Both WeChat and RED are giants in China’s social media landscape but present a stark difference in community vibe. For the exact same video—showing a young mother challenging her 3-year-old son to eat bitter melon—the comments on RED are filled with snarky, witty, and meme-like reactions, dripping with humour and playfulness. On WeChat, however, the same video might elicit affectionate, serious praise for her bravery and emotional stability, with a more formal and sincere tone.

Why does this happen?

User Demographics: A Tale of Two Audiences

Young people love to make memes on social media platforms. They are dedicated to using humour and sarcasm (mostly with good intentions) to show their ability to follow hot topics and seek belonging within their young community. Fundamentally, RED is a hub for fashion, beauty, lifestyle, and all things trendy, which has attracted a vast number of young, trend-conscious users, primarily women aged 18-35 (according to the Qianggua Database). As a result, RED is their go-to platform for shopping recommendations, personalised discovery, and lifestyle tips.

WeChat, on the other hand, is a jack-of-all-trades. Its user base spans young professionals to older generations, making it one of the most versatile platforms in China. Beyond social networking, WeChat is used for news consumption, work interactions, payments, and group chats. The content here tends to be more rational and practical, either long posts or short videos, attracting users to prioritise long-term value, relationships, and reliable information. 

What Does This Mean for Brands?

As you may know, visibility is undoubtedly important, but the key to driving purchase conversions lies not in broad brand exposure alone, but in connecting with the right audience—those who either already need what your brand offers or can be easily convinced to develop that need. This is why efficient budget allocation and long-term brand growth hinge on a deep understanding of where your target audience spends their time and how they interact with content.

This is why targeting the right platform matters.

RED: A Playground for B2C Brands

For B2C brands, especially those in fashion, beauty, and lifestyle, RED is your ideal playground. Its young, trend-savvy users are quick to embrace new products, especially when influenced by Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs); this impulsive buying behaviour makes it ideal for brands looking to drive quick sales through short, snappy, and visually appealing content. 

WeChat: A Space for Professional and Relational Engagement

WeChat, with its mature user base, is better suited for brands or organisations offering professional services or targeting older demographics. Its features, like long-form articles, short videos, customer relationship management (CRM), and group-based communication, make it perfect for building trust and loyalty, leading to its advantage in fostering long-term relationships.

That said, it’s not a one-size-fits-all scenario. Different industries face varying regulations on these platforms, which can impact your brand’s performance. For example, while RED is great for attracting individual customers, it imposes functional constraints on industries like real estate. To find the best platform and feature combination for your business, contact CHIN’s marketing experts today. 

Final Thoughts: Tailoring Your Marketing Strategy with CHIN Communications

While RED and WeChat cater to different audiences, they both offer unique strengths. RED’s community-driven format amplifies word-of-mouth (WOM) marketing, while WeChat’s private traffic model fosters long-term customer loyalty. The key is to leverage the strengths of both platforms in a complementary way.

At CHIN, our marketing experts specialise in crafting tailored strategies that align with your brand’s goals. Whether you’re aiming to boost awareness, drive sales, or build customer loyalty, we’ll help you navigate the complexities of China’s digital landscape.

The post WeChat vs. RED: The Divergence in User Demographics appeared first on Chin Communications.

By CHIN’s soothsayers

After the excitement of the Dragon, the Year of the Snake (also known as the “little dragon”) should be a progressive year that delivers results, albeit slowly.

On 29 January 2025, the Year of the Wood Snake slithers in. One of the first things we should notice is improvement in economic atmosphere – investors will regain confidence and the cost-of-living crisis will start to abate. The first part of the year could be when economic activities and the stock market will be more active. The snake delivers a positive mood, bringing confidence to buy. This energy will continue into 2026 (17 February 2026) when the horse is off and racing.

Still, saving money and being thrifty should be top priorities. It is also best to avoid high-risk investments this year. Snakes are charmers, but delusion and deception are also common in snake years. To gain the greatest benefits from this year, you must control spending. One ‘guru’ even suggests that wearing red underwear can bring added protection – we know snakes often shed their skins to transform themselves.

While in the East the Snake is known for its wisdom and transformative energy, with the wood element adding growth, stability, and creativity, almost all other cultures associate the snake with evil, hypocrisy and ugliness – all negative connotations.  However the snake was a symbol for worship in China as it represented beauty and luck. It was the earliest totem for Chinese people and the original god and goddess in China.

The bible has Adam and Eve. In ancient Chinese myths the earliest man and woman – Fuxi (伏羲) and Nuwa (女娲) – had human faces and snake bodies. They gave birth to mankind.  In some remote parts of China people still worship snakes – some places even have guard snakes which surround a baby to protect it.  In Fujian, a place called Snake Village has a black snake that goes into people’s houses protecting them and they regard it as a god.

Are you a Snake?

Snake Eyes – the worst gamblers in the universe, it’s just as well they are astute in business and lucky in other money matters, but don’t rely on a snake to help out, they can be tight. They are brilliant at solving problems and intuitive, seductive and amusing – oh, did I mention charming!  They have a great way with words and language as well and like reading and the arts.

Deep-thinking, wise, intelligent, good organisers, single-minded to achieve goals – of all of the signs, the snake will never give in, but he takes a long time to recover from failure.

Snakes rely on judgement rather than advice, and can be secretive and aloof. The snake chooses friends with care and will save his own skin first.  Good looking and always elegant, they like to have the latest devices and luxury.

