Project Panda Express

CHINA is a beast into itself. Over one billion people in the country is something.....no wonder this is the next DEG conquest.

1st destination...GUANGZHOU

Few interesting facts about Guangzhou

• Guanzhou is 2 hours travel by air from the Philippines
• Guanzhou is only 45 minutes travel by train to Hongkong
• Guangzhou’s land area is 186000 sq km
• Guangzhou’s population is approaching 15 million
• Guangzhou is the 3rd largest city in China
• Guangzhou is southern China’s largest city

Before flying to China,our feeling could quite possibly be described as "fear"....this has changed to excitement on the first day we landed Guangzhou...and we are getting more & more excited as we progress

we practically fell in love with Guangzhou on our first glance at the city...what with piles and columns of high rise condos...tall structured building...green surrounding...wide roads, big malls...well lighted streets....road with glass windows....this we noted all during our taxi ride from the airport to our hotel....





First day.....Sarah has prepared a long line of itineraries....good that we have a rented vehicle on our first day with English speaking driver to guide us...good that we have a good breakfast...we or is it "I"?? survived the amazing race...I can say we have covered enough... more than 15 malls and supermarket combine to do market research...what with thousands of buying people outside.. malling on a Monday...you will definitely be eagerly excited to serve Chinese market...



There are actually 2 sides of Guangzhou, the Makati-like side street...tall-structured buildings



and the Binondo-like side wherein clusters of stores per type of products will be seen



After 2 days of market visit...we noted a few things ;

• Chinese preferred big packing sizes for all consumer goods 2 liters and more for liquid detergent and softener, 2kgs packing sizes for powder detergent ( have not seen any sachet type detergents)
• Packaging Label (for me) is a bit bland...we can beat the existing brands on the shelves in this category
• Detergent fragrances such as Vanilla, Magnolia & Lavender are the widely used
• Only SPF 30 is allowed for sunscreen lotion (i think) as imported product with high SPF declaration are covered with sticker.
• No lubricants display on the shelves, mostly condoms.

2nd destination...SHANGHAI

Shanghai is the most Western city from the 3 cities we visited. Others have called it the next New York City. This is the home for the World Expo, and for me this is a sign of how China is wanting to integrate into Western culture.

We get to experience good-weird food in Shanghai.

pork with a strip of meat


meatballs in capital M



xia long bao


We get to ride the subway also. Every street sign and subway station, as well as most tourist attractions in Shanghai have English signs that are large enough to read. In fact, even the script in the subway audio lines have English lines.



With CCTVs angled in every facet of the city, it is likely one of the safest too. Doubly so because of the Expo and massive influx of foreigners.



3rd destination...BEIJING

Beijing is rich in culture...several tourist destinations...more exotic food









Overall, China is the grand next destination in marketing DEG product. Most of these initial impressions will be expanded out into full posts by the team.

China wicked team has a lot more work to do....our aim...to be on the China shelves by 3rd quarter of 2011...
Cheers!


Photos by Dhon

And we're back!

Dennis is right, CHINA will definitely change you. It blew us away, especially Guangzhou. We didn't expect that a city so advanced, so cosmopolitan exists just a couple of hours away from Manila.

So we jot down some of the things that pumped our energy to WALK! Not just walk I tell you, it's more of an AMAZING RACE to us.

EXCITEMENT METER:
1. PEOPLE. They're everywhere, chaos I tell you. Most of them carry small or big shopping bags. Everyone is out to shop, to dine and take note...this is on a MONDAY. Imagine this:
Manila payday weekend - the traffic + (people x GAZILLION) = CHAOS

2. 7 Floors SHOPPING MALLS, and it didn't stop there. Small shops, boutiques even the branded ones are located at their side streets (as if the shopping malls aren't enough)



3. Market HOLE. Consumerism is fast. With our packaging, wala na! (wishful thinking...fingers crossed)
4. GIANT RETAILERS are there to serve BILLIONS too.
5. PROMODIZERS are ALIENS!!! If I were a doctor I'll diagnose them with an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. WILD!

This list served as our caffeine the whole trip. We can't sleep, too excited to explore. We literally need to "TWO BOTTLES" to sleep (hehe, actually we just reasoned the "can't sleep" part, just so we can two bottles. Haha kidding)

Anyway, we'll post each of our findings based on the list provided above.

Until then...

Sarah

• Myth 1: China’s market is in Beijing & Shanghai. 
• Truth: China has 9 economic zones designated by the government which determines the rise of economic development in cities of these regions.
• Myth 2: Localization means Chinese translation. 
• Truth: Products need to fit the needs of China users not only in terms of language but also their cultural thought model, usage behaviors and political context.
• Myth 3: Business success in China is done via optimizing operational efficiency, cost-effectiveness and gaining market share. 
• Truth: Business success in China predominantly comes from building successful relationships and trust.

1. Learn PuTongHua Do not assume that English is the international business language in China. If you are lucky, you might work with Mainland Chinese people who speaks English. Even then, do not automatically assume that Mainland Chinese speaking English will mean that they understand you conceptually. Often times, miscommunication arises when you think the other party understands you but they really don’t and are culturally resistant to ask clarifying questions. If you are in the food chain where you need to travel to China to either oversee manufacturing in China or design for the China market, it is a good idea to learn the Chinese national language: PuTongHua. Your Chinese associates will be taken by surprise, and this will move you miles ahead in the game. For a good start, when meeting someone new, say: “Ni hao ma,” meaning “How are you?”
2. See China for yourself If you have never been to China but your work is inseparable from China, take some advice from a traditional Chinese proverb: “Rather than read ten thousand pages of a book, its better to walk ten thousand miles.” Fear is driven by “not knowing.” Be there and see China for yourself. The media could very well tint your perception of China, and the China experience could be way beyond your expectations. (There are no “fortune cookies” in China, by the way.)
3. “Do as the Romans Do” In China, the rules of the game are different. What works in the U.S. might not apply to China, and insisting on how things should work in another culture is not a very good idea. Immersing yourself into the culture, you might find that certain concepts that you take for granted such as perception of time, concept of money, philosophical world-view, policies, arts, concept of law are not the same in China. One has to understand that working in China is not only working in another country, it’s also working in another culture that has a history steeped in a very different political system based on a planned economy with state-driven policies. Working against the grain will only frustrate foreign companies, pushing them to retreat.

“Rather than read ten thousand pages of a book, it's better to walk ten thousand miles.” - Chinese Proverb

by Carey Chambers, dragonbn.com

Does Chinese business revolve around contracts? Do Chinese think contracts are a commitment? According to Chinese business trainer/consultant Greg Bissky, the answers are no and no.

"Chinese see contracts as a picture of what they hope happens, a place to start," says Bissky. "Chinese gladly sign contracts for many reasons, two are that we insist and a contract signing is a great reason for a big meal at company expense."

In this video, Bissky explains the differences between how Chinese and Westerners view contracts. Particularly enlightening is his explanation of how Chinese see the future as unknowable and therefore will not be lured into doing something good for you now with the hope they will receive some future benefit.

Bissky has more than twenty years experience as a trainer, consultant and entrepreneur in Chinese Asia. He is the author of Wearing Chinese Glasses: How (Not) to Go Broke in Chinese Asia. You can watch more videos and learn about his "business through Chinese glasses" workshops at his website: www.treasuremountain.com

Note that the video below is provided by YouTube. Since YouTube is blocked in China, you may not be able to access it if you are located in China.