable devices are

as much status symbols as they

are data collectors. Over in New

York, brands including Nike, Intel,reality TV series “Project Runway”

and Digital Trends are hosting the

Wearable Technology Fashion

Competition to make wearable

technology more stylish, which

will hopefully increase adoption.

 Aesthetics matter just as much, if

not more, in the home. Smart home

devices will scale back their futuristic

appearances to sit comfortably

among analogue objects and blend

in with existing home décor, which

we’ve already seen from Philips

‘Hue’ LED lighting systems.

Overall, we’ll come to expect more

from our smart devices: wearables

that analyse our mental well-being,

smart food and drink containers that

automatically re-order replacements

and companies that analyse our

data in order to customise services

and costs. Chinese search giant

Baidu will continue to surprise the

public with innovations that go

beyond its previous Google Glass

competitor, self-steering bicycle

prototypes, or smart chopsticks thatidentify food contaminants.

 All this constant connectivity will

increase demand for innovations

that help keep consumers’

devices charged. We expect more

companies to employ wireless

charge features – something

Starbucks is already testing in

stores. Security will also be a

concern as consumers become

more wary of placing personal data

in the cloud and on other servers.

To further the purpose behind

this data gathering, analysis will

become a key area of expansion for

companies – witness the fact that

Nike+ is backing out of the actual

device space to focus on data and

apps – and people will increasingly

share data with professionals for

analysis. We’ve already seen black

boxes that monitor driving habits,

Russian banks that give preferential

interest rates based on running

data, and MyHealthPal – a platform

that shares a patient’s data onmedication, diet and exercise with

neurologists. Data-collecting devices

will also invite companies to become

analysis providers, and the next

stage will be for banks, grocers

and doctors to do more to develop

data relationships.

Trends 2015 CHINA 10  11

1 TopBrewer Coffee

Machine and App

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POLLUTIONPROTECTIONInternational events – somecatastrophic, some inspirational – areputting emissions and toxicity backon the agenda, but it’s the threat ofpollution to human – rather thanenvironmental – health that’s drivingtechnological innovation and a spate ofclean, protective products launches inthe CPG space.

WHAT’SHAPPENINGIN 2015?In 2015, pollution will become a key

media focus. The abandonment of

the Carteret Islands in Papua New

Guinea due to rising sea levels and

the Milan Expo 15’s investigation into

the future of clean water supplies will

revive discussion around emissions,

while controversy will grow around

Canada’s Northern Gateway oil

pipeline to Asia. In April 2014,

China’s National People’s Congress

approved changes to the country’s

environmental protection law, which

go into effect on January 1, 2015,

that allow for stricter punishments for

those caught polluting.

It’s a growing awareness of the

link between pollution and cancer

and premature deaths – following

WHO’s revelation that pollution is the

world’s biggest environmental health

risk – that will provoke a reaction.

Since the Chinese Government

began releasing air pollution level

data in 2012, consumers have

come to learn about PM 2.5 –

‘ne particulate matter’ – an air

contaminant associated with asthma,

heart attacks and other health

problems. In response, there are an

increasing number of air purication

products available for home, ofce

and cars, many of which claim

to defend against PM 2.5. The

cosmetics industry in particular has

been awakening consumers to the

immediate, visible, personal effects

of pollution, with Avon even coining

the term ‘urban dust’ to describe

the ‘environmental aggressors’ that

threaten our skin and general health.

Trends 2015 CHINA 12  13

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WHYCONSUMERSWILL BUYINTO THISThe case for going clean has clear

global resonance. Pollution kills 8.4

million people each year, almost

three times the deaths caused by

malaria and fourteen times those

caused by HIV/AIDs, according to

Pure Earth/Blacksmith Institute. In

2012, around 7 million people died

 – one in eight of total global deaths –

as a result of air pollution exposure.

In addition, outdoor air pollution was

linked to an estimated 3.7 million

deaths in 2012 from urban and rural

sources worldwide. Meanwhile,

indoor air pollution, mostly caused

by cooking on inefcient coal and

biomass stoves, was linked to 4.3

million deaths in 2012, according

to WHO.

In 2013, China’s Ministry of

Environmental Protection

acknowledged the existence of

“cancer villages”, linking water

pollution to areas where rates of

cancer are unusually high. An April

2014 report by the Ministry found

that 60% of monitored areas in

China had “very poor” or “relatively

poor” underground water quality (an

increase from 2013).

Health is a major concern for

Chinese consumers, who worry

about the effects of pollution.

