My Marketing Story

My interest in marketing was sparked at a young age; my father, being a professor of marketing and economics, would always scrutinize brands, advertisements, and company locations on family outings.

Whenever I chose to eat at McDonald’s over Olive Garden as a child, my father would encourage me to give a critical analysis on my selection as a consumer—of course, being a child, I did not realize I was studying the effects of brand recognition and marketing strategies.

I simply said, “I want McDonald’s because I saw a commercial for a doll they put in Happy Meals.”

Later, I realized that I was in the target group of consumers for McDonald’s. Advertisements were strategically placed after my favorite program, Pokémon, with images of children playing with McDonald’s toys—the images spoke to my imagination and made me want to purchase the product.

This was McDonald’s integrated marketing communication strategy—a management concept designed to make all aspects of marketing communication such as advertising, sales promotion, public relations, and direct marketing work together as a unified force, rather than in isolation.

Soon I grew beyond the age of McDonald’s toys, and not long after, it came time for college.

Coming to China to was a tough decision to make—I would embark on a journey in a land culturally divergent from my own. However, with the increasing importance of China on the world stage, I deemed it necessary for me to explore my heritage past in order to understand Chinese culture.

One of the first aspects of Chinese societies that I realized upon my arrival was that their marketing practices were largely divergent from American strategies—ascetics played a minor role and functionality was vital.

Also, the “sexy” image we value so highly in the States as a profitable marketing strategy seemed incongruous in the Chinese market. Advertisements tried to sell an image of “innocence” to consumers. I realized that international companies must appeal to the local audience through localized commercials—a feat requiring both communication abilities and cultural context understanding.

In the summer of 2013, I had an internship with the China Market Magazine, and volunteered to attend the Conference of China Marketing Science hosted by Tsinghua University. I became so engulfed with what the speakers— David Reibstein of Wharton School and JB Steenkamp of UNC-Chapel Hill—had to say about the inchoate marketing practices of China that I decided to write on the issue.

To produce my article, Chinese companies endeavor to build up global brands, published in China Daily, I spent hours consuming information regarding branding. Through the process, I found myself able to apply the theories I read about to what I witnessed around me in Beijing.

As China becomes wealthier, consumers will demand products that have value rather than simple functionality. This is a rising trend in the emerging economy, and I hope to work for enterprises from the West wishing to expand markets to encompass China.

As available marketing channels increase, the future of integrated marketing communications is strong. More channels create opportunities for inconsistency, and hence increase the need for an integrated approach with a clear road map to keep all channels on the same fundamental message.

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