Snakes are hard workers, but need to rest between times. They prefer a peaceful life and get stressed when things are chaotic.

They’ll be mad as a cut snake if you tread on them – they are passionate and will not forgive a slight or betrayal. Pay attention to your health in the Snake Year too – the Spanish Flu started in a Snake year and killed 50 million people.  In the last Snake year in 2013 who would have thought we would have come through a pandemic of similar magnitude (started in the Year of the Pig!).

Snake Oil Careers

Occupations that suit include: leader, writer, researcher, teacher, politician, scientist, artist, analyst, magician, sociologist, philosopher, salesperson.

Election in a Snake Year and other Predictions

Snake years can bring new innovations and progress – it was a snake year that saw the DNA structure of Crick and Watson and some snakes later the Human Genome sequence was revealed; also Einstein’s Theory of Relativity was published. The first petrol-powered car was also built in a snake year and are we seeing an escalation in the demise of petrol cars this snake year?

International conflicts persist and snake years are not always peaceful, but violence should abate – the Vietnam War raged in a snake year, but the Korean War ended, the Afghanistan War started in a snake year as well as the Second Opium War in China. We go into the Snake Year with a peace settlement in the Gaza war – could be a beacon for hope this year.

Previous snake years saw the Pearl Harbour attack, breaking down the Berlin Wall and the break up of the Soviet Union (the Russian empire also came to an end with the abdication of Tsar Nicolas in a Snake year) – are we sensing a strong Russian theme to this Snake Year? Tiananmen on 4 June 1989 and the 911 terrorist attacks in 2001 were also in snake years.

Lots of good has come in snake years though: China entered the WTO, APEC was founded and the Ipod introduced; not to mention the invention of the World Wide Web! Star Wars opened and colour television was born – we can’t wait to see what this Snake Year has in store!

The Centenary Test was played in Melbourne in a snake year and later this year The Ashes will be played in Australia (not to forget the Women’s Ashes which will be decided this Snake Year too. Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay were the first to reach the Mt Everest summit in a Snake Year.

Xi Jinping’s tenure started in a Snake Year (and he is a Snake!)

The last three Australian elections held in snake years were won by the coalition.

Snakes and Ladders

2013

• The first successful attempt in human cloning was made by scientists by using human skin cells to create embryos.
• Pope Benedict XVI became the first pope in 600 years to resign.

2001

• The Netherlands became the first country to legalise same-sex marriage.
• Ansett Airlines, one of the world’s oldest airlines, collapsed in Australia.

1989

• Shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Revolutions of 1989 started in Poland, which eventually led to the collapse of Communist regimes in Eastern Europe, and the End of the Cold War.
• Tim Berners-Lee, a British scientist, invented the World Wide Web (WWW).

1977

• With the success of the Smallpox vaccine, the disease was eradicated with the last naturally occurring case in Africa.
• The last execution by guillotine happened in France.
• Australian Democrats political party launched in Australia.
• First 7-Eleven store opened in Australia.
• In April 1977, the Apple II was introduced to the public, which was the first commercially successful personal computer.

1965

• Australia entered the Vietnam War sending troops to South Vietnam.
• Singapore became an independent and sovereign state after separating from Malaysia.
• The Indo-Pakistani war of 1965, also known as the second India-Pakistan war, spanned just over a month.
• A Soviet cosmonaut, Alexei Leonov, conducted the first spacewalk for just over 12 minutes.

1953

• The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II took place.
• The first public demonstration of a Russian-English machine translation system was conducted, which was a collaboration between IBM and Georgetown University.

1941/2

• On 1^st January, 1942, 26 nations at war with the Axis powers signed the Declaration by United Nations. This is the first official use of the term “United Nations”.

1929

• The stock market in the U.S. crashed in October, triggering The Great Depression, the economic crisis lasting over a decade.
• The first Academy Awards took place in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.

1917

• The U.S. entered World War I after declaring war on Germany in April 1917. After that, China also declared war on Germany in August.

Snake Charmers

Chinese interest: Mao Zedong and Xi Jinping, political figures: Soong Ching-ling, Chen Yun and Wu Bangguo, Chinese writer Lu Xun, actors: Gong Li, Carina Lau, Dicky Cheung, Aaron Kwok, Huang Xiaoming, Mavis Fan and Cheryl Yang

Australian pollies: Bob Hawke, Joe Hockey, Peter Garrett, Sue Lines, Nick McKim, Linda Reynolds, Larissa Waters, Alex Hawke, Stephen Jones, Keith Wolahan

Leaders (and beware if you are a Snake leader, there are multiple assassinations here): Tony Blair, John F Kennedy, Franklin D Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, Charles Darwin, Mahatma Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, Ferdinand Marcos, Martin Luther King, Alfred Nobel, Emmanuel Macron, Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Arty Snakes: Edgar Allen Poe, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Louis Vuitton, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Franz Schubert, Sidney Nolan, Picasso, Paul Simon, Art Garfunkle, Carole King, Bob Dylan, Oprah Winfrey, Brad Pitt, Ita Buttrose, Kanye West, Taylor Swift, Chris Martin, Robert Downey, Daniel Radcliffe, Katie Noonan, Chas Licciardello, Louis Braille (invented Braille reading and writing system)

Sporty Snakes: Steve and Mark Waugh, Steve Smith, Jannik Sinner, Iga Swiatek, Victoria Azarenka, Pat Cash, Mark Woodforde, John Millman, Kei Nishikori, Jack Draper, Daniel Ricciardo, Oscar Piastri.