Some 47% of Chinese adults aged

20-49 express concerns about

catching incurable diseases due

to environmental pollution, and

38% are worried about respiratory

diseases. Food safety is a top

concern among Chinese people,

with 56% of consumers aged 20–49

worried about diseases caused by

foods that are unsafe.

Chinese consumers are willing to

spend money to protect themselves;

in 2013 four in ten (40%) Chinese

adults aged 20–49 spent more

money on products that protect from

environmental pollution than they

had in the previous year.

In addition to overall health

concerns, Chinese consumers also

recognise the effects of pollution

on their skin. At least a quarter of

Chinese women aged 20–49 who

use bodycare or handcare products

said that anti-irritation, healing or

soothing, and antibacterial claims

are important when purchasing

products. Cosmetics companies

are increasingly using PM 2.5

terminology to promote their anti-

pollution product claims.

We expect to see brands

addressing anti-pollution,both from a corporatesocial responsibilitystandpoint, as well as inproduct claims.

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2 Nivea Men

Hydro Gel

1 Clinique City Block

 Anti-Pollution

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WHERE NEXT?The Chinese Government’s

increasing focus on environmental

policy will bring pollution into the

limelight even more in 2015. In

response, we expect to see brands

addressing anti-pollution, both

from a corporate social responsibility

standpoint, as well as in product

claims.

In the beauty sector, we can expect

protective claims against PM 2.5

to grow in product marketing in

skincare and into other beauty

categories like haircare.

In the food and beverage sector,

ingredients promoting detox benets

will grow. In response to food safety

concerns, manufacturers should

emphasise “pollution-free” ingredient

sources in their marketing. Some

brands can also enhance their

quality by highlighting their original

source – for example, Tmall.com in

China partnered with New Zealand

Trade and Enterprise to launch a

promotion in April 2014, which allows

Chinese local consumers to buy

fresh seafood from New Zealand and

have it delivered in fewer than 72

hours. Products range from mussels

and paua to oysters.

We’ll see more wearable devices

 – and clothes – that variously

measure, guard against and combat

dangerous levels of air pollution. In

advertising, we’ll see more initiatives

like billboards that ght pollution as

well as home, ofce and even shop

frontages made from materials that

absorb carbon, reect heat or absorb

light to emit it at night.

In the automotive sector, sales of

electric and other low-emission

cars will continue to increase, as

the government continues to target

car pollution in cities like Beijing

and Shanghai. A surveillance

network is being developed to help

reduce smog from car exhaust in

Beijing, and consumers are being

encouraged to purchase electric cars

with promises of tax exemptions and

free licence plates.

Trends 2015 CHINA 16  17

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SHOP WHILE IN TRANSITAIRLINES WITH IN-FLIGHT WI-FI

Air Canada

British Airways Lufthansa Emirates 

Etihad

Gull Air  

Qatar Airways

 Aerooy

Transaero

 All Nippon

 Airways

JAL

Norwegian

SAS

TAP

Portugal

Aer Lingus

Icelandair 

Tam Libyan Airlines Turkish Airlines Oman Air  

Saudi

 Air China

THAI Airways

Singapore

 Airlines

HongKong

 Airlines

Garuda

Indonesia

Cebu Pacic

Philippine Airlines

Mango Airlines

AirTran

Alaska Airlines

American Airlines

Delta

Frontier Airlines

JetBlue

Southwest Airlines

United

US Airways

Virgin America

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WHYCONSUMERSWILL BUYINTO THISGlobally, online shopping has

revolutionised commerce, but

consumers are not completely

satised.

Over half (53%) of UK consumers,

specically 60% of women, say it’s

difcult to nd clothing that ts well

without trying it on.

In the US, 22% of adults only buy

products online that they are already

familiar with.

Nearly seven in 10 Chinese adults

say it is necessary to visit brick-and-

mortar stores before buying products

online. But at the same time, 75%

of Chinese adults feel that online

shopping will eventually take over

brick-and-mortar stores.

Almost a fth (19%) of Chinese

consumers aged 20–49 have

purchased items online with click-

and-connect delivery, where productsbought online are then collected from

a store, depot or locker box.

In China, consumers are interested

in a number of enhancements to the

shopping experience. The ambience

and customer service are increasingly

important factors to consumers

when choosing a supermarket or

hypermarket, both of which present

an opportunity for brick-and-mortar

stores to compete with online stores.

Some 14% of shoppers felt “good

ambience” is the most important

factor in deciding where to shop (up

from 9% in 2013). Good customer

service was selected by 8% of

consumers, up from 2%

in 2013.

Mintel’s trend “Experience Is All”

identies consumers’ interest in the

experience that retail outlets can

provide. Half (50%) of Chinese adults

aged 20–49 say that a wider range of

dining outlets would encourage them

to visit department stores or shopping

malls more often.

