Moving beyond social networking, WeChat has transformed itself into an enclosed, all-in-one platform with the new function ⁠— WeChat Mini Program. It takes pride in enhanced features ranging from e-commerce, games and news within the social networking app. In July 2019, we’ve expanded payment gateways for AJ Hackett, a bungee pioneer based in New Zealand with this build-in function.

Traditionally, WeChat official account is a business platform dedicated for content marketing only, while payment requests would be directed to external websites. With this mini-program embedded in our client’s account, users can now purchase admission tickets directly within the app while browsing creative content. In other words, we’ve achieved content marketing and e-commerce in one single platform. This equates to elevated customer experience and extra revenue to the business.

More about WeChat Mini Program

WeChat Mini Programs are considered to be “sub-applications” operating within WeChat, allowing access to web apps without the need to leave the main app.

The mini-programs can serve four main purposes, including e-commerce, utility, mini-games and news. More advanced features are available such as geolocation, task management, coupon redemption, etc.

The Main Benefits of Mini Programs for businesses

-Massive user base

As announced on 15 May 2019, WeChat Monthly Active Users in Q1 2019 has exceeded 1.1 billion

-Less expensive than traditional apps

Mini programs cost less to develop due to its reduced size and complexity. It also runs smoother and faster.

-Easy access to various functionalities

Users gain quick access via multiple entry points without prior installation, such as scanning QR code, direct message or searching nearby programs.

WeChat Mini Programs have almost limitless potential. Connect with us to find out more about how WeChat Mini Program can benefit your business today!

We are thrilled to announce NDN Group’s latest partnership with GELOS to introduce Douyin (抖音) TikTok marketing to Hong Kong. It is a short video app that has 500 million monthly active users and 250 million daily active users. Brands big or small are scaling fast and producing fun engaging content on their platform.

You are probably wondering what is the difference between Douyin and TikTok? In 2017, the apps’ parent company ByteDance brought TikTok’s competitor Musical.ly, merged the two together and became the app we know today. TikTok is the overseas name Douyin uses. ByteDance also owns Jinri Toutiao (今日頭條).

With the sophistication of the Internet environment in Mainland China, where businesses are fully immersed into the online to offline model, it makes perfect sense that Douyin is more e-commerce-focused and brands use it as a sales funnel. On the contrary, TikTok is more entertainment-focused, at least for now. It has plans to be more.

This short video app is gaining momentum globally because it fulfills people’s need for instant gratification in today’s fast-paced world. KOL or influencers who became popular on their platform are producing captivating content and bringing high conversion rate to brands.

Look at popular beauty KOL Austin Li (李佳琦). He is known for his record of selling out thousands of lipsticks in an instance his personal best was 14,000 pieces in a minute. The novel idea of a man reviewing lipstick color live and his comedic ways of reviewing products is why fans love him and why mega beauty brands like Chanel, MAC, Shiseido and Tom Ford love to work with him. When Li says “Oh my god, buy it!” that particular color will sell out.

Well-known hot pot chain Haidilao was able to increase 1,000% ordering on a single dish because they created a live stream video on how to cook that specific meat for hot pot.

Austin Li and Haidilao are selling two very different category of products, yet they both enjoy a high conversion rate because of a strategic usage of Douyin TikTok. There are many more showcases where brands achieved exponential growth within a short period of time regardless of their product. The market is so optimistic, they believe that any product will perform well on the platform.

With ByteDance behind Douyin TikTok using powerful algorithms with machine learning, to aggregate and distribute content, your brand message will be optimized with precise targeting. So rest assured your marketing budget won’t go to waste.

Are you a local brand in Hong Kong with no payment gateway or setup in Mainland China, but keen to enter the market? We can assist and offer advice. Get in touch with us to discover more and learn about our trial package.

This year’s Earth Hour, where individuals and companies are encouraged to switch off lights for one hour, fell on 30 March 2019. While Earth Hour is a worldwide conservation event launched by WWF to raise awareness of climate change, it has become a marketing opportunity in recent years. Among the companies that took advantage of this thoughtful event this year was Gallo Family Vineyards.

