May Be A Cadillac Viral?
Posted on | July 1, 2009 | 3 Comments
After 20 days waiting, Chinese students are available to check their results of the University/College Entrance Examination now. As a momentous national event, any related topic can always generate significant buzz online.
Recently, a so-called Suzhou examinee’s essay writing has caught a lot of attentions. Her essay is very unusual and funny. Netizens discuss it hotly since such content is totally overturning but very creative and awesome (although it absolutely doesn’t meet the exam requirement).
I do like such innovated content and admire the author. However, just as some other netizens, I doubt whether it is a real essay writing created by a examinee. As a social media practitioner, I think it may be a viral by Cadillac (you can see the large Cadillac logo on page 2).
Here is the reason for such thought:
1. I have seen it via BBS, blog, SNS, and even email.
2. Shanghai GM, the owner of Cadillac, is very good at viral marketing.
3. Ogilvy has made something similar for Peugeot. They viraled a so-called “Ogilvy Written Examination Paper” among white-collars.
What’s your thought on it? Please feel free to comment to let me know.
Tags: Cadillac, China Social Media, Chinese Internet Culture, Chinese Youth, University College Entrance Examination, Viral MarketingTags: Cadillac > China Social Media > Chinese Internet Culture > Chinese Youth > University College Entrance Examination > Viral Marketing
Chinese Netizens’ Reaction Towards Michael Jackson’s Death
Posted on | June 27, 2009 | 3 Comments
Pop star Michael Jackson was pronounced dead on June 25, 2009 after paramedics found him in a coma at his Bel-Air mansion. He was 50.
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Effect on Internet Worldwide (from Wikipedia)
The news of Jackson’s death spread quickly online, causing websites to crash and slow down from user overload. Google believed the millions of people searching “Michael Jackson” meant it was under attack from hackers, and blocked such queries. Twitter reported a crash, as did Wikipedia at 3:15 PDT. AOL Instant Messenger, an instant messaging service operated by AOL, collapsed for 40 minutes. AOL called it a “seminal moment in Internet history,” adding, “We’ve never seen anything like it in terms of scope or depth.” Although individual websites and servers were affected, the Internet as a whole remained largely unaffected.
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Effect on Internet in China (according to Baidu Index)
Baidu Index indicates that the Chinese Internet users’ Attention Rate about Michael Jackson increased 2200%.
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Chinese Netizens’ Reaction (from chinaSMACK)
Tags: Chinese Internet Culture, Michael JacksonComments from Sina:
新浪湖南网友:
Michael is just a singer, but to some ignorant fans he is like their parents. Michael’s death makes them act as if they have lost their parents. They wish he could bring them to another world, because they themselves are soulless people who do not serve much of a purpose living anyway. They do not have parents, no loved ones and friends, no red flowers, no green leaves, no four seasons, no motherland, only Michael.
新浪日本网友:
How could there be people who worship such a deviant?
Just that neither human nor monster picture of him is enough to scare people.
As for his singing, I didn’t think he excelled in it either…新浪四川成都网友:
He did not excel in singing? A single album sold 130 million copies. Keep in mind that Hong Kong and Taiwanese singers hold celebrations just for selling 500,000 copies. When you start thinking the entire world has a problem, it means you have a problem.
While I am at it, let me also say, what “neither human nor monster” face? Go investigate why he had plastic surgery. You first go see what black people who have Vitiligo are like before coming back to express your opinion. You can be retarded, but why do you have to show off your retardation everywhere.新浪北京网友:
Those people insulting MJ, do you know what makes MJ outstanding? Because no matter what anyone says about any of his business, when it comes to his music, you cannot say anything. For a music king, that is enough.
新浪上海网友:
Pathetic countrymen, it is just a single foreign entertainment star. At most, it is regrettable, but is this worth all of you being so miserable? Truly making a fuss over nothing.
新浪上海网友:
A single foreign entertainment star? Please find another “single” [star] that can be compared to him. Those who do not have memories of MJ do not reply. “Miserable” we are not, but our hearts definitely are very upset, because what has been lost is not just a person, but also our wonderful memories.
新浪福建厦门网友:
This world is again less one abnormal/perverted/deviant piece of trash! Excellent, tonight I will drink!
新浪福建网友手机用户:
He was a music genius…but when he betrayed his own skin color and bleached his skin white, when he started hating his own race and changed his face so much that he no longer looked like himself, he became a monster/freak…Were it not for this, I believe he would have had a better life.
新浪浙江网友:
After seeing irrefutable information, my eyes became moist. What is wrong with me, I am already over 30-years-old and very rarely does this happen [cry].
新浪辽宁网友手机用户:
MJ, you are our god!
新浪福建网友:
The first singer that I became a fan of was Michael Jackson. His dancing, his voice, his songs, I paid attention to closely. His departure is a huge grief for his fans. The poor July worldwide concert tour is no more. I am so sad!!!
新浪广东深圳网友:
Heaven waits for you to continue making legends. Go amaze God! MJ the Great!
