Synopses & Reviews
Today, most Americans take for granted that China will be the next global superpower. But despite the nation's growing influence, the average Chinese person is still a mystery to most of us—or, at best, a baffling set of seeming contradictions. Here, Tom Doctoroff, the guiding force of advertising giant J. Walter Thompson's (JWT) China operations, marshals his 20 years of experience navigating this fascinating intersection of commerce and culture to explain the mysteries of China. He explores the many cultural, political, and economic forces shaping the twenty-first-century Chinese and their implications for businesspeople, marketers, and entrepreneurs—or anyone else who wants to know what makes the Chinese tick. From the new generation's embrace of Christmas to the middle-class fixation with luxury brands; from the exploding senior demographic to what the Internet means for the government's hold on power, Doctoroff pulls back the curtain to reveal a complex and nuanced picture of a facinating people whose lives are becoming ever more entwined with our own.
Review
"Brilliantly written, colorful, witty and well signposted." —Financial Times
"I highly recommend the landmark and essential book What Chinese Want by Tom Doctoroff, to any business leaders, entrepreneurs, public officials, trade organizations, and members of the general public who are seeking a deeper and more profound understanding of the Chinese market and its consumers than is found anywhere else." —Business World
"With insight and energy, Doctoroff…takes on the daunting task of explaining the Chinese character… This in-depth, lively précis of modern-day China is an invaluable guide to anyone hoping to do business in the fast-growing Eastern market." - Publishers Weekly
"A primer on Chinese consumers [with] each paragraph delivering a takeaway pearl of wisdom… A no-nonsense book by an enlightened capitalist." - Kirkus Reviews
'Gaining familiarity with China's basic philosophies and culture will help businesspeople create new opportunities, offer competitive advantages, and avoid pitfalls. Doctoroff offers his readers practical advice as well as examples of successful marketing campaigns in China…An essential read." - Library Journal
"Do not go to China—with your product, your ideas, or yourself—without reading this book. Tom Doctoroff is a triple value interpreter; marketer, historian, and philosopher of all things China." - Charlotte Beers, former Chairman Ogilvy, J. Walter Thompson, and author of I'd Rather Be in Charge
"It takes decades for outsiders to begin to understand how China really works. In his latest book, Tom has distilled a career worth of professional and personal reflections into a potent cocktail of insights. This book is a must-read shortcut for any guest working in China trying to make sense of the overwhelming complexity and depth of China's consumer landscape." - Alan Jope, President, Unilever, North Asia
"Tom Doctoroff's insightful book What Chinese Want is a gem. It provides a unique perspective on why the Chinese think the way they do, history's role in China today - and unlocks mysteries one might have not even noticed. A must-read for those traveling to China—from the casual visitor to the corporate executive wrestling with the mechanics of Chinese society." - Stefan Halper, author of America Alone and The Beijing Consensus
'What do Chinese Want?' It's a big question. But marketing guru Tom Doctoroff can handle it. He approaches rough business challenges not only strategically but also psychologically. He catches what numbers don't capture: the heart of a people and how it affects who succeeds and who fails on the mainland.' - Jing Ulrich, Managing Director & Chairman of Global Markets, China, J.P. Morgan
"Tom's unique experience and perspective is a boon to anyone who plans to address the Chinese consumer. In so far as it is possible to sum the sentiment and unique cultural underpinnings of this mammoth country, Tom has done it." - Kathleen Hall, Windows Global Campaigns and Product Marketing General Manager, Microsoft
"In explaining what Chinese consumers want, Doctoroff vividly shows us where China is headed as a society and a world power." - Garrick Utley, Senior Fellow SUNY Levin Institute
"What Chinese Want is required reading for any business person that deals with Chinese nationals or companies. It will help you quickly learn what was so hard for me to understand during my five years of living in China: China is very different from the West, and Tom Doctoroff will explain what you need to know to succeed there." - Miguel Patricio, President of Anheuser Busch Inbev for Asia Pacific
"The scale of potential opportunity in China is staggering. But business people who want to succeed in China often feel like they have landed on a different planet. Tom Doctoroff's book offers a very insightful, down-to-earth analysis of both what's driving growth in China as well as a nuanced analysis of the psychology of Chinese leaders and people. Anyone who wants to succeed big time in China will find his book very helpful and interesting." - Dr. Ramesh Tainwala, President Asia Pacific and Middle East, Samsonite Group
"Tom Doctoroff's What Chinese Want succeeds in linking the most dynamic facets of the modern Chinese commercial and consumer landscape with the unique and timeless characteristics of China's people and culture." - John Quelch, Distinguished Professor of International Management, Vice President and Dean, CEIBS (China Europe International Business School)
"This is a breakthrough work on the modern Chinese consumer. Rooted in a long and successful career in China, Tom Doctoroff's book gives a concrete, in-depth, and simple explanation about how this mysterious land really works that will begin to change the world's biased understanding of a great country." - Pierre Xiao Lu, author of Elite China, professor of marketing at Fudan University in Shanghai, and Founder of China Market Institute Consulting
Synopsis
"An invaluable primer on the culture and buying patterns of the Chinese."