Award-winning Gallo Family Vineyards is one of the ranges offered by the family-owned Gallo brand and is one of the top 10 best-selling wine brands in the USA.

To celebrate and in a show of support for Earth Hour 2019, Gallo Family Vineyards, in partnership with NDN Group, launched a campaign themed around “Happy Together.”

The objectives were to attract more WeChat followers, maintain fans’ loyalty and highlight Gallo’s core value – having good times with families.

A video was made for the campaign. It begins with a zooming-in on the planet Earth — from outer space down to one particular household where two friends are spending time together. Gallo Family Vineyards wines can be seen on the table and also in photos on the wall. The left bottom corner shows a clock, emphasizing the passing of time.  As the time rolls over from 08:29 to 08:30, which is when Earth Hour begins, candles are lit as the two friends clink glasses and continue having a good time, and lights in the city begin to go off. The clip ends with the company logo and the slogan “Happy Together on Earth. Connect to Earth,” echoing with the theme of Earth Hour this year and Gallo’s core value.

The campaign was a success, with the video garnering 3,000 views since its launch on WeChat and numerous positive comments.

Since 2017, NDN Group has been managing the WeChat accounts of Gallo Family Vineyards and Carlo Rossi for Gallo, and has boosted their number of followers by 8 and 17 times respectively.

Looking for creative ideas on your next campaign? Drop us a line and we’d be in touch soon.

WeChat Pay is already a part of everyday life in China, a popular payment gateway supported almost everywhere – taxis, supermarkets, hospitals and even as a way to facilitate communication between judges and litigants in court cases. Following the launch of the Chinese official website with UX/UI design for our client AJ Hackett in 2018, the international bungee jump business, we introduced WeChat Pay for their online ticket reservations in early May this year to streamline sales transactions for Chinese tourists.

Showcase

With abundant local knowledge about the app and the Chinese market, our team in Shanghai was invited to work closely with our Hong Kong team in this project, with the former responsible for setting up payment process and the latter for website interface and program design. Customers can now proceed to WeChat Pay from the booking page directly by simply scanning a QR code, achieving a seamless customer experience for Chinese tourists.

Why WeChat Pay?  

– Able to handle multiple payment methods including Quick Pay, QR code, In-App Web-Based or Native In-App payments

– Supports cross-border settlements in all major foreign currencies and is available in over 20 countries

– Allows foreign businesses to engage with customers in- and outside of China via their all-in-one services, reaching out to larger audiences

On-going development for AJ Jackett is underway to cater for the footprints from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau. The website will be further revamped to include JETCO pay (credit card payment) and improve search engine optimization (SEO).

Outlook on WeChat Pay

Today, there are reportedly more than 900 million active WeChat Pay users on a monthly basis; by 2021, it is estimated that the number of Chinese users will increase up to 675 million while WeChat’s penetration rate of smartphone users and messaging app users will rise up to 82% and 89% respectively, according to eMarketer. It’s impossible to neglect the growing business opportunities on WeChat.

Speak to our specialists today to learn more about WeChat marketing and e-Commerce landscape.

You have a product that is sure to sweep customers in China off their feet. Your Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have always helped you reach out to customers everywhere else in the world, but if you think you can pull the same tricks again, think again. The social media market in China is a completely different digital landscape. To start with, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter are not available in the country. It is wise to equip yourself with the latest social media strategies in China before launching your product.

1. WeChat

WeChat is an all-in-one messaging app that is like a combination of Facebook, Whatsapp, Google News and more. Businesses can create accounts for promotions and implement CRM functionality. WeChat is so big in China that many businesses don’t even have traditional websites and choose to focus on maintaining their WeChat accounts only.

2. Sina Weibo

China’s answer to Twitter, Sina Weibo is a micro-blogging platform particularly popular among young white-collar workers and KOLs. Businesses can communicate directly with followers and can even sell their products through Weibo.

