chinese youth trends in online status - tbg

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www.thebergstromgroup.com telling the story of new China PERSPECTIVE ONLINE STATUS IN CHINA: I TYPE, THEREFORE I AM

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Young Chinese use digital communications unlike any other country. Telling the story of new China, this perspective provides insight into how young Chinese consumers are expressing themselves online and how they want to be understood. - The Bergstrom Group

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Page 1: Chinese Youth Trends in Online Status - TBG

www.thebergstromgroup.com telling the story of new China

PERSPECTIVE

ONLINE STATUS IN CHINA: I TYPE, THEREFORE I AM

Page 2: Chinese Youth Trends in Online Status - TBG

www.thebergstromgroup.com telling the story of new China

INTRODUCTION Blurring personal and professional, online and offline boundaries, Chinese youth are showing the world that having an integrated life is important.

Page 3: Chinese Youth Trends in Online Status - TBG

www.thebergstromgroup.com telling the story of new China

New research by Accenture has asserted recently that young Chinese (14-27 years old) spend an average of 34 hours each week communing on real-time communication tools.

A computer not running a minimum of QQ, MSN and Kaixin would seem almost defective.

But what is important to recognize is that, at 34 hours a week, the number is almost triple the average of the other 12 countries sampled.

Chinese also dwarfed other countries' video game habits (13.4 hours compared to 3.4 for other countries), online shopping (5.1 hours versus a paltry 1 hour) and imagining a different life in virtual worlds (5.3 hours vs. less than half an hour).

All photos by Zhou Wei

Page 4: Chinese Youth Trends in Online Status - TBG

www.thebergstromgroup.com telling the story of new China

WHAT WE KNOW:• On and offline are not separate,

just allow for different means of expression

• Real time and multi-tasking are not

optional, it is the status quo • Young people often want their work

and personal lives to overlap and relate

• Being good or first or having the

most all mean something online

• Youth see online lifestyles as being

intergenerational - they can teach their parents and will pass on their experience to their own kids

Page 5: Chinese Youth Trends in Online Status - TBG

www.thebergstromgroup.com telling the story of new China

We have been keen to uncover why online communications are so important to Chinese youth and to better relate the value of being connected.

In the following stories, we illustrate what online status means to young Chinese and how they have been changed and enriched because of their online lives.

Page 6: Chinese Youth Trends in Online Status - TBG

www.thebergstromgroup.com telling the story of new China

QQ boasts 1 billion registered accounts. Does that mean that 1 billion unique Chinese are using QQ? Not necessarily, the number represents the number of identities being expressed.

Page 7: Chinese Youth Trends in Online Status - TBG

www.thebergstromgroup.com telling the story of new China

I have 5 QQ accounts now and have been using QQ for 5 or 6 years. I have one that only includes some of my close friends and I write deep, personal thoughts on Qzone. This intimate blog can only be viewed by those friends. I also have an account focused on strategies for getting popular on Q-zone. The third account is one I created as if I were a guy. I have fun with that one, joking about people and pretending I am a man.

I also applied for 2 accounts as if I was a couple. One's gender is a girl, the other's is a guy. These accounts have easy to remember, related numbers (22, 123, etc.) which I use to play QQ games.

- Genie, 19, female, Nantong

Page 8: Chinese Youth Trends in Online Status - TBG

www.thebergstromgroup.com telling the story of new China

I can hardly live without my QQ because, you know, most of my schoolmates and friends are there, and also I don't want to give up those games! I have achjeved a high level there. By the way, I pay 10 RMB/month to get a yellow-diamond VIP service. I am a student now but if in the future, my work didn't allow people to get on QQ or renren.com, I would get online with my mobile phone. It's important to stay in touch!

- Genie, 19, female, Nantong

Page 9: Chinese Youth Trends in Online Status - TBG

www.thebergstromgroup.com telling the story of new China

All of this is being accomplished with some truly expert multi-tasking skills. 18-27 year old Chinese workers report that they spend 9.2 hours on email, 9.2 hours on IM, 6 hours texting, 3.3 hours blogging or microblogging, 3 hours in virtual communities, and 2.9 hours on SNS - a total of 33.6 hours per week.

Even though the time spent on email is similar to the same age group in the US, tools that are anything less than real time seem outdated. Chinese want answers, they want to feel in the loop, they want to feel important.

Page 10: Chinese Youth Trends in Online Status - TBG

www.thebergstromgroup.com telling the story of new China

I have had my own QQ account since I was 13, and I applied for another account a year ago. I noticed there were QQ accounts being sold online and an account with fewer digits would be more precious in the future, so I got that second account for my future daughter.

You know, there is also a ranking system - you get a star after being online for 5 days, a moon after 32 days, and a sun after 320 days. When she is old enough to use it, she will already have so many suns! She will be so proud of her rare account. Well babe, thanks to your daddy!

- Eric, 24, male, Shanghai

Page 11: Chinese Youth Trends in Online Status - TBG

www.thebergstromgroup.com telling the story of new China

I opened my Taobao seller account and started to do accessories selling online after a year working in my company, which was my first job after graduation. My boss and I are colleagues as well as friends. This often happens in some small companies. When we have spare time at work, we take care of our own farms and restaurants on Kaixin. My boss even allows me to do business on Taobao at work. I take pictures of my goods in the office from time to time and respond to buyers. My boss even bought some jewelry from me but of course, I give her a good discount.

- Lily, 25, female, Shanghai

Page 12: Chinese Youth Trends in Online Status - TBG

www.thebergstromgroup.com telling the story of new China

TAKE AWAYS Real time is a way of life for Chinese, they need to get news and respond as things are happening. For brands, helping customers feel “in the know” is important.

Online experimentation is expected. How can you create options for them to express themselves and try out different ways of integrating your brand into their lives?

Page 13: Chinese Youth Trends in Online Status - TBG

www.thebergstromgroup.com telling the story of new China

ABOUT US

..

Page 14: Chinese Youth Trends in Online Status - TBG

www.thebergstromgroup.com telling the story of new China

OUR STORY

Established in 2006, The Bergstrom Group has developed a reputation for providing vivid customer immersions for brands and agencies. We began our commitment to China by focusing on youth and have since broadened our scope to include women and lower tier consumers.

Based in Shanghai, our on-the-ground team of subject matter experts, researchers, trendspotters and photographers is dedicated to telling the story of new China in a way that is both authentic and actionable.

Page 15: Chinese Youth Trends in Online Status - TBG

www.thebergstromgroup.com telling the story of new China

GET CLOSERwww.thebergstromgroup.com

[email protected]