Asia Pacific region - aprc-research

FEATURE
fdd ducks
Doing market research in China keeps even the most experienced researchers
on their toes. In a diverse market that is constantly changing it takes guts and
commitment to keep up with the demands of clients. Katarina Olausson spoke
with three expats about what it is like working and living in Shanghai.
Gerline Soo, who moved to Shanghai from Singapore
in 2003 and speaks Mandarin and Cantonese, is the
regional director for Firefly Millward Brown.
‘Here in China you have a bigger budget and more clients who
are hungry for information and need to be updated very quickly.
The market is new to them but it is not only new, it is changing
rapidly,’ she says.
Soo says that in comparison to markets like Singapore, lots of
new product development projects and campaigns are developed
specifically for China.
‘But the problem is that a lot of clients think that China is just
one market when it is clearly not. They think it is good enough to
know about Shanghai, Guangzhou and Beijing, they think that is 100
per cent China, but this is not the case. It’s not just the geographical
differences, every city has its own characteristics.’
This point was put into sharp relief when Soo and her team
undertook an ethnographic study in a small town in inland China.
‘We went to the village and stayed with people for two days,
tracking and observing their lives. It was really quite different.
The living standard is basic and they don’t have much entertainment.
There is one restaurant in the hotel and that’s it. People
go to sleep at 7 o’clock, and the streets are dark. So things that
we take for granted here don’t exist there. That study left a deep
impression on me.’
Soo explains that local brands are very strong in these areas.
‘There is no competition; it’s old China, so people are not exposed
to a better brand or product. They tend to think that is the best, but
if they were exposed to a different brand you’ll find they are very
receptive to it. It is always easier for global brands to establish themselves
in the bigger cities than in the smaller cities and villages.’
Shiri Atsmon is living in Shanghai with her husband and three
children. She came to Shanghai in 2006 and works as an associate
director at Oracle Added Value. Atsmon grew up in Israel and spent
time working at a law firm in the US and as a psycho-diagnostician
for the Israeli Defences Forces.
‘I was certified as an attorney but before that I was working
in the Israeli army. It is a very interesting profession and gave me
great interviewing skills.’
Atsmon says that marketing teams in China are very open to
new research. ‘People are humble and open to you as a researcher.
You can help them to improve things or even to come up with
completely new ideas - the impact you have as a researcher is
meaningful and that is very satisfying. It just shows how dynamic
China is, I have more exposure here to business and strategy issues,
different categories and market development stages.’
The most successful international brands in China are those
that commit wholeheartedly to understand the specificities of the
Chinese consumer. Atsmon explains, ‘Many decide to launch a
product that is a version of a European product; it’s not tailored to
the local market. The brands that are doing the best are the brands
that are designed for China.’
When asked about what the workplace is typically like, Atsmon
says that the environment is supportive yet that there are, of course,
some cultural differences.
‘The pressure to succeed in China is extremely high. For example, if
you are a guy you can’t get married until you have an apartment. I hope
in the future everyone can feel like they can take a break and devote
more time for work and life balance. As an expat I am a bit of an odd
Shiri Atsmon Gerline Soo Jason Spencer
18 Research News March 2011