Compatibility – into the Snake Pit: If you are planning to get married or begin a business partnership, you better take a good look at the other person’s finances. Snakes get on well with dragons, rabbits, roosters and oxen, but beware tigers, pigs and other snakes.

PARSELTONGUE

1. 强龙不压地头蛇 Qianglong bu ya ditoushe – a powerful dragon will not challenge a snake in its old haunts. Even though you are a strong dragon, you are an outsider and can’t defeat a snake at home – a parallel to the difficulties western businesses have working in China.

The post Wisdom, Transformation, and Creativity: The Wood Snake’s Legacy appeared first on Chin Communications.

By CHIN’s soothsayers

There is nothing like a dragon year – the luckiest of all years. Expect plenty of action, abundant opportunities and there is no time to waste. Dragons represent prosperity, success and honour in Chinese culture.

Dragon years bring discoveries, innovation and new technologies.  Apple and Wikipedia both arose in Dragon years.

The dragon roars into our lives on 10 February 2024. It flies away on 28 January 2025 when the Snake slithers in.

In Chinese astrology the dragon is the only animal of the Chinese zodiac that is not real. Be that as it may, the Dragon is revered – a deliverer of good fortune and a master of authority. Holding special significance for Chinese people, the Dragon brings the Four Blessings of wealth, virtue, harmony and longevity – what more could one want!

This year is the turn of the Wood Dragon in which we endeavour to foster growth, progress and abundance; while wood represents vitality and creativity.

The Economist has dubbed 2024 as ‘the biggest election year in history’. The list includes eight of the ten most populous countries in the world: the United States (where President Biden is likely to face Donald Trump), India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Mexico, Pakistan, Russia, Brazil (municipal). But it also includes Austria, Croatia, Portugal, Sri Lanka, the UK, South Korea, South Africa, Venezuela and Ukraine, as well as the EU Parliament elections in June.

While we always advise clients to plan ahead and get their marketing offers ready there is still time to mount a campaign on Chinese social media.

Descendants of the Dragon –  龙的传人

People born in Dragon years are to be respected.

More than 4000 years ago in China many separate tribes existed. They had animals as emblems. The tribes unified and eventually became ‘China’ and chose the dragon as their symbol. Chinese today refer to themselves as descendants of the Dragon.

You most likely will have seen many sculptures and carvings of dragons. The Chinese, even today, associate the dragon with power and wisdom and so a person born in the Dragon year is special. Dragon people command attention and respect.

Hoping for a Dragon Baby – 望子成龙

It’s a repeated pattern that parents strive for a dragon child and hospitals overflow with babies – in the current trend of families choosing not to have children or only having one, we will watch the data this year with interest. Parents of dragons apparently spend more on their child too.

“Come not between the dragon and his wrath”, Shakespeare wrote

Other characteristics of the dragon show them to dominate with imagination and intelligence. They are ambitious and honest, elegant and proud, brave yet quick tempered. They possess confidence in spades and are successful – usually finding their way to the top. Colourful and magnificent but there are also megalomaniacs in their ranks.

All their enthusiasm and action can wear out the Dragon – it is important to relax with some Tai Chi or meditation.

As JK Rowling (a snake) wrote: “You can’t tame dragons, it’s dangerous.” Game of Thrones’ Jorah reminded Daenerys, mother of dragons, that dragons can never be tamed, not even by their own mother.

They don’t like taking orders but they do seek thrills and take risks. They have the knack of recovering from set-backs quickly and also finding solutions where others simply faced a brick wall.

Dragons can lack sensitivity and even though they’ll give you the shirt off their back, they may not provide the best shoulder to cry on and while it might seem that they are the life and soul of the party, in fact they can be isolated and lonely.

On the flip side of Dragons’ confidence and courage, they can also become domineering, temperamental, self-centred, and gullible. Dragons believe themselves to always know best.

Famous Dragons

Leaders: Deng Xiaoping, Vladimir Putin, Lee Hsien Loong, Martin Luther King, Abraham Lincoln, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang (briefly who has since disappeared), Kamala Harris, Jeb Bush, Nancy Pelosi, Kevin McCarthy, Boris Johnson, Edward Heath, Che Guevara, Anthony Fauci, Imran Khan, Noam Chomsky, Prince Edward, Queen Margrethe II, Alexei Navalny, Li Ka-shing, Hosni Mubarak;

Charles Darwin, Christian Dior, Florence Nightingale, Sigmund Freud, Jeffrey Archer, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Al Pacino, Cliff Richard, Jane Goodall, Benjamin Franklin, George Bernard Shaw, Rihanna, Shakira, Bruce Lee, Sandra Bullock, Neil Diamond, Placido Domingo, Reese Witherspoon, Andy Warhol, Salvador Dali, Emma Stone, Liam Neeson, Roald Dahl, Elle MacPherson, Chen Kun, Benedict Cumberbatch;

Pollies: Labor Dragons are in short supply it seems. Gough Whitlam stands alone as the Labor Dragon;

Paul Fletcher, Julian Leeser, David Littleproud, Michael McCormack, David Pocock, David Van, Larissa Waters;

Sporty Dragons: Virat Kohli, Shaheen Afridi, Glenn Maxwell, Todd Murphy, Brett Lee, Ian Healy, Mark Taylor, Viv Richards; Pele, Ronaldo;

Matildas’ Lydia Williams and Ellie Carpenter;

Tennis: Roberto Bautista-Agut, Felix Auger-Alisassime, Adrian Mannarino, Marin Cilic, Sebastian Korda, Tomas Machac, Sebastian Baez, Thiago Seyboth Wild,  Dayana Yastremska, Mats Wilander, Guillermo Vilas, Lindsay Davenport, Jimmy Connors, Aussies John Peers, Ivana Popovic, Wendy Turnbull and Mark Philippoussis.

