What China Taught Me About Marketing Strategy

Welcome to the third post in our week-long series of posts on marketing lessons I learned while traveling the world. In this post, I take you through China and talk about my reflections on creating and maintaining a marketing strategy.

Marketing tip #1 – Strategy matters: Shanghai’s Yuyuan Garden

Anren Jie, a government official during China’s Ming Dynasty, is the mind behind the Yuyuan Garden. You can bet that he took his time to design and construct this masterpiece, which he did so that his parents would have a serene place to enjoy during their old age. It’s clear that every tree, every rock, and every walkway was placed with intention.

The same goes for marketing. Think strategically in every marketing tactic you undertake to ensure your business stands the test of time.

Marketing tip #2 – Combine the new and the old to make a great story: Colonial Macao

Macao, a small series of islands about one hour from Hong Kong, has an interesting colonial history. Because the Portuguese occupied Macao beginning in the 1500s, you can still see signs in both Chinese and Portuguese today. You can also see colonial Portuguese architecture alongside modern Chinese architecture. In the above photo, a cannon sits in front of an old fort that faces high rise hotels that double as casinos, much like those in Las Vegas. In fact, Macao is one of the hottest gambling destinations in all of Asia.

In marketing communications, build on your history. Don’t hesitate to modernize with a new look, but never forget the story (history) of your business. Customers are more likely to remember your story than your sales copy.

Marketing tip #3 – Don’t lose track of what you’ve done: Terra Cotta Warriors of Xi’an

Xi’an is a city of 8 million people, and it is most well known for its dumplings, the in-tact city wall, and the Terra Cotta Warriors. Here is an excerpt from my travel blog, Our New Office:

“The warriors were buried upon their completion in 210 BC, and since that time they were mostly undisturbed. They were forgotten completely by history and only re-discovered in 1974 by a simple farmer digging a well during a painful regional drought.”

Don’t let years go by before you document your marketing tactics and the results of each tactic. Be present. Know if what you are doing is working and whether or not you should do it again.

Thanks for reading, and check back tomorrow to read about marketing tactics from Thailand.

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