Uncovering the best marketing approaches to connect with China’s affluent travellers

How brands can woo the affluent Chinese audience 

 

Offer not just the exclusive but the elusive: Mimi Lu from Dentsu recommended not defining affluent Chinese travellers by their income alone and recommended that marketers focus instead on consumption patterns. She said, “It’s their choice of brands and behaviours that define them rather than their income capacity or what is on their payslips”

 

While most affluent consumers craved exclusive experiences, Lu said, “Affluent Chinese consumers value being not just exclusive but elusive. Rather than suffer from FOMO, they would prefer to discuss their experiences only with a close circle of friends. If a product gets talked up too much on social media, then they do not buy it, because it means that everyone else will have it, so we need to consider talkability carefully.”

 

Create immersive experiences: Gracia Yap shared that bespoke moments are the key to create an immersive experience between these consumers and the brand. Beyond sharing about the products, brands could take these consumers on a customised journey — one that speaks about heritage, origins of materials, uniqueness of the design, and meaning behind the design process. And to take it up a notch, private access experiences, such as exclusive factory tours, celebrity interactions; regional sporting events or closed door invite only sessions. Giving an example of this approach, Wong said that in EternityX’s work with a Singapore-based hotel chain, the focus on the dine-in experience introduced not just the restaurant but went into the history of the chef, and the rationale behind the cuisine, including the wine pairing. 

 

Avoid one size fits all approaches: Sloppy or insincere localisation was a major factor likely to dissuade the affluent Chinese traveller. A common pitfall was creative that was not adapted or nuanced, or standardised media plans. For cross border campaigns, the panellists recommended a corridor-by-corridor strategy which allowed a brand to map the journey from start to finish instead of a holistic one size fits all approach. 

 

Be aware of cultural nuances: Yap recommended against using generic blueprints towards the discerning and very well-travelled Chinese consumers. For instance, a clock — considered a high value gift across large swathes of the world — would be regarded as an extremely inappropriate choice of gift in China. She believed that taking care of these cultural sensitivities would go a long way for brands. 

 

Become experts in using Chinese social media platforms: The experts on the panel recommended that the on-ground experience live up to what was promised in the communication or advertising. This involved a razor-sharp focus on the digital journey, mastering local platforms like WeChat and Weibo, since for several aspects of travel, digital was the primary source of information. 

 

Meet Chinese travellers with their preferred payment systems and options: Finally, the panel recommended meeting the affluent Chinese travellers with digital payment systems that they were the most comfortable with, particularly in a post-pandemic world.