新浪广东网友:
This half-man half-demon monster has ultimately left the human world. When is it time for that half-man half-woman Li Yuchun [aka Chris Lee, a pop artist famous for being like a boy]?!
Comments from Tianya:
鱼鱼喝奶:
My father was watching the news this morning. He is over 50-years old, and upon seeing this news he yelled for us to wake up. I ran over astonished to see the report, sigh.
Heaven must be very bright now!!!歌舞伎町媽媽桑:
Oh…my god! No way! I don’t believe it! I don’t believe it!
箭头向上的糖果:
In university there was a girl who was passionately in love with Michael. Whenever she heard anyone say he was “abnormal/perverted/deviant” she would get angry and fight with them. It was from that girl that I slowly came to realize his charm! Now when I look at his stuff from 20 years ago I still get excited and thrilled! He is not just a king to me but also a a symbol of my youth!
想写小说:
MJ passed away~~ makes me feel very old. The superstar of a generation.
初冉:
Too too too too too sudden…
I was just telling my husband that we must save money during our lifetimes to go see him in concert…流氓教女教主:
I saw the South Park episode about him. I do not think he molested boys, but rather wanted to be forever innocent… He hoped there could be a world where there were only children, only innocence… His childhood affected him a lot.
vallly:
I am thankful to you for the energy and happiness you have brought to my life. I am thankful for having known you, Thank you for bringing to my world/life energy and happiness. God calls, God needs you.
sunbin8610:
He doesn’t know that in China there is a group of fans who are infatuated with him, who will go crazy for him, who will always support him…once again: Goodbye, we love you.
并辔数寒星:
I have always believed that MJ is an simple and kind-hearted person, and just demonized by the outside world~~~
Rest in peace, there is no racism and not so many restraints in heaven, so you can dance and sing to your heart’s content~~~
shinyaeln:
I liked you ever since junior high
and just a few days ago I was watching your performance.
My entire life I have dreamed of going to watch your concert.Now I can only say to you:
Rest in peace.God bless you.
McDonald’s Persuades Consumers Meet Up Offline, while KFC Makes Consumers Spend More Time Online
Posted on | June 24, 2009 | 8 Comments
McDonald’s China is currently running its summer campaign called “见面吧 | Let’s Meet Up” on Xiaonei. The campaign is aim to persuade consumers invite their best friends to meet-up offline in McDonald’s restaurants during this summer holiday. McDonald’s provides various discounts, coupons, and cash to campaign participators as the direct incentive.
At the same time, KFC launched an application called “吸乐无穷 | Drink Joyfully” on Kaixin001 for the summer holiday promotion. The meat of the app is actually similar as the massive popular app “House & Garden”. Within this app, users can interact with their friends through “suck” each others’ virtual KFC drinks.
If you want to know why Chinese youth like these apps so much, please click here to read my previous article. It shows you a comprehensive story and POV.
Net-friends meeting up offline is a popular phenomenon among Chinese teenage, while spending a lot of time on SNS entertainment apps is also an universal user behavior of Chinese youth / white-collar. Both McDonald’s and KFC ride the wave of the Internet culture, who will be more successful? Which approach can generate more sales revenue? Let’s wait and see.
UPDATE (2009.6..30): KFC also launches a similar “吸乐无穷 | Drink Joyfully” app on Xiaonei, see here.
Tags: China Social Media, Chinese Internet Culture, Chinese Youth, Digital Marketing, Interactive Communication, KFC, Kaixin001, McDonald's, Social Networking, XiaoneiTags: China Social Media > Chinese Internet Culture > Chinese Youth > Digital Marketing > Interactive Communication > KFC > Kaixin001 > McDonald's > Social Networking > Xiaonei
Nonopanda Plays in a Mix of After-80s’ Favourite Cartoons | Episode II
Posted on | June 20, 2009 | 2 Comments
Nonopanda is a new net cartoon which similar as the popular Tuzki.
I shared the video Nonopanda Plays in a Mix of After-80s’ Favourite Cartoons | Episode I three months ago. Recently, the Episode II has released. It’s also very interesting and well-received by after-80s netizens.
Are you after-80s? Do you still remember these cartoons? Watch it and enjoy it with reminiscence of our childhood!
Tags: Chinese Internet Culture, Chinese Youth, Net Cartoon, Nonopanda, VideoTags: Chinese Internet Culture > Chinese Youth > Net Cartoon > Nonopanda > Video
“Making Sense of IWOM” 1: the Role of Internet Word of Mouth in Purchase Decisions
Posted on | June 19, 2009 | 4 Comments
CIC, leading Chinese Internet Word of Mouth (IWOM) research and consulting agency, released a new IWOM whitepaper called “Making Sense of IWOM” – the Role of Internet Word of Mouth in Purchase Decisions on June 18th.
Here is the highlight from the official press release:
Do consumers pay attention to IWOM?
- Over 81% of BBS/blog users search IWOM when making purchase decisions.
