China Paradigms

Zhang Ying Fei, Freelance Therapist, speaks with Matthieu David-Experton about psychology in Chinese society, what it is like to be a therapist in China and the conflicts of individuals as they relate to Chinese society and social values. Highlights from this episode include: 2:00 The work Zhang has done in the Psychology sector 3:29 Zhang’s beginnings as a therapist 8:11 Organization of the profession 13:34 Training environment for therapists in China 16:23 Standards for therapists/ authoritative powers as therapists 21:49 China-specific psychological issues, difficulties, and challenges 27:40 What is socially valued in China? 30:33 Conflicts that Zhang’s patients often deal with 36:50 Conflicts with social media 43:24 Motivations behind female body modification 48:40 Eastern and Western views on the ideal image 52:04 Marriage and divorce in China: freedom and conflicts 57:30 Difficulties among male patients ====================================================== Daxue Consulting is a market research

Geoffrey Handley, Co-founder and General Partner of Haitao Capital, speaks with Matthieu David-Experton about investing in startups, mentoring startups, and succeeding in China guided by the right principles. Highlights of this episode include: 2:07 About Haitao Capital’s business lens 16:48 How Haitao Capital invests 19:32 Where can foreigners be successful in China 27:11 How does Haitao Capital select startups beyond looking at micro-trends 32:45 Putting investments into action 37:56 Organizing time with many activities and directions 40:44 investments at an early stage 42:51 Failures 47:38 Meaning of principles 48:57 Understanding what the Chinese government wants for China 52:44 One government policy that you can deduct investment strategies from 55:34 Investing in Airbnb More about Haitao Capital: https://www.haitaocapital.com/ ====================================================== Daxue Consulting is a market research and management consulting firm focusing on the Chinese market. We are lever

Clare Cheng, Co-Founder at ClareKnows, speaks with Matthieu David about AI-based software for branding in China. In this episode, Clare talks about the potential and the limit of the software and how to make sure that the machine is answering the right comment; how do branding companies differentiate each other and more. Highlights of this episode: 1:09 What’s the size of the company 3:43 The size of the team and number of clients last year 4:08 What kind of service does the company offer 5:02 How do branding companies differentiate each other 6:35 How does Clare see the evolution of clients and the changes the company made 9:03 How to allocate time and move to organize the solutions 14:17 The potential and the limit of the software 16:47 How does the software work 18:26 What do clients need to provide to get outreach 19:19 What kind of platforms can the company use 21:56 How does the company provide the solutions 28:19 How to make sure that the machine is answering the right comment 29:56 What does t

Ben Weldon is the Creative Director, CEO and Founder of Thread Design, a Shanghai-based branding agency specializing in the food and beverage industry. In this interview lead by Matthieu David, we learn about branding cases in China, and the differences between running an agency in China vs. the West. Highlights of this episode are: 5:15 What is the definition of 'Branding' 8:15 How to decide what to keep vs change in a brand strategy 9:45 Case of ALDI's China brand strategy 16:00 The difference in Chinese and foreign brands and branding 18:30 How Thread Design works with Chinese clients 21:00 Why Shanghai is a great location for a branding agency 27:15 Hiring and managing creative people in China Learn more about Thread Design here: https://threaddesign.com.cn/ ====================================================== Daxue Consulting is a market research and management consulting firm focusing on the Chinese market. We are leveraging a multiple-methodology approach in order to support clients’ needs, auct

Stephane Muller-Margot, Founder of China Healthcare Golden bridge speaks with Matthieu David-Experton about his entrepreneurial China experience. Muller-Margot has experience trading, working for an SOE and now works in the healthcare industry. Highlights from this episode include: 1:37 Stephane’s experience chronology 9:52 What brought Stephane to the healthcare and technology sector 12:35 What Stephane did for Simpa 13:46 If Stephane thinks being able to speak Chinese is key to receiving opportunities in China 16:35 Different ways of expressing goals between the west and east 19:27 Perceptions of the senior economy in China 26:52 How can you succeed in providing a healthcare solution in China 30:40 What are they challenges of financing healthcare? 31:25 Qualifying the Chinese healthcare system 34:58 Medical Tourism in China 36: 53 What restricts gaining more doctors and hospitals 41:00 View on state driven projects ====================================================== Daxue Consulting is a marke

