MSL China Executive Whitepaper

From collective to individual

Marketing to the Chinese

70s, 80s and 90s

generations

By Judy Luo and Charlotta Lagerdahl

A changing China
On the back of three decades of spectacular growth and development, China recently became the
second largest economy in the world behind the United States. The country has also become a
major market for the worlds leading international consumer goods companies. In an increasingly

About MSL China

competitive marketplace, companies are becoming more sophisticated in segmenting local

Following the union with Eastwei MSL, MSL China is now a top

consumers. However, we have found that communications strategies often fail to consider the

5 international strategic communications agency in Mainland China.

enormous differences between the consumer generations born in each of the last three decades.

stakeholders geographically, and have clear strategies in place for approaching urban versus rural

With 200 colleagues across 4 offices, MSL China brings together

over 20 senior consultants with more than 12 years of strategic

Due to Chinas accelerated changes over the past 30 years, children born in the 1970s, 1980s and

communications experience in this key global market. Part of

1990s have grown up in societies at vastly different stages of development. As we conducted focus

MSLGROUP Greater China, the largest PR & social media network in

the region today, MSL China provides knowledge driven, integrated
campaigns and advisory services spanning nearly every industry and
communications discipline. MSL China has received recognition from
the International Business Awards, The Holmes Reports PR Agency
of the Year, the China International PR Association and Chinas
New Media Festival for its creativity and effectiveness in strategic
communications and industry-leading social media offering.

groups to uncover what drives these consumers and what their needs are, we discovered that
although they grew up in the same country, their world views and views of themselves are very
different. Of particular interest for marketing and communications professionals are:
Disposable funds and consumption habits
View of world and self
Discussion topics and interests
Media consumption
In this report, we look at the values, psychology and habits of urban Chinese consumers and draw
some operational conclusions for marketers.

About MSLGROUP
MSLGROUP is Publicis Groupes speciality communications and
engagement group, advisors in all aspects of communication strategy:
from consumer PR to employee communications, from public
affairs to reputation management and from crisis communications
to event management. With more than 3,000 people, its offices
span 22 countries. Adding affiliates and partners into the equation,
MSLGROUPs reach increases to 4,000 employees in 83 countries.
Today the largest PR network in Greater China and India, the group
offers strategic planning and counsel, insight-guided thinking and big,
compelling ideas followed by thorough execution.
Learn more about us at:
www.mslgroup.com http://blog.mslgroup.com Twitter YouTube

MSL China Executive Whitepaper

Marketing to the Chinese 70s, 80s and 90s generations
1970s

1980s

1990s

1970s: Family before Self

Financial
pressure

Demands from
children, spouses
and parents

Ignoring pressure
and live in the now

Pampered by parents
and grand parents

Spending on family

Internet and
information

Collecting
information

Coming across
information

Creating information

Family is the core word for those born in the

1970s. Shaped by a collectivistic society, happiness
of the family is rated higher than happiness of the
self. But this commitment to family also means
responsibilities. This generation grew up when
China was still considered a poor country. They now
have aging parents, as well as children of their own.
They are either settled down and need to cover the
rising costs of apartments and mortgages, or are
planning to buy housing in the very near future.
They save a lot of money; not only to meet their own
need for financial security in the face of weak social
security and healthcare systems, but also to finance
expensive schooling and meet requests for a fancy
wedding.

be small and gradual. On the other hand, they are

highly preoccupied with physical health and will
spend considerable time and money to change
their health for the better.

Interested in things related to

everyday life
The 70s generation enjoys talking about things
that are relevant to everyday life. Examples of such
social topics are property prices, popular movies,
seasonal fashion trends and cars. But they will not
evangelize or strive to present their own point
of view to others; nor will they try to be original or
creative. Their preferred activities focus on things
the family can do together, such as hanging out
and travelling.