Dragon Careers

Dragon people can adapt to almost any job. It seems that they work with high proficiency and can succeed in any career they choose. However, they have strong opinions and think they know best and can also be competitive or aggressive which can sometimes cause problems; best to keep an eye on their work.

Suitable occupations include: inventor, engineer, architect, lawyer, health care worker, company executive, entertainer, philosopher, PR executive, prime minister or president, astronaut, war correspondent, artist, writer.

Compatibility Stakes

The dragon has many admirers but doesn’t like to settle down; they can carry on many love affairs at the same time. Dragons get on well with Rats, Monkeys and Snakes; they should avoid Oxen and Dogs.

Dragon Tales

Once upon a time there was a man named Ye Gong. He liked dragons very much.

He had a dragon pattern on his clothes, a dragon pattern on his cup, and a dragon pattern on the wall of his house. He told others that he really liked dragons.

The real dragon in the sky heard that Ye Gong liked the dragon very much and was very happy. The dragon then flew to Ye Gong’s house.

Ye Gong was resting in the backyard at his house. He suddenly saw the real dragon flying towards him. Ye Gong got very scared and ran away.

It seemed that Ye Gong didn’t really like dragons. He only liked things resembling dragons.

Nowadays, people use the idiom “Ye Gong Hao Long “(叶公好龙 – Ye Gong Likes Dragons) to ridicule people who “say they like something but don’t actually like it”. The character “好” in this idiom is pronounced “hào” instead of the usual “hǎo”. The character 好 “hào” here means “to like”.

In 2024 Dragon Year:

As well as all those elections, we can look forward to:

• Olympic Games in Paris
• China to launch Chang’e 6, to collect lunar samples from the far or dark side of the moon
• US expected to launch its first crewed mission in 52 years to the moon
• The new city of Nusantara will be formally inaugurated as the capital of Indonesia, replacing Jakarta
• EU to start rolling out its entry-exit system (EES), requiring non-EU citizens to scan their passports when entering the Schengen free-travel area
• People’s Republic of China will celebrate 75 years since its founding (1 October)
• Likely another global average temperature record will be set with at least a 1.5 degree rise

A Look Back to Past Dragon Years – Highs and Lows:

2012

Chinese writer Mo Yan was awarded the 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature

Chinese leader of Chongqing, Bo Xilai was removed from his position

Xi Jinping was officially named as China’s next president, who would likely lead the world’s most populous nation for the next 10 years!

Queen’s Diamond Jubilee

Shenzhou 9, a Chinese spacecraft carrying three Chinese astronauts, including the first-ever female, docked with Tiangong space station making this the third country, after the United States and Russia to perform this mission

In the worst power outage in world history, the 2012 India blackouts left 620 million people without power

Barack Obama was re-elected US President, defeating his Republican challenger Mitt Romney

A 2 million-year-old skeleton – an ancient relative of man – found in the   ‘cradle of humankind’ north of Johannesburg

2000

Hard to imagine with current values approaching 40,000; in 2000, the peak of the Dot.com bubble, the Dow Jones Industrial closed at 11,722. The bubble burst and hit a low of 9571 in the same year

Y2k was the big thing and we all thought the end of the world was nigh – Y2K referred to a widespread computer programming shortcut that was expected to cause extensive havoc as the year changed from 1999 to 2000

Dragon, Vladimir Putin “elected” President of Russia

1988

Pan Am 747 blown up over Scottish town of Lockerbie killing 270 people

Hubble telescope went into operation in deep space

Australia’s new parliament house was opened

1976

Tang Shan earthquake killed over 650,000 in China

First Concorde plane flight

Chairman Mao died

1964

China exploded its first nuclear bomb

La Trobe University was founded in Melbourne

1952

London smog killed 4000

ANZUS Treaty came into effect

Lang Hancock discovered the world’s largest iron ore deposit in the Pilbara

1940

Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin

1928

Flying was a theme with Bert Hinkler’s solo flight from London to Darwin

Charles Kingsford Smith completed the first flight across the Pacific

Royal Flying Doctor Service made its first flight from Cloncurry to Julia Creek

Help to celebrate Chinese New Year

If you need help to celebrate Chinese New Year, or want advice on how to send greetings to your stakeholders, our wonderful Marketing Team is always available to guide you. Contact us on info@chincommunications.com.au and get some free advice to chase the dragon! For marketing ideas and campaigns our Chinese Marketers are ready to roar into action

The post Enter the Enterprising Dragon – Expect Big Things – Chinese New Year of the Dragon 2024 appeared first on Chin Communications.

“Thank you, young man,” he warmly shook my hand at Te Whare Pirimia, the Premier House of New Zealand, the official residence of the Prime Minister of New Zealand. “I appreciate your efforts in strengthening the relationships between China and New Zealand, as well as China and Australia. It’s a pleasant surprise to see you here in New Zealand so soon after our meeting in Australia just yesterday.”

“I’m here to assist and make sure the language is right, Premier”, I replied to Mr Li Keqiang, who was Premier of China at that time and on a state visit to Australia and later New Zealand.