Fabian Ouwehand, Founder at UPLAB, speaks with Matthieu David about the Douyin marketing in China. In this episode, Fabian talks about what UPLAB does for influencers and how they find clients; what are the main functions of Douyin that brands can leverage and cases of successful companies and more. Highlights of this episode: 4:40 The size of UPLAB 8:38 What does the company do for the influencers 10:53 How did the company find its clients 19:50 What are the main functions of Douyin that brands can leverage and cases of successful companies 25:26 Is that a way that companies can convert views on Douyin to sales on T-mall to build stronger community 29:25 Successful examples of educational sectors on Douyin 32:42 How to stay up-to-date to know all the stories and how it works 34:30 What does it mean to “help Chinese influencer go out of China” 36:53 Who is paying the company? The clients or the influencers? More about UPLAB: https://uplab.asia ======================================================

Dominic Johnson-Hill, Founder & CEO of Plastered 8, speaks with Matthieu David-Experton about being a Beijing centered brand in China, censorship, and the process of creativition. Not only does he tells us about the workings behind the creativity of Plastered 8, but also leaves us with helpful tips and know-hows. Highlights of this episode include: 3:15 About Plastered 8 5:40 Plastered 8 creation process for designs 7:48 Business model 10:10 Stand point of Plastered 8 14:25 Dealing with trademark in China 18:14 Censorship stories 20:18 Knowing the parameters of censorship 22:28 Utilizing the attraction to Chinese pop-culture 26:24 Online sales 31:53 Challenges of running a business 34:23 Managing numbers of items produced 36:59 Best selling design 38:55 Distance towards Chinese culture vs. design 41:48 Evolution of Beijing 45:02 How Dominic finds inspiration for products 47:46 Dominic’s method of working 50:17 Speaking to MBA and EMBA 53:45 Dominic’s book "A Foreign Entrepreneur’s China Dream".

Clement Ledormeur, General Manager at 31TEN speaks with Matthieu David about the digital agency and technology in China. In this episode, Clement talks about WeChat marketing includes mini-programs and mini-games. He also explains the difference between UX and UI frames and introduces the loyalty program of the company. Highlights of this episode: 1:29 What’s the size of the company 3:38 Why do big companies need outside agencies to help them to use WeChat Platform 6:18 What frames and languages does the company use in China on WeChat mini programs 8:56 Where does the company apply their solutions to 10:38 What does the company do with UX and UI testing in the Chinese context 18:00 What’s the difference of the company’s UX and UI frames 19:40 The different segments the company has been working on and specific cases 21:10 The story of the mini games 22:57 The objective of the mini games 24:20 What’s the partnership 25:05 What has to be developed to adapt to a game on WeChat 26:38 The loyalty program

Bruno Lhopiteau, Managing Director and Founder of Siveco China, speaks with Matthieu David-Experton about how Siveco China helps companies optimize using their BluebeeⓇ solution, maintenance consulting, and Industry 4.0. Highlights of this episode include: 1:16 About Siveco China 4:15 How Siveco China helps companies optimize 5:50 Services provided by Siveco China 14:53 Siveco’s auditing process 16:15 Assets your company should have in place 19:38 Maintenance training and consulting 29:21 Intuition about the future use of mobile in factories 33:05 Start of BluebeeⓇ solution in China 35:48 Current format of BluebeeⓇ solution 40:00 Factory connectivity (connected factory) 43:58 Predictive maintenance hype: misguided applications 49:40 Industry 4.0 gap 55: 15 Tools of Alibaba 59:24 How Siveco China was able to get into State-owned enterprises 1:06:42 Challenges with the Belt and Road Initiative 1:12:59 How Siveco China maintains its status as the leading maintenance advisor in China More about Siveco

Navin Williams, CEO of MobileMeasure speaks with Matthieu David about the technology and International research business in China. In this episode, Navin talks about the topic of “Technology enables research” and some specific cases of his clients. Also, the comparison of developing International research business in India and China. Highlights of this episode: 1:54 The size of the business 3:26 How does technology enable research 8:25 Why a big company would use MobileMeasure‘s technology rather than their own internal technology 12:00 How does the company’s solution leverage the market 18:00 The detailed explanation of company’s app 20:43 Has the company done anything with WeChat 25:23 The CMS system the company uses 27:20 Specific cases of clients 32:54 What is passive tracking and how does the company do with it 38:21 The gender proportion difference in India and China 40:00 Comparison of panels in India and China 45:00 Developing solutions in China is more efficient than in India 51:28 Trend of C

