Magazine

The China Issue

The draw of China has proved too tempting to resist for some time, for the ad industry and beyond. All those people, all those incredible stories of innovation – all that growth! So as we enter the year of the pig, The Drum too looks to China. Enormous opportunities lie in wait for those brave enough to make the leap, but it is proving a sophisticated market to crack for foreign brands. We discover how JD.com and Alibaba have forged an e-commerce nirvana and explore the similarities between the western duopoly and China’s native social networks. We also learn about the linguistic and cultural barriers between China and the west and discover how marketers are adapting to service the country’s fast-paced – and wildly innovative –  tech sector. We hope the insights into China’s advertising market contained within these pages prove an auspicious guide for the coming year.