Building bridges – the importance of good interpreters in diplomacy

The news of Premier Li Keqiang’s passing today is a sombre moment in history, as we reflect on the remarkable contributions of Mr Li who played a pivotal role in shaping the relationship between China and Australia. As an individual who had the privilege of engaging with Premier Li on a number of occasions, I can attest to his dedication, his statesmanship, and his commitment to fostering international cooperation.

I explained that my role involved working to promote diplomatic ties. His appreciation for the effort that individuals like me put into building bridges between nations was both humbling and inspiring.

During that same visit, I had the privilege of interacting with Professor Cheng Hong, Premier Li’s accomplished wife, who is a professor of English Language and Literature at the Capital University of Economics and Business in Beijing. Her fluency in English was remarkable.  She was reciting English poems at the family dinner hosted by Prime Minister Bill English of New Zealand. Luckily I wasn’t asked to translate them!

Premier Li Keqiang’s proficiency in English was also evident during family dinners with Australian and New Zealand Prime Ministers, where he occasionally conversed in English and even corrected his interpreter’s translations. However, during formal bilateral meetings, Premier Li relied on his interpreters to convey his messages in English, and I had the privilege of interpreting English into Mandarin for him and the Chinese delegates to hear.

One amusing and memorable moment occurred when General Cosgrove, the Governor-General of Australia, introduced Premier Li to a 7-month-old kangaroo joey, one of Australia’s most iconic animals. The Premier and his wife initially appeared puzzled, but their confusion quickly turned to delight when I shared the Chinese term for “joey,” a word not commonly known in the Chinese language. Their smiles during that interaction exemplified Premier Li’s genuine warmth and curiosity.

Interpreting in Zhongnanhai – a younger me

My first encounter with Premier Li Keqiang took place in the imperial hall of Zhongnanhai, the headquarters of the Chinese Communist Party and the State Council of China, back in November 2010. He was Deputy Prime Minister at the time, and I had the unique opportunity to witness his statesmanship during a meeting with Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Wayne Swan. Zhongnanhai is regarded by the Chinese people as the heart of the nation, and being there marked a rare and memorable experience.

During Premier Li Keqiang’s tenure as China’s Premier, which began in March 2013, the relationship between China and Australia went through various significant milestones. One of the most notable achievements was the strengthening of economic ties. China became Australia’s largest trading partner, with substantial exports of Australian resources and agricultural products. Additionally, Australian universities welcomed a significant influx of Chinese students, further deepening cultural exchange.

In 2015, a groundbreaking Free Trade Agreement was signed between the two nations, marking a significant achievement in their economic relations. This agreement aimed to reduce trade barriers and foster greater economic cooperation, laying the foundation for increased trade and collaboration between the two countries.

Chinese companies also made substantial investments in Australian infrastructure, including energy, real estate, and agriculture. These investments not only contributed to Australia’s economic growth but also demonstrated the mutually beneficial nature of the relationship.

However, the journey was not without its challenges but both China and Australia maintained a level of diplomatic engagement, with leaders from both sides periodically meeting to discuss their differences.

In commemoration of Premier Li Keqiang, we remember a leader who left an indelible mark on the relationship between China and Australia. His dedication to economic cooperation, cultural exchange, and diplomacy was instrumental in helping shape the course of these two nations’ interactions on the global stage. Premier Li’s legacy serves as a reminder of the importance of dialogue (respecting the role of interpreters), collaboration, and understanding. We honour his memory and the contribution he made to international relations.

My last interaction with Premier Li was in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in November 2022. He had been ousted from the Politburo at the National Congress of the Communist Party one month earlier. The temperature had turned quite chilly and then there was a downpour – he was in the distance, a vague image.

The post In Memoriam: Premier Li Keqiang’s Legacy in China-Australia Relations appeared first on Chin Communications.

见兔顾犬 Jiàn tù gù quǎn – whistle up the dog when you spot a rabbit – take advantage of an opportunity that comes around only once in a while.

Chief Rabbit Prime Minister Albanese and Foreign Minister Wong have jumped the gun on the Rabbit Year and capitalised on their momentum since taking office in May 2022. Minister Wong paved the way in a number of meetings with her Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, culminating in a warm meeting between Albanese and President Xi in November at the G20.  Penny Wong has soaked up the Rabbit’s energy, donned warm clothes, and honoured the 50^th anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between our countries by travelling to Beijing and opening the way to a resumption in dialogues. A constant at all of these vaunted meetings has been our Chief Interpreter, Charles Qin, who has been the Mandarin Interpreter at dialogues with Chinese presidents, premiers and foreign ministers for decades. 

Find out more: Invisible Mandarin interpreters on both sides have seamlessly been helping in rapprochement.

兔子不吃窝边草 Tùzi bù chī wō biān cǎo  – a rabbit doesn’t eat the grass near its own hole – one shouldn’t do anything harmful to their neighbours

We are all in need of respite after a horror 2022. Rabbit years are normally calm after the drama of the Tiger and it is a year to find comfort and definitely not a year for aggression. Rabbit years are good for thinking, talking and solving problems: 2023 is a great year for diplomacy.  If you have had problems with Chinese dealings, now is a good time to resume talks – get yourself a good Mandarin Interpreter and invoke the lucky rabbit. Start off by extending good wishes for the Chinese New Year.

狡兔三窟 Jiǎo tù sān kū – a wily rabbit has three burrows, meaning it is wise to have more than one place to hide in times of danger!