Outside of retail, consumers around

the world see opportunities for digital

tools to bring greater convenience

to other areas of their lives. One

in twenty (6%) of Brazilians would

purchase a car entirely via the

internet and have it delivered to their

home if it was possible.

In addition, 40% of Canadians

would be interested in using online

budgeting and advice tools offered by

their bank or credit union.

Demand continues as 85% of

Chinese adults would like to see

more online services that help to

facilitate daily lives, such as paying

bills online or booking taxis via mobile

apps.

1 McDonald’s Self-Order

Kiosk, Paris

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WHERENEXT?At the heart of this trend is that

our on-demand, instant gratication

culture is spreading. This will bring us

more delivery apps and high-quality

vending options across a variety of

product categories.

These conveniences are not only for

city dwellers as more business models

bring the benets of modern life to

suburban and rural residents. The

expansion of eBay Now showcases

that it’s not just growing urban

environments that require on-demand

delivery solutions. However, the

solution might have to be customised

to the area, with in-store pick-up suited

to suburbia and subscription services

aligning with the needs of rural

residents who might be far away from

the nearest stock-up store.

Furthermore, this “at-your-

convenience” expectation is likely

to inuence other customer service-

based industries. Consumers are

already applying this to their media

consumption, with many forgoing

cable TV in favour of subscription

services, such as Netix or Hulu Plus.

We predict that consumers will want

to see more customised, on-demand

access to nancial services, healthcare

and more. It won’t be enough to have

Google and Wikipedia answer your

questions at 3am, people will expect

to have curated services and expertise

 just a few taps away.

In China, Jumei Youpin (www.jumei.

com), one of the biggest online

cosmetic products sellers in China,

has opened ofine stores in Beijing,

in order to let consumers better know

the brand and let them shop more

condently. Meanwhile, Shunfeng,

one leading express carrier in China,

entered the online market by setting up

their own online stores and opening its

real store for better service.

In the future, we expect to see more of

what we call ‘Omni-channel’ retailing,

which combines the online and ofine

channels in China. As for consumers,

price and convenience continue to

be the primary drivers to shop online,

while the ‘unique’, ‘educational’ and

‘engaged’ experiences in real world

retail will be the key factor to attract

consumers to shop in-store.

75% of Chinese adults feel thatonline shopping will eventually takeover brick-and-mortar stores.

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Shunfeng ExpressOfine Store, Hei Ke

 Amazon Locker 

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WHAT’SHAPPENING

IN 2015?We have certainly seen more companies

strive for two-way communication in recent

years. Marketing buzzwords like ‘engagement’

and ‘interaction’ have spurred a rise in forums,

user feedback and even consumer-created

advertising. Meanwhile, corporations have sought

to break down their own walls with blogs penned by

senior management.

We’ve also seen a new kind of expectation emerge

among consumers: to participate not only in

conversation at the back end, but to be part of a

company’s ideation process from the start.

Today, consumers can contribute to the betterment

of a product or the betterment of society on a

more personal and involved level. The rise of

crowdsourcing business models such as that of

trailblazing T-shirt company Threadless – where

anyone can submit a design, and everyone hasa say over which designs get made – has further

democratised the marketplace.

Innovation no longer happens from the top down.

Indeed, the once linear, one-directional arrow

between concept and consumption now looks more

like a owchart, with consumers positioned at many

points along the way.

In China, KFC launched a marketing activity named

“who could represent KFC” at the beginning of

2014. KFC raised two products in the competition,

one of which was KFC’s plain chicken nuggets (their

classic offering) and the other was Golden Crispy

Chicken (a totally new product). Consumers could

vote for their preferred product within the stipulated

time via social media, with the winner staying on

the menu. The result dictated which product could

remain on the menu in the long term. Other similar

activities such as The Voice of China and the Ice

Bucket Challenge have also leveraged social media

to engage consumer participation, which is highly

regarded by Chinese consumers.

TAPPINGIN AND

SPEAKINGOUTPCs and mobile phones are leadingconsumer technology productsegments with high product ownership.Online and mobile spaces are growingas a key platform for consumeractivities, brand communication and

consumer engagement channel.

Trends 2015 CHINA 28  29

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WHY

CONSUMERSWILL BUYINTO THISAround the world, collective

involvement with brands,

although currently relatively

niche, is taking strides into the

mainstream consciousness within

some industries.

In the UK, some 22% of beer

drinkers are interested in being

involved in helping to fund setting

up a new craft beer. Over a fth(21%) of UK teenage girls want to

contribute their ideas towards new

product designs. Meanwhile, in

China, ‘Who could represent KFC’

received over 20 million votes.