3. Tencent QQ

QQ is an instant messaging app particularly popular among the younger generation in 3rd and 4th tier cities. Businesses can pay to have marketing content created and published for them. QQ is great for businesses selling non-luxury products.

4. Youku Tudou

Dubbed Chinese Youtube, Youku offers an online viewing analytics tool, making it possible for businesses to identify audience by demographics, location, and other information. Paid advertisement is also available.

5. Baidu Tieba

Similar to Reddit, Baidu Tieba is a keyword-based discussion forum where discussions on any and every topic can be found. It makes a great social media marketing tool for new businesses.

6. Douban

Douban used to be a film and series rating platform like IMDB. As it scales, it has turned into an interest-oriented social networking platform expanding into paid learning content, podcast channel and more. Users use the platform for reviews, ratings and discussions, and for that very reason, it’s a great place for word-of-mouth marketing.

7. Zhihu

Quora-like question-and-answer site Zhihu often sees lengthy posts that cover very specific questions and has outstanding trust rankings on search engines. Businesses can raise brand awareness by answering questions and providing content on Zhihu.

8. Meituan-Dianping

Similar to Yelp, Meituan-Dianping provides a platform for users to share reviews of restaurants, except Meituan-Dianping reviews businesses like beauty salons, hotels, and gyms as well. Being the largest review service provider in China, Meituan-Dianping is an excellent channel to advertise and offer location-based promotions.

9. Momo

Seen as a clone of Tinder, Momo is the largest dating app in China that offers advanced targeting for its advertisers based on location, interest, demographics, etc.

10. Meitu

Meitu is an image-editing app and has recently announced its plan to become a social media platform as well. Currently, the new social media features are in beta and have been receiving encouraging responses. It is set to become a powerful advertising tool, especially for businesses with a focus on women.

Understand the social media tools available in China is crucial to building connections with your target customers. Our team based in Shanghai is ready to help if you need any advice for the mainland market. On a further note, some of our clients work closely with our Hong Kong team for China marketing service.

The latest WeChat Spring Festival data report claims their daily active users reached 1 billion, hitting its peak during Lunar New Year’s Eve. The legendary app began 8 years ago, transforming from a messaging app to the biggest all-in-one social and marketing platform in China.

Earlier in February, we’ve helped KURZ Group, a worldwide leader in hot stamping technologies from Germany, to launch a CNY engagement campaign via H5 pages – the most prevalent WeChat interactive platform for campaigns dedicated to branding, events or specific products.

Showcase

KURZ Group is not new to the Chinese Market nor WeChat; it owns an official page and an e-store on the social media platform to drive online sales. This year, our partner had their eyes on a seasonal campaign, with clear objectives on increasing exposure and engagement with fans during CNY.

Our team in Shanghai customized a red packet giveaway campaign, combining the traditions of giving red packets and the popular WeChat hongbao feature. The campaign boasted an impressive increase in engagement within 5 days.

A mobile shaking trigger was incorporated to add flavors to the game, meaning that a mobile shake was needed to open the red packet and receive the gift. To enter the giveaway, users were also required to fill in basic contact information for us, providing access to meaningful user data for sales leads.

H5 entertaining features

H5 is basically a marketing mobile webpage shared among friends on WeChat. Alongside interactive graphics and videos, H5 supports a wide range of designs and formats to appeal to your audience, e.g. animations, festive greetings and games. You may also incorporate external page links to an official webpage or shopping websites to drive organic traffic and boost sales.

Data tracking

H5 provides tracking of user activity and profile data via WeChat analytical tools, showing traffic sources and demographics of viewers like gender, language and the province they are located. It also includes performance indicators such as views, frequency of interactions over and change in the number of followers.

The aim of your H5 campaign design is to make the page shareworthy – get as creative and fun as possible. Whether you have questions on WeChat marketing or genius ideas on your next H5 campaign, we’re all ears and ready to help.