- IWOM is most influential within the mobile phone, consumer electronics, cosmetics and baby care categories with over 50% of respondents referencing IWOM during the purchase process.
- In addition to paying attention to IWOM during the purchase process, 89.8% of respondents showed interest in reading IWOM outside of the purchase process including IWOM related to their favorite brands, industries or products, as well as promotion activities hosted by brands or major negative buzz surrounding brands.
Why do consumers pay attention to IWOM?
- 71.5% of all respondents mentioned the primary motivation for paying attention to IWOM is to reduce risk during the purchase decision process; Checking other netizens’ comments online is becoming a basic habit of consumers before purchasing.
- For active online consumers, building a community around shared interests in particular brands and categories, such as mobile phone or automobile, is a major driver for paying attention to IWOM.
How does IWOM influence consumers’ attitude towards brands?
- Positive IWOM has a 50% chance of changing consumers’ negative perceptions or attitudes towards brands.
- Reading negative IWOM about a brand on a regular basis has over 40% chance of impacting consumers’ decision during the purchase process.
How does IWOM affect purchase decisions?
- According to netizens, the most common ranking of importance of different purchase influences are: recommendations from a friend, checking IWOM, Ads & mass media campaigns, salespersons’ introduction
- Based on the research findings, CIC found that IWOM has a notable affect on “brand awareness” and “purchase decision” with 56.3% of respondents learning about brands through IWOM and 58.7% of respondents basing purchase decisions on IWOM. What’s more, post-purchase, consumers remain interested in IWOM, with 47.5% of respondents looking to IWOM to share their user experiences and express their opinions.
Below is the full report via Slideshare:
Tags: CIC, IWOM, Internet Word of Mouth, Making Sense of IWOM, Making sense of the buzzTags: CIC > IWOM > Internet Word of Mouth > Making Sense of IWOM > Making sense of the buzz
Coca-Cola Leverages Online Gaming to Build Coke Zero in China
Posted on | June 18, 2009 | No Comments
With the stop of The9′s licensed operation of World of Warcraft in mainland China since June 7 2009 (Netease still need few more time to catch up and smoothly re-launch WOW), Shanda‘s Aion: The Tower of Eternity has the potential to become a new massive popular MMORPG in China.
Coca-Cola decides to leverage such opportunity. Yesterday, Coca-Cola, together with Shanda, held a press conference to announce that they will cooperate with each other to fully engage with Chinese youth, esp those online gamers, in next 12 months.
- From Coca-Cola side:
1. New Aion version Coke Zero Can will come into the market soon. On 52coke.com, a senior Coke fan and Coke can collector shows off the design drawings.
2. On iCoke.cn, gamers can exchange Aion virtual props via the 13-digits code in Coke Zero’s cap and pull-ring.
In addition, an open source campaign will be launched soon. Gamers/consumers will be encouraged to upload any creative stuff (story, picture, or video) which about Coke Zero and Aion.
- From Shanda Aion side:
Shanda will make Coke Zero special NPC (non-player character) and virtual props into the Aion.
Tags: Aion, Chinese Internet Culture, Chinese Youth, Coca-Cola, Online Gaming, Shanda, The9, World of WarcraftTags: Aion > Chinese Internet Culture > Chinese Youth > Coca-Cola > Online Gaming > Shanda > The9 > World of Warcraft
LensCrafters’ Viral Video: the Classical Eyes Exercise in After-70/80s’ Childhood
Posted on | June 17, 2009 | 2 Comments
LensCrafters, a retail brand under the eyewear global leader Luxottica Group, spread out a viral video for its latest eyecare campaign.
The video is well-received so far since the content is very classical:
The music and exercise in the viral video is called “Eyes Exercise (眼保健操)“. In our childhood, from primary school to high school (in the nine-year compulsory education), we do this twice a day in the school.
As I said before, because of China’s Reforming & Opening-up Policy and One Child Policy, after-80s is a very unique generation in country’s history. Any related topic can always generate much buzz and attention.
Tags: Chinese Internet Culture, Chinese Youth, LensCrafters, Viral Marketing, Viral VideoTags: Chinese Internet Culture > Chinese Youth > LensCrafters > Viral Marketing > Viral Video
I Want Nobody Nobody But You
Posted on | June 16, 2009 | No Comments
The Wonder Girls (Korean: 원더걸스) are a South Korean girl group. “Nobody” is a Wonder Girls song released as a digital single on September 22, 2008, the song became popular within hours, becoming a top search term and ranking #1 on digital music sites in Korea.
Here is the MV of this song. The melody is beautiful, moreover, the dance is wonderful and sexy.
Over time, young people (esp. university students) have started imitating the “Nobody” Dance one after another. Now it is super popular in China on Internet now. You can see below various versions. It’s so amazing and awesome!
South China University of Technology:
China University of Petroleum:
Taiyuan University of Technology:
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Below are some “special” versions.
“Nobody” Dance Teaching Material:
Tags: Chinese Internet Culture > Chinese Youth > Dance > Music > Nobody > Video