Steven Proud, Global Marketing Director at Brandigo Global speaks with Matthieu David about the creative branding strategies for companies in China. In this episode, Steven talks about specific cases of building a brand strategy, the differences in marketing in B2B and B2C in China and more. Highlights of this episode: 1:03 The size of the company 4:33 What does it mean to work on brand strategy 6:27 Specific case of how to build a brand strategy 12:06 How does Steven prioritize so many branding options 17:24 The differences in marketing in B2B and B2C in China 23:57 What does Steven see as the most frequent missing parts among clients 32:14 Specific case of leveraging WeChat for B2B marketing 39:43 What sectors in B2B segments that should consider China More about Brandigo Global: http://brandigo.com ====================================================== Daxue Consulting is a market research and management consulting firm focusing on the Chinese market. We are leveraging a multiple-methodology appr

Charles Carrard, China General Manager of chez Boisset la Famille des Grands Vins, speaks with Matthieu David about opening a French restaurant and running wine business in China. In this episode, Charles talks about his personal career path, the challenges of running restaurants in China and the ”New Retail“ wine business. Highlights of this episode: 1:51 The size of the business 3:50 Charles Carrard’s personal career experience 8:23 The motivation of Charles Carrard to evolve so many businesses 9:53 What’s the main challenge of running restaurants 11:32 The challenges in the cost structure of running a restaurant 13:36 Is it difficult to follow the regulations as running a restaurant 16:19 How much did it cost to open a restaurant 18:00 How to attract people to the restaurant using the Internet and media 21:44 How to catch people’s eye when promoting a restaurant 23:42 Charles Carrard’s perspective of the current online and offline wine retail industry 30:48 What business format works the best for Cha

Stephane Choury, Co-Founder of HI-COM, speaks with Matthieu David about the Chinese market in translation and digital communication business. In this episode, Stephane talks about the business model, Products and service and client acquisition of the company. He also talks about how does technology affects the translation industry. Highlights of this episode: 2:12 The size of the company 4:15 How to deal with predictability in translation business 6:22 The client acquisition of the company 9:35 The business model of the company 13:36 How to manage so many people in the organization 20:23 How does the company seize the competition 23:48 Products and services the company provides 31:04 The translation mode of the company 31:55 How the company make money with the DIANPING APP translation 33:23 The story behind the company 34:40 As the founder of the company, how does he work with his wife 36:10 What advice will Stephane give to people considering doing business as couples 38:14 The current situati

Olivier Tollet, Enterprise Director of Greater China at Cushman & Wakefield, speaks with Matthieu David about the perspectives of commercial property and real estate industry in China. In this episode, Olivier Tollet talks about service lines of Cushman & Wakefield, the difference between sales and financing of the company in China and the west. We also learn about trending retail forms like “new retail” and “pop-up shops”. Highlights of this episode: 1:24 The size of the business and what’s the difference between Cushman in China and in the west 5:31 Can a foreign player easily buy buildings in China 9:32 How does the company choose the locations in China 14:38 How much it would cost for the technology for evaluation of a location 18:23 The cycle of retail in China offline 24:25 The insights of breakdowns of economies of shops 27:57 Price to expect to get a location in China 32:45 What is the the second cost for shops 36:47 Technology links to the client end and the trends in Technology in real estate,

Simon Vericel, Founder and MD of Influence Matters, speaks with Matthieu David-Experton about the Chinese market in Tech PR, especially in B2B tech. In this episode, Simon talks about the focus of his company, the difference between the subdivided PR field, and also B2B technology. Highlights of this episode: 2:37 The story of the Influence Matters 6:32 The size of the Influence Matters 7:25 Is it difficult to grow the size of the team since most of the PR work is on the project based 8:15 How to approach a company’s topic and what questions to ask to work with Influence Matters 9:42 A detailed corporate case example of HK-Chinese company 14:48 Why Influence Matters focuses on B2B 18:43 Events where the company has to be in the B2B tech industry 20:50 Which vertical can have the momentum in China 22:58 What does the company do with the French tech in China and how French tech leverage Chinese market 28:15 Chinese company going global More about Influence Matters: http://influencematters.asia/about/