1) Blue

Starting from the second half of 2018, we have been assisting Blue, Hong Kong’s first digital life insurer in unfolding its first-ever digital branding campaign. It is a highly integrated campaign, with touchpoints spanning social media, video production, website SEO, media planning that covers display, programmatic and search, HTML5 banner ad as well as innovation such as Cognitive Ad, the latest AI-enabled interactive advertising. This comprehensive marketing strategy gives the brand an opportunity to engage with a broad spectrum of audiences, which in turn generates traffic, leads, and drive new sales.

2) Hang Seng Bank

Launching Hang Seng Credit Card Chat with DORI is another of our highlights in 2018. After a year of development with the client from concept to launch, DORI the AI chatbot went live on 11 January 2018. Short for Dining, Offers, Rewards and Interactive, DORI reshapes customer service by providing customers with a faster, simpler and more convenient service experience powered by artificial intelligence.

3) Hong Kong Broadband Network

In an effort to promote the Broadband Network’s expertise in the telecom sector and ultimately expand its fanbase, our team produced a tongue-in-cheek parody of Men On The Dragon. It is well-received with over 600 likes, 143 shares and 41K views to-date, fast becoming one of the most popular posts on the company’s Facebook page.

4) AJ Hackett

We built presence for the extreme sports pioneer’s Macau Tower centre on Weibo and WeChat. We first lined up local KOLs for endorsements and reviews, then worked on facilitating quick mobile payments like Alipay and WeChat Pay. Apart from improving customer experience with seamless transactions, WeChat Pay users will be prompted to follow the AJ Hackett WeChat account, allowing the brand to strengthen its connection with the customer.

5) Extra Mile

Extra Mile is a community investment project collaboratively run by the Airport Authority Hong Kong and Social Ventures Hong Kong. Making use of user-generated and sticky content, we fostered the project’s digital marketing goals of notifying target audience of programme updates, delivering positive social values, making noise and bringing together different communities.

6) Geo-targeting for Subway

We promoted Everyday Value, a combo launched earlier this year with Geo-targeting. This tool identifies potential customers and classifies them into different segments, allowing us to re-target ads on Google Display Network, Facebook, Line and Weibo accordingly with A/B testing. The campaign ran for three weeks and was a great success.

7) Carlo Rossi Wine

The posh lifestyle approach is quite common among wine brands. Our Shanghai team took a different approach with Carlo Rossi by infusing playfulness and humour into its WeChat content. This tongue-in-cheek execution has helped the brand to stand out from its competition.

8) Prince Jewellery and Watch

Inside the vibrant online social space, each platform/app boasts major differences in terms of culture, usage and user preference. It requires distinct knowledge to fully utilise them as effective promotional tools. Take Facebook, Instagram and Wechat as example, our Hong Kong and Shanghai team work seamlessly together to foster comprehensive marketing solutions for Prince Jewellery and Watch using these platforms. With localised content and format, we are able to help the jewellery brand make an impression to different target audiences.

9) Viral video for Subway

We supported the promotion of Subway’s Beef Pastrami Sandwich by commissioning a video production with Uncle Siu British English Club, which generated some 516,000 video views, 11,000 reactions, 1,500 comments and 3,400 shares to date.

10) BCT

We are thrilled to work with BCT Group this year, a major MPF product provider in Hong Kong that aims at raising brand awareness among young working adults online. We adopted an agile model, in which we identify and reinforce the type of feeds with the best engagement and performance based on Facebook generated figures. We plan as we go and fostered a series of exciting Facebook posts riding on the city’s hottest news and office-related tidbits. By identifying the right content for the right target audience with statistics, we are able to help BCT raise awareness and in turn, drive sales

As disposable income increases, people’s purchasing habits tend to shift beyond basic needs. And in this century of information explosion, a generation of young people in China, who were born when the Internet was already around, are displaying unique and highly-individualised preferences and interests, providing marketing opportunities that never existed before.

Clothing

Domestic clothing brands have gained popularity among young people in China over the past years. To young people, original designs also signify individuality and characters. Meanwhile, people who are willing to fork out for luxury goods are getting increasingly younger in China. All these create a golden opportunity for local entrepreneurs looking to tap into the market.