The advantages of online

cooperation are most keenly felt on

one particular social networking site.

Pinterest’s quick rise to the top of

the social media stratosphere is a

result of its collaborative nature. By

allowing internet users to curate and

share interesting pictures on a large

virtual pinboard, the number three

social media website (according toExperian Hitwise) enables pinners

to discover new ideas. This has

allowed users to benet from a

common, shared pool of visual

information. Its numbers have

been strong. The pinboard receives

1.9 billion monthly page views from

a worldwide audience, with each

visitor spending almost 14.5 minutes

on its site, according to an article by

Fast Company.

However, the ow of ideas is not

 just Consumer-to-Consumer (C2C).

Increasingly, it’s Consumer-to-

Business (C2B) and back again.The term crowdsourcing refers to

the process of outsourcing work to

a large, often anonymous group

of people, and has become a

fundamental tenet of Web 2.0. And

when it comes to innovation, the idea

that many minds are better than one

has taken off.

Rite Solutions combines stock

market dynamics, game theory and

a clear understanding of the need

for an innovation funnel that is not

top-down. Its Innovation Engine

seeks to utilise the power of aligned

thought as a marketplace for

collective genius.

GuruStorms is a middleman service

that helps small businesses locate

experts in the technology and

medicine elds. Gurus offer their

best ideas, engaging in an online

brainstorming session lasting up to

30 days.

One Billion Minds is a platform that

connects problem-solving individuals

with companies and nonprot

organisations needing solutions,

like solving the garbage disposal

problem in Kolkata, India.

Even large corporations are turning

to the wisdom of the crowds as

a means of innovating – or even

outsourcing – their business. Lay’s

 Argentina has invited Argentinean

consumers to suggest new avours

for its potato chips. The three most

popular avours will be sent into

production, and the one that garners

the most sales will join Lay’s line of

products permanently.

In addition, a supermarket in

Denmark has asked customers tosuggest local products they would

like to see on its shelves.

Meanwhile, Sears’ new online

feature “People’s Pick” allows

consumers to vote on which popular

items should go on sale each week.

There’s also civic utility in this

collaborative effort. Japanese

commuter app Komirepo (meaning

“crowded report”) keeps commuters

informed on which train routes are

the most or least crowded, thus

giving people the option to switch to

less congested lines.

Sickweather is an initiative that

searches data from social networks

and user input to geographically

illustrate illnesses in a specic area.

In the Netherlands, a service called

Twitcident has been developed to

help internet users nd updates

about emergencies, such as res.

It also sends information to the

authorities and rst responders.

With the culture of sharing and

collaborative thinking becoming so

pervasive, “Collective Intelligence”

may be so deeply entrenched in the

way young adults function that it’s

becoming difcult to differentiate

it from cheating. The scandal

surrounding Harvard University

students and a take-home nal exam

highlights this grey area between

collaborative learning and cheating.

While “cybercheating” is unlikely to

undermine marketers, there’s still

a valuable lesson to be heeded;

the internet is an anonymous and

unregulated space, which means

opening up the oor to ideas andfeedback means potentially opening

oneself up to an avalanche.

 

Trends 2015 CHINA 30  31

Get Smart

Pollution Protection 

Real World Retail

Tapping In and Speaking Out

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WHERENEXT?The opportunities for harnessing

“collective intelligence” as a tool

for innovation are enormous. Not

only does crowd-sourced wisdom

have the potential to generate new

products and initiatives, it also

helps position a brand as dynamic,

forward-thinking and participatory. In

an era when consumers no longer

feel they need to defer to authority, it

will be critical for brands to operate

under a more populist premise.

Open dialogue with the masses

can do more than directly benet

brands and new products: the crowd

can be used to address problems

created by the crowd itself. Issues

surrounding population growth,

climate change, energy usage and

waste management can all be better

tackled by listening to the people

and providing direction around a

common theme. All that is required is

a connection and a vested interest in

an issue.

Ultimately, the challenge is to

cultivate a conversation that benets

both parties – giving consumers a

sense of power and participation,

and providing marketers with

a deeper understanding of

opportunities in the marketplace.

Even large

corporations areturning to thewisdom of thecrowds as a meansof innovating – oreven outsourcing –their business.

Trends 2015 CHINA 32  33

Get Smart

Pollution Protection 

Real World Retail

Tapping In and Speaking Out

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THE WORLD’SLEADINGMARKETINTELLIGENCEAGENCYOur expert analysis of the highestquality data delivers clarity and meaningto clients when it matters most. Clarityand meaning that drives growth.

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