Unlike their North Korean cousins (see below), rabbits are lucky creatures and live a charmed life. They aren’t a  soft touch, but seen as cautious and cunning – inscrutable some may say – weighing up the pros and cons before making what is usually the right decision. They are astute in finances, risk averse and if you are negotiating with one, check out the fine print! Rabbits also know when to run from danger.

Rabbits have great memories. Good communicators, however change is something that alarms the bunny; personally they can be a bit on the pessimistic side, unlike their own year which is one of renewed optimism.

Last year was the 130^th anniversary of the Rabbit Proof Fence in Australia – built to keep the rabbits out. More frightening (just like the last rabbit year) are the floods down the eastern seaboard causing so much devastation and killing rabbits too. 

Did you know that rabbits are the third favourite pet in Australia (after dogs and cats), except in Queensland where it is illegal to keep a pet rabbit.

兔死狗烹 Tù sǐ gǒu pēng – when the rabbit is caught the hound will be boiled – to get rid of somebody once their purpose has been served (also狡兔死，走狗烹Jiǎo tù sǐ, zǒugǒu pēng).

Just for the record, 24 European Rabbits were introduced to Australia in 1859 by estate owner Thomas Austin in Victoria for sport (The Mansion at Werribee Park). They soon spread throughout the country due to the lack of natural predators, widespread farming producing an ideal habitat and mild Australian winters allowing them to breed year round. Australia’s equivalent to the rabbit, the Bilby, was quickly pushed out by rabbits and also fell prey to other introduced species: foxes and feral cats. These days various breeding programs and sanctuaries are bringing bilbies back from the brink.

Rabbits cost Australia around $200 million annually by competing with native animals, destroying landscape, causing erosion, reducing pasture for livestock, preventing regeneration of native vegetation and spreading weeds. However climate change and higher temperatures causes reduced fertility and higher mortality in rabbits.  A positive for some, but also impacting medical research and countries where rabbit meat is an important food source.

Professor Frank Fenner, Australian microbiologist, who drove the eradication of smallpox also brought control of the 1950s rabbit plague with myxomatosis and earned the nickname “Bunny” Fenner. Fenner, Ian Clunies-Ross and Frank Macfarlane Burnet famously injected themselves with the myxoma virus to prove it was not dangerous to humans.

North Korean Bunny Boiler President

Not a title you would associate with former president and father of Kim Jong-un, Kim Jong-il (who died in the 2011 Rabbit Year). It all started in 2006 when Rabbit Robert won the title of “Germany’s Biggest Rabbit”. The prized rabbit featured on a South Korean TV show and weighed an enormous 10 kilos. Next thing, retired German truck driver and rabbit breeder Karl Szmolinsky agreed to sell 12 of his bunnies (including Robert’s father) to North Korea and travel to Pyongyang to advise on setting up a breeding program. The project was seen as a means to alleviate the starving millions in North Korea. The rabbits disappeared following a banquet, as did Szmolinsky’s visa. 

守株待兔 Shǒu zhū dài tù  – waiting by a tree for a rabbit to turn up, or hoping for gain without pain.

Rabbits like a cushy life and can be a bit slack – especially when it comes to unpleasant tasks.

In their defence, rabbits are wonderful hosts, gracious, popular, peaceful and artistic. Also narcissistic, they like to be on the best dressed list and surrounded by the finer things in life like dining at the best establishments. Cultured and clean – they like sanitized environments – Covid has been kind to the rabbit!

Good at saving and keeping the finances under control, you also need to be patient with a rabbit. They can get bored and leave someone to finish off a project’s tedious details.

兔子尾巴长不了Tùzi wěibā cháng bù liǎo – a rabbit’s tail can’t be long – it won’t last long

Human population milestones have been reached in Rabbit years and amassing at increasing speed.

The world population hit 2 billion in 1927; 5 billion in 1987, 6 billion in 1999 and 7 billion in 2011; we just missed the 8 billion mark which clicked over late in 2022 

Rabbit Year Milestones:

1903 – First successful powered flight by the Wright Brothers; Australia’s second federal election was held, the first in the world in which women were permitted to vote and stand for parliament. 

1915 – Anzac Day evacuation from Gallipoli and 25 April commemorations started.

1927 – Australia’s first parliament convened in Canberra.

1939 – World War 2 started; Robert Menzies sworn in as Australia’s Prime Minister.

1951 – The ANZUS Treaty signed; ANZ Bank formed; first chiko rolls sold; The Australian Financial Review first published.

1963 – President John F Kennedy was assassinated; 250,000 people marched for civil rights in the US and Martin Luther King gave his famous speech; Indigenous Australians could vote in federal elections. 

1975 – Bill Gates founded Microsoft; Whitlam government sacked; Vietnam war ended; Indonesia invaded East Timor; colour TV arrived in Australia; The Racial Discrimination Act took effect in Australia; Medibank introduced. 

1987 – The first mobile phone call was made in Australia; Black Monday: stock markets nosedived around the world; Black Tuesday – Australia’s All Ordinaries fell 25% the largest single day decline in stock market history;  Martial law in Taiwan ended after 38 years and so commenced  a democratisation process; the first Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant in Mainland China opened in Beijing.

1999 – Macau returned to China – it was negotiated and came in to effect in 2 successive Rabbit years; Shanghai Pudong Airport opened; Australian referendum to become a republic and appoint a president replacing the Queen and Governor-General failed; Boris Yeltsin resigned as Russian President leaving Vladimir Putin as Acting President; GST bill passed in Australia. 

