MASTER MECHANICS

In regards to the search for information, Baidu is the uncontested
search engine leader with nearly two thirds of the search
market share in China, far ahead of Google which seems unsuccessful
in imposing its leadership in the Middle Kingdom. When
deciphering the local clientele search behaviour, it remains
mostly brand-oriented due to the challenge for brands to translate
and adapt their product ranges and campaign messages to
the local languages and preferences. “China’s market is not very
mature, many brands entered this market late and they have not
yet been recognized. People mainly want to know about the different
brands, their history and positioning. Moreover, many
model names are not translated into Chinese, so it is not convenient
for online searching. Though people
know some names through watch advertisements,
a limited amount of people recognize model
names,” points out David Chang.
When looking at watch aficionados’ online conversations,
the Chinese clientele has no reason to
be jealous of western watch platforms. Hundreds
of thousands of watch enthusiasts participate
actively in online forums dedicated to the art
of fine watchmaking, such as Iwatch365.net,
Watchbus.com or Watchstore.com.cn where page
view statistics can range from one to three million
per month. Besides discussions about world
famous brands, style and technology of watches, a
significant portion of some forums are dedicated
to watch sales transaction, where people set up
their shop page and sell watches online.
One of the key challenge for Swiss watch brands
wanting to succeed in China will be to define
the right online positioning which emotionally
connects to China’s affluent clientele. While
mapping its online media consumption would
be the first step, mastering language specificities,
clientele preferences as well as defining
the appropriate engagement drivers are crucial
success factors for luxury watch brands in
China. O
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