Thoughtful Media's PT Black on navigating China

Black asserted that a stumbling block for many marketers was an overload of data. He advised what collecting data specific to targets and scepticism with regard to data collection means. In addition, he said marketers should “reward honesty” over results that point to success, stating that “mediocre results” could be more valuable in understanding the measures needed for long term business success.

Additionally, Black said it was a mistake to think in terms of ‘marketing activities’. Instead, the focus should be on overall marketing systems, he said. “It’s not about what you’re doing, but what other people are thinking about,” he explained.

A major change in a market with high levels of branded entertainment, he added, was that audiences today have a lower tolerance for heavy branding and that marketers should take heed when initiating any form of branded content. “Entertainment is not about communicating a message but about gathering an audience.”

Finally, Black addressed the question of the emergence of Chinese brands on the global stage. “They are coming, but are hitting some very predictable walls,” he claimed. A major stumbling block for domestic brands compared to multinationals such as Nike was their make up, which is inherently domestic and lacking members with international experience. Chinese companies, he said, are “for the most part made up of Chinese people who have not spent much time abroad”. He believed this presented a challenge to international expansion.