2011 – Arab Spring started; Tohoku earthquake and tsunami hit Japan’s east coast killing over 15,000; 6.3 deadly earthquake struck Christchurch; serious floods hit Australia’s east coast; Osama bin-laden killed; Prince William and Catherine Middleton married. 

Rabbiteers

Confucius, Queen Victoria, Napoleon, Joseph Stalin, Leon Trotsky, Fidel Castro, Joan of Arc, Marie Curie, Albert Einstein, Pope Benedict XVI, Jill Biden, Michael Kirby, David Hicks

Artistic Bunnies: Frank Sinatra, Germaine Greer John Cleese, Sidney Poitier, Geoffrey Rush, Kate Winslet, George Michael, Sting, George Orwell, Tolkien, Lewis Carroll, Whitney Houston, Angeline Jolie, Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, Jet Li, Tommy Hilfiger, Michael Buble, Clive James, Jamie Oliver, Brett Whiteley, Phillip Adams, Fred Schepisi, Elle Macpherson, Paul Mercurio, Stan Grant, Sarah Snook

Sporty Bunnies: Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Denis Shapovalov, Alex De Minaur, Angelique Kerber, Elena Rybakina, Maria Sharapova, Evonne Goolagong-Cawley

Lionel Messi, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, David Beckham, Sebastian Vettel

Nathan Lyon, Cameron Green, Andrew Symonds, Jacques Kallis, Mike Hussey, Jason Gillespie

Australian pollies: PM Anthony Albanese (he has been quoted as saying he is going to “pull a rabbit out of his hat” and fix the energy crisis), former PM John Howard, former Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, Labor members: Josh Burns, Ged Kearney; Green Senator Mehreen Faruqi; Liberals Bridget Archer, Melissa Price, Senator James Paterson.

Rabbiting On in your Career

Rabbits rise fast: good in politics, diplomacy, government, law, the priesthood (Pope Benedict XVI), careers involving communication, antique collectors and academics.

Compatibility Stakes

Lacking commitment, bunnies go well with sheep, monkeys, pigs and oxen; not with snakes, rats and roosters.

The Rabbit bounces out of its hutch on 22 January and the Dragon roars in on 10 February 2024

So hop to it! Send your New Year Greetings to your Chinese friends and stakeholders.

If you need a hand (or paw) or e-card, reach out to Chin.

If you need help with a short, CNY campaign, contact our marketing team on 1300 792 446 or info@chincommunications.com.au

Thanks to our translator intern Ben Owen for his help with Rabbit research and idioms.

The post Rabbits are hopping out of hats! 锦囊妙计 Jǐn náng miàojì – a pocketful of miracles, a card up one’s sleeve appeared first on Chin Communications.

This year will be very different. In Australia, Chinese visitors and students are returning so it is time to remember the best ways to engage with them and our large domestic Chinese population.  All Chinese will be keen to get out and celebrate. Most cities have activities planned; all Chinese will be spending big on themselves, on gifts, experiences, trips and food!

How to promote Chinese New Year to customers, visitors and business partners

First of all, Chinese New Year is on 22 January 2023 and this year is the Year of the Rabbit.

Celebrations will go on for about two weeks. As much of China will close down for this time, make sure to send your e-cards and greetings early .  CHIN can help you with an e-card; we’ve already finalised dozens of cards for our clients and there is still time for yours. It is a great gesture to show your care and respect.

Five fast and effective options for a Chinese New Year campaign

1. Digital advertising on popular platforms here in Australia for Chinese. We’d recommend WeChat and Red. Some ads or banners can be designed without having to set up an account and for a reasonable budget.
2. Offer special deals – Chinese love a special new year deal – a discount, a giveaway, or a branded red packet with something inside it.
3. If you are a retail outlet, tourism venue or restaurant, have some signage or special packaging for the Rabbit Year (red is a good colour to use, but not to excess); a restaurant might have a special Chinese New Year menu or dinner.
4. A short, digital media campaign on the most popular platforms; make sure to tap into Chinese values and be family focused.
5. Create shareable content to get engagement from your audience on social media with competitions, hashtags or videos.

Take care with the wording. Koreans, Vietnamese and Chinese from all around the world celebrate and many choose “Lunar New Year” words in English to be inclusive of all who celebrate.

If you are running a campaign, make sure to get someone to check it for cultural suitability. Every year we see mistakes in words and images which go viral and damage even the biggest brands. We also see weird signs and activations – consult us if you need reassurance.

Need help to get your Chinese New Year marketing campaign going?  There is still time. Call our helpful marketing team now on 1300 792 446 or info@chincommunications.com.au

Don’t forget to share our post on Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook.

The post How do you promote Chinese New Year? appeared first on Chin Communications.

Let’s take a look at some numbers.

Based on the official data, RED now has 200 million active users, 72% of RED users are post-90s, and 50% of them are living in tier-1 and tier-2 cities in China. With regard to overseas RED users, there is no official data, but from the amount of content about Australian life, we are very confident that RED is also a popular platform for Chinese people living in Australia.

Another interesting fact is that male users have increased by 30% compared to the same time last year (Nov 2021), contributing to a wider range of hot topics, e.g. tech and sport.

RED as a search engine

RED has a huge pool of user-generated content and a great recommendation system – you will always easily find what you want on RED!