Shiny Cheng, CEO & Founder of Shinijia speaks with Matthieu David about the current situation of co-living apartments renting industry in China. In this episode, Shiny talks about the business model of the Shinijia business, the challenges it faces and also the future of the business Highlights of this episode: 1:45 What’s the size of the business 7:15 The business model of Shinijia 8:57 How much does the company charge for commissions from renters 10:50 What service does the company provide and its value proposition 13:35 How does the company get its clients 25:12 The breakdown of the function of the team 26:36 Challenges the company faces 30:50 What specific challenges does the company face in terms of regulations 37:58 How to learn from the failure at the beginning phase of the business 39:56 The functions of the first person the CEO hired 40:39 How does the CEO assess good management 43:43 How to build, define vision and culture 49:26 What kind of contract does the company sign with their clients 5

Thomas Nixon, Co-Founder of Qumin, a China digital agency, shares how the company started, some client stories, and insights in digital strategies in China. The company Qumin focuses on branding, CRM, SEO and social strategy in China, and clients include Tik Tok, Manchester United, and China Town. Highlights of this episode include: 5:45 What is a market maturity model 7:45 Size of Qumin 9:20 Difficulties of running an office in Shanghai and one in London 14:40 What exactly Qumin does for its clients 20:00 What Qumin uses for CRM / social CRM in China 22:50 Working with China Town as a client 29:00 China's growing soft power 38:35 Types of clients that Qumin works with 45:00 How Qumin helped craft Tik Tok's digital strategy abroad 50:30 Nixon's analysis of Made in China 2025 More on Qumin： https://qumin.co.uk/about-us/ ====================================================== Daxue Consulting is a market research and management consulting firm focusing on the Chinese market. We are leveraging a multiple-meth

Lucas Rondez, CEO and Founder of niHub Innovation Center, speaks with Matthieu David-Experton about his experience in China that led up to the founding of niHao App and niHub Innovation Center, the importance of building a connection with the government within your district and city, and how to become an honorary citizen with many awards. Highlights of this episode include: 1:56 Lucas experience in China prior to niHub 3:52 niHao App 6:55 niHub Innovation Center 12:13 Criteria of joining niHub 14:02 After joining niHub: setup and cost control 14:56 Main business model of niHub 16:24 Importance of being close to the government and how to do so 19:56 Building connections with governments 25:12 industries of niHub’s clients 29:00 Cases of niHub’s partners that succeeded because of the Hangzhou ecosystem 32:00 Partnership with WeWork and similar companies 33:50 How niHub is discovered by clients 36:11 Business model 39:18 Acquiring shares of companies 40:35 process of raising money in China compared to in E

Igor Tamirov, the Strategy Development Manager of SPLAT Asia, shares his insights in how he organized the distribution of the Russian dental care products throughout China. In this podcast interview lead by Matthieu David, we learned how Tamirov's team localized in China, how they balance online and offline sales in China, and how to work with distributors. Highlights of this episode include: 2:45 Size of SPLAT globally and in China 7:15 How to localize the Chinese SPLAT office 10:00 The story of SPLAT in China 14:45 Why Hangzhou is a strategic option to set up an office 16:20 What was the transition between online to offline two years ago 24:00 Why do some regions have more online sales than others 30:15 Offline sales and distribution tips from hypermarkets to small chains. How SPLAT's products ended up in 13000 retail stores 32:20 Similarities in China's offline model to the West 36:15 Why not go into negotiations in China 38:15 The framework for successful distribution 44:00 Advice for online sales 49:15

Enjoyce Zhu, COO at Edenred China speaks with Matthieu David-Experton about CRM solutions in China. In this episode, Enjoyce tells us about Edenred China’s CRM solution, streamlining its products, and how companies uses the CRM solution to do business. Highlights of this episode include: 4:31 At the core of Edenred’s products 5:29 Defining the steps of CRM businessing in China 14:34 2019 trend for CRM 16:15 How Edenred China onboards clients 20:02 How Edenred China works with big companies like T-Mall, Tencent, and Alibaba while still keeping independence 21:42 What is omnichannel? 25:00 How Edenred China deals with WeChat 29:01 Smart InChain 33:44 Are we at the stage where a chatbot can be smart? 37:24 CRM and B2B businesses 41:07 Different touch points Edenred China integrates in their CRM 43:57 Feedback on the open rate of email and sns in China and compared to the West 47:40 Simplicity of CRM Solution For more on Edenred: https://www.edenred.com/en/discover-group/our-international-presence ========