China Businesscast: ChinesePod

Ken and Jenny (pictured right) deliver the Chinese language to your iTunes

In this episode I interview Ken of ChinesePod, the language podcast that set the standard for language learning podcasts. Ken explains how one builds a business around a free language learning podcast. Much thanks to ChinesePod for letting us record with their equipment, making this the best sounding China Businesscast to date.

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Tom Doctoroff of JWT

Doctoroff: Genuine individualism does not exist in China

Tom Doctoroff is CEO of JWT Greater China and author of the book Billions: Selling to the New Chinese Consumer. In this interview Doctoroff talks about the "Confucian conflict" that affects how modern Chinese spend their money. Doctoroff argues that while Chinese are driven by their egos, they do not display genuine individualism in the way Westerners do.

Doctoroff summarizes his point of view like this:
My overall point is that culture is relative and we Westerners have to open our eyes to differing fundamental motivations. Cultures do evolve. The process however is slow and the evolutionary path is always consistent with deeply held beliefs (i.e., cultural "imperatives"). There are human truths and cultural truths. Both need to be approached with an open mind.

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Links and Sources

• Tom Doctoroff's Book: Billions: Selling to the New Chinese Consumer

Naviblog CEO Mandali Khalesi

Mobile marketing firm Naviblog

With about 140 million PC Internet users and 450 million mobile subscribers, people are questioning whether or not the mobile device will surpass the PC as the primary means for accessing the Web in China.

Naviblog is a Japan-based, award-winning mobile marketing firm currently making inroads into the Chinese market. They provide platforms for location-based blogging and a Second Life-like game played from the mobile phone. Continuing our series on the mobile space in China, I talk with Naviblog CEO Mandali Khalesi, who argues that mobile marketing will drive adoption of mobile Web use in China as well as other markets.

Will mobile marketing take China to a place where millions follow the footsteps of top China blogger Xu Jinglei as she blogs on-the-go, or will users just balk at their mobiles turning into fountains of spam?

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Links and Sources

• Naviblog site: here


• Past episode on mobile marketing: David Turchetti of 21Communications


• Past Danwei entry on dm codes: here

Henry Winter of Smart Club

Henry Winter is CEO and founder of Smart Club, which allows consumers to earn points from their purchases and exchange them for prizes. He gives insight into the economics of consumer points or "jifen" (积分) and how the virtual currency economy in China works in general.

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James McGregor, author of One Billion Customers

McGregor on Xinhua Finance: "We should have driven a stake through their heart ten years ago."

In 2005 James McGregor released his book One Billion Customers, Lessons from the Front Lines of Doing Business in China. The book became a best seller, seen by many as the defining book on doing business in China. Propelled by the success of his book, McGregor started a company focusing on strategic consulting, research, and China-focused fund-of-funds.

In this talk we cover several topics including China's media industry, failures of foreign web companies and possibilities for success, how China should focus on enhancing the competitiveness of its private firms, and how a little TLC goes a long way with Chinese employees.

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Links and Sources

• One Billion Customers is available on Amazon or at the Bookworm if you are in Beijing.
  
• JL McGregor and Company: homepage


• Read Danwei's recent review of One Billion Customers in Danwei Christmas book list


• Read James McGregor's essay published on Danwei: No More Chinese Whispers

Shaun Rein of CMR China Market Research on strategic marketing in China

n the last episode of Danwei FM's China Businesscast, I interviewed Shaun Rein on the topic of strategic consulting in China. For our mainland listeners who couldn't listen because of internet difficulties, I am republishing the interview using our mainland server.


Shaun Rein is the chief executive at CMR China Market Research Group, a strategic consulting company based out of Shanghai. See original entry full description.

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Mobile Space in China: Richard Robinson Part 2 of 2

Listen to part 2