Synopsis
What Chinese Want provides a sweeping look at contemporary Chinese consumer behavior, how its cultural influences separate it from the West, and how marketers and businesses can harness the natural strengths of this age-old civilization to succeed there.
Today, most Americans take for granted that China will be the next global superpower. But despite the nation's growing influence, the average Chinese person is still a mystery - or, at best, a baffling set of seeming contradictions - to Westerners who expect the rising Chinese consumer to resemble themselves. Here, Tom Doctoroff, the guiding force of advertising giant J. Walter Thompson's (JWT) China operations, marshals his 20 years of experience navigating this fascinating intersection of commerce and culture to explain the mysteries of China. He explores the many cultural, political, and economic forces shaping the twenty-first-century Chinese and their implications for businesspeople, marketers, and entrepreneurs - or anyone else who wants to know what makes the Chinese tick. Dismantling common misconceptions, Doctoroff provides the context Westerners need to understand the distinctive worldview that drives Chinese businesses and consumers, including:
- Why family and social stability take precedence over individual self-expression and the consequences for education, innovation, and growth;
- Their fundamentally different understanding of morality, and why Chinese tolerate human rights abuses, rampant piracy, and endemic government corruption; and
- The long and storied past that still drives decision making at corporate, local, and national levels.
Change is coming fast and furious in China, challenging not only how the Western world sees the Chinese but how they see themselves. From the new generation's embrace of Christmas to the middle-class fixation with luxury brands; from the exploding senior demographic to what the Internet means for the government's hold on power, Doctoroff pulls back the curtain to reveal a complex and nuanced picture of a fascinating people whose lives are becoming ever more entwined with our own.
About the Author
Tom Doctoroff is the North Asia Area Director and Greater China CEO for J. Walter Thompson (JWT), the author of Billions, and a leading authority on marketing in China and Chinese consumer culture. He has appeared regularly on CNBC, NBC, Bloomberg, and National Public Radio and has been featured in the Financial Times, Business Week, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times among others. He is also a columnist for the China Economic Review and the Chinese magazine Global Entrepreneur. Doctoroff is the recipient of the Magnolia Government Award, the highest honor given by the Shanghai municipal government to expatriates, and was selected to be an official torchbearer for the Beijing 2008 Olympics.
Table of Contents
PART I: PROLOGUE
The Objectives of 'What Chinese Want'
Modern Middle Kingdom: Old Pipes, New Palace
PART II: CHINESE SOCIETY
Family and Country and Me: Chinese Society
China's Middle Class and Communist Party
The Long, Long March: Civil Society in China
Life in the Shanghai's Lanes: A Community Affair
A Day at the Shanghai Zoo: Families in Action
Christmas in China
Ritualistic Observation
Tycoon Tang Jun's Lost 'face': A Chinese Business Tragedy
Sex in China: Prudence and Prurience
PART III: DOING BUSINESS IN CHINA
Always and Anta: Chinese Business
The Rise of Chinese Brands: Not Anytime Soon
Brand Management in China: Three Golden Rules
Chinese 'Recession' Tactics: How Marketers can Win during a Downturn
The Chinese Boardroom: Face and Fear
Managing China: Stimulating Creativity in a Sea of Convention
Winning Designs: Standing out to fit in
Digital China: Liberated Consumers, Constricted Corporations
E-Commerce in China: Patriarchic Benevolence
Illegal DVDs: Why Piracy is here to Stay
The Business of Advertising in China: Incremental Progress, no Breakthrough
PART IV: THE NEW, OLD CHINESE CONSUMER
Never the Twain shall Meet: Chinese Consumers
The New Middle Class: Constants and Variables
China's Lower-tier Cities: Brighter Eyes, Bigger Markets
China's Booming Luxury Market: Goldmine or Landmine?
Car Crazy China: Where Anxiety and Egos Collide
The Senior Market: Gray Today, Golden Tomorrow
Ambivalent Tiger Moms: When in Rome . . .
Young Digital Lives
The Chinese and Food: Survival and Success
PART V: CHINA AND THE WORLD
Icons and Identity: Chinese Global Engagement
The China Worldview: Don't Rock our Boat
How China sees America: Dangerous Love
The Obama Brand in China: Beware of Cool Cat
Human Rights and Consumer Behaviour
Dealing with Dissenters and the Western Response
The 2008 Beijing Olympics
Shanghai's World Expo: A Domestic Affair
China and India: A Match made in Heaven?
China and Japan, Venus and Mars
PART VI: EPILOGUE
The Myths of Modern China