FOCUS - THE CHINA BRAND SEMINAR: Greater importance attached to cyber marketing in China

<p>The Internet will soon likely become one of the more important </p><p>communication tools among marketers for brand building and advertising </p><p>activities across China. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Speaking at the China Brand Seminar in Shanghai, Iamasia chief operating </p><p>officer Louis Boswell said China was now experiencing a rapid emergence </p><p>of Internet brands, products and services. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>These all directly stem from the fact that there are now a sizeable and </p><p>significant number of people surfing the Internet and using mobile </p><p>phones with the best technology the world has to offer to date. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>These numbers are expected to continue growing into the foreseeable </p><p>future. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Although Chinese consumers are still perceived to lack the </p><p>sophistication of their counterparts in Europe or the United States, </p><p>they are taking to new technologies in a big way compared with the </p><p>West. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>This is underlined by the fact that wireless application protocol </p><p>telephones - the latest in telecommunication technology - has been </p><p>adopted with such speed, especially in the more affluent coastal cities </p><p>such as Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing, that it is one of the main </p><p>factors which is accelerating Internet development in the country. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Meanwhile, Chinese consumers mostly use the Internet at home for </p><p>emailing friends and family, and reading news articles including sports </p><p>and financial information, which is similar to trends in Western </p><p>countries. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Another similarity is the age group of the Internet early adopters and </p><p>how this group of people use the 'Net in their every day life. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Internet users in China are generally affluent and their ages range </p><p>between 20 and 35 years old. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>It is also this group of people which are more likely to try to shop for </p><p>products and services through cyberspace, according to Mr Boswell. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>