Baidu has been the biggest search engine in mainland China since Google pulled out of the country in 2010, even though Baidu has gone through a hard time since the scandal of its SEM service which turned out to be ‘cash for listing’.

Baidu is still the most likely search engine for many Chinese people, but interestingly enough, some people, especially younger generations, now turn to RED when they are looking for an answer to their question or a product/service recommendation.

How come a social media platform is considered more powerful than a real “search engine”? The answer is that a real person’s experience and reviews are more trustworthy. The content pool on RED is big enough that you can quickly find the content you need, and most importantly, you may also find content written by users who are in a very similar situation to you so their experience is highly valued!

The below comments are from RED users sharing why they use RED as search engine:

• Information from Baidu is not timely, nor personalised. But RED is.
• RED information is simple and straightforward, while on Baidu you need to find the real information among the ads.
• Baidu has too many ads and doesn’t answer my question.
• Baidu will also take me to RED.
• RED has a lot of recent personal experiences. My dad travelled back to China during COVID, the information and experience shared by other RED users was extremely handy and relevant. 
• RED is a community with real people, the comments are also useful.
• RED can even push discount info at a nearby supermarket to me. The power of big data!
• RED posts have text, images, videos, I can refer to more than one post for comprehensive information.

Some popular topics on RED:

RED as a marketing tool

As a community of life experience sharing, RED’s “seeding” feature has led to solid growth for KOLs in all categories, with beauty leading the way, the other popular categories include tourism, real estate, fitness, fashion, and food. 

These categories are also the most accessible categories for brands to invest in and thus marketers to utilise. More brands have decided to make themselves visible and searchable on this platform, for both awareness and sales purposes.

Learn more about what Chin Communications can do for you with RED.

RED content is powerful not only to gain customers, but also to test the real market

According to Bloomberg, RED’s valuation now exceeds $100 billion, relying on users and original content, giving it an advantage that other non-content platforms find difficult to match. 

RED provides interaction between brands and customers. On one hand, content will help draw new customers to the brand; on the other hand, brands can also rely on real people’s feedback to test and improve their products. 

McKinsey’s China Consumer Report 2021 indicates that to make a difference in the ever-changing Chinese consumer market, brands must be on the lookout for critical elements that can reshape the views and behaviour of Gen Z. RED is definitely the platform that can assist in this sense.

A RED strategy to start with

Based on our experience managing different campaigns on RED, brands from different sectors will need different strategies. Our Chinese marketing strategist is here to help, whether your brand is mature or new, whether your budget is big or small, we can find the best strategy for you.

Here are some general rules:

1. Increase your brand exposure on Chinese digital channels – WeChat, RED, Douyin, Bilibili, and others, so customers are aware of your brand.
2. Study your Chinese customers, create content that is relevant to Chinese customers’ preferences.
3. Identify and partner with the right influencers.

Here is a story that showcases the power of RED. Contact us on 1300 792 446 or email info@chincommunications.com.au to start a free consultation.

The post RED is used as a search engine, how can I tap into RED to sell more? appeared first on Chin Communications.

Download your RED Guide here.

There are always opportunities – how about the local Chinese community?

Madame Flavour is a Melbourne based tea brand with its tea products sold online and offline in local supermarkets. With its great quality and taste, Madame Flavour has become one of the most popular tea brands in the local community. However, there are always other opportunities, and the Chinese community is a big one. Madame Flavour recognised the Chinese buying power and love of tea and wanted to reach out to Chinese tea-lovers to get to know the brand and, in turn, increase sales.

From desktop research to consumer opinions, Chin identified the target audience –  young Chinese females; the most suitable platform – RED; and the first step – influencer seeding marketing. The campaign combined Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) and Key Opinion Consumers (KOCs) – KOLs to bring more exposure and KOCs to create great content for RED’s recommendation system to pick up and promote to other users.

It was not a huge budget campaign, but because of the right content and right influencers, the campaign was a great success in branding, and as we kept pushing out new content, more and more people became aware of the brand and its great taste and quality, and went out and bought it.

The campaign had a total reach of 25,000+. All posts were well liked on RED, with comments expressing interest and intention to purchase Madame Flavour tea products. It’s now one year after the campaign, the enthusiasm for Madame Flavour on RED did not fade away. It’s not surprising that today we still see new organic content on RED about Madame Flavour. The brand is steadily growing and has now become a trusted local tea brand amongst Chinese consumers in Australia.

Major Takeaways from Madame Flavour’s Case

• As a product sharing and recommendation platform, RED does much more than just get your brand seen. More importantly, Chinese consumer buying decisions largely rely on what other consumers say about the product. The trust that RED users have in KOLs and KOCs can encourage people to actually try your brand and generate more shares, earning more recommendations and thus increasing product awareness and word-of-mouth sales.
• RED marketing does not require a big budget, your investment in KOL and KOC, in fact will be far less than what the Chinese market will give you back; a small investment can create a buzz for your brand in the Chinese market.
• The investment is resilient and continues long after the campaign
• There are no set up fees or ongoing management costs

It is never too hard or too late to open up the gate to the Chinese market. The strategic marketing team at Chin Communications has rich experience in RED marketing and helping Australian businesses to communicate with their Chinese audience through high-quality marketing solutions. If you are trying to find a good way to enter the Chinese market through RED, our experienced China marketing professionals are here to help.

The post RED Seeding Marketing: Let Madame Flavour show you how one small step makes big strides in the Chinese Market. appeared first on Chin Communications.