China Market Stratgies Company

China Market Strategies was founded on the core belief that solid brands and brand experiences are built upon a deep, insightful understanding of the customer.

While this has always been true, several key factors have made this indispensable in today's marketplace, including:

the globalization of brands;
the use of technology as a brand growth enabler and accelerator;
the rising importance of, and demand for personalized consumer experiences.

Coupled with the unprecedented speed of emergence of the Chinese consumer, we believe there exists a unique opportunity--and critical imperative--for Western companies to "get it right" in China as they engage the Chinese consumer with their brands, products, and services.

Three key tenets undergird our market research and strategic consulting work:

1) Listening leads to understanding
Worldwide, consumers have a lot to say, and they say it every day with their buying choices, habits, and demands.

Chinese consumers are no different, but the speed with which they are emerging, their unique historical and cultural make-up, and the dynamic way in which they interact with the burgeoning China market, all make it that much more important to pay attention.

We believe that only by listening to China's consumer voices can you begin to understand what is happening in this market, and to prepare and position for it.

2) Understanding drives strategy, especially in China
Traditionally, Western companies entering China and other foreign markets have adopted a "spray and pray" approach: blanket the target market and through trial-and-error, let the target consumers sort out what they want.

This approach has proven costly in both time and money to large and small companies alike. In addition, this approach has sometimes resulted in offensive cross-cultural and branding gaffes requiring significant damage control efforts at great cost.

Your own China marketing strategy must be based on a solid understanding of your customer--his or her motivations, aspirations, values, cultural determinants, and other factors that make up their world. Such knowledge comes from a range of sources, including:

rigorous market research;
seasoned experience in China;
a commitment to cultural sensitivity;
and an awareness of the unique needs and aspirations of Chinese consumers.

A strategy based on such an approach has a dramatically greater chance for success, and in today's China market, you may have only one chance to "get it right."

3) Successful business requires cultural know-how.
Navigating the Chinese consumer landscape is both an art and a science. Unlike market research services that use the same generic approach whether it's Toledo or Tianjin, we focus entirely on the unique, rapidly-evolving China market:

for the medical, pharmaceutical and healthcare fields, this includes understanding the role of Chinese medicine in the culture;
for finance and banking, this includes understanding how money and banks are viewed, and used, by Chinese consumers;
for fields such as education, entertainment, and consumer electronics, this includes understanding the One Child Family rule and how it affects Chinese family spending patterns.

Armed with such knowledge, your China market strategy has a dramatically better chance of success, translating into speed-to-market, a competitive edge, and a stronger brand experience for your target consumer audience.

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Management Team
James V. Romano, founder and head of China Market Strategies, Inc., has over twenty years of experience in localization and global marketing communications. Jim founded Prisma International, a multilingual communications firm, in 1982 in New York.

Jim has worked with a broad range of clients including Kodak, 3M, Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic, Aveda, American Express, Wells Fargo, FedEx, and many others to effectively communicate their brand’s value across markets, cultures, and languages.

CMS Partners include experts in market research, strategic consulting, translation, and consumer retailing across China, Southeast Asia, the United States, and Europe. Our collective expertise adds up to decades of managing brands across borders, years of language and cross-cultural expertise.

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Locations
China Market Strategies, Inc. is based in New York City and Minneapolis, with InSite® partner offices across China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan, Chongqing, Chengdu, Kunming, and Harbin.

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