Change means insecurity

TV is mainly an entertainment tool

The 70s generation has neither fancy desires nor an

expectation that life will change dramatically. In fact,
this group is the least open to change of the three
age groups under consideration. The 70s generation
interprets change as insecurity and lots of
work, and when asked about their immediate
surroundings, such as their own home environment,
they dont feel it is possible or necessary to change,
even if they are dissatisfied with the current state
of affairs. If change is unavoidable, they prefer it to

The family focus of the 70s generation has an

overarching effect on their media habits. Because
they spend less time on personal interests than do
younger consumers, they try to use this free time
as efficiently as possible. For example, they choose
to collect information mainly from the internet and
print media, while TV is mainly an entertainment
tool.

Singapore attracts Chinese families

Over the past three years, MSL China has supported the Singapore Tourism Board, STB, in its
campaigns to attract Chinese tourists to visit the country. In an attempt to target affluent consumers
born in the 1970s, we decided to launch a promotional package supported by new brand ambassadors
in mainland China. Given the priorities of the target group, the theme of the campaign was intimately
tied to family. The aim was to encourage Chinese families to travel to Singapore together, and the
country was positioned and priced as a family destination. The choice of brand ambassadors was
aligned with the over all strategy: Singapore chose to launch an entire virtual family to show and share
the fun, becoming one of the first countries in the world to use virtual spokespersons.

1970s:

Family before Self

MSL China Executive Whitepaper

1980s: Why dont

we just enjoy
life now!
Core values

Internet outlook

1970s

Family

Time saver

1980s

Friends

Social arena

1990s

Self

Extension of self

Marketing to the Chinese 70s, 80s and 90s generations

1980s: Why dont we just enjoy life now!

Relaxing from pressure
If family is the core word of the Chinese 70s
generation, the importance of friends is at the
heart of being born in the 80s. Friends are the key
element of our focus group respondents definition
of happiness. As a result of the one-child policy
launched in 1980, they are the first generation to
grow up without siblings; this may be one reason
that friends and peers have such a significant place
in their lives. Known in Chinese as the ba ling hou,
post- eight-zero generation, this consumer group
grew up after reform policies started taking hold.
During their lifetime, urban twenty-somethings
have therefore experienced perhaps the greatest
collective improvement of living standards the
world has ever seen. This has made them a unique
generation, straddling the old, poor and new,
materially affluent China.
The 80s generation experience financial pressure
similar to that of the 70s generation(houses,
mortgages and expectations of fancy weddings) but
they deal with this pressure in a totally different way.
While the 70s generation act responsibly to ensure
a good life for their families, the 80s generation
handle the pressure with an increased need to relax
from it. As one person in our research, Mindy, 25
years old, puts it:
People always say the 80s generation spend more
than they earn. But a house is so expensive; we can not
afford one, so why dont we just enjoy life and spend on
other things now!

Follow trends but loyalties

change quickly

Levis targets Chinese white-collar workers

In 2009, Levis wanted to target consumers born in the 80s using a new Levis sub brand. Both whitecollar workers and students are under huge life pressure, so working with Levis we knew that creating a
relaxing, enjoyable and happy brand image would increase brand preference among the target group.
We proposed to position the new brand as reflecting current trends and target consumer lives and
values instead of pioneering new ones. Also, it put great emphasis on appreciating friendship rather
than the individual, as well as leveraging celebrities with high credibility in the target group. The launch
event was designed as a high-level, celebrity-packed fashion show with a party theme that tied in to
the concept of friends and togetherness. This was followed up with consumer engagement events
and consumer seeding on campus, again acknowledging the huge impact of friends on this group of
consumers.

The 80s are aggressive and goal-driven. They see

themselves as individualistic but in fact, they are
far from being rebellious; they tend to follow trends,
and create self-expression within accepted rules.
Like the masses in Monty Pythons Life of Brian,
they are all individuals but in the same way. The
80s generation choose trends to follow rather than
creating trends themselves.
Tong, 25, talks about Lady Gaga:
I like Lady Gagas music, not her dress. Its too
shocking ( ), regular people wont wear it

The 80s group is open to change, always on the

lookout for new and fresh things. Preferences and
loyalties tend to change quickly.

Career advice is of particular interest

Most things that are of interest to the post 80s
have to do with friends and peers. Their best time
is spent together with people, trying out new things
that reflect hot trends, in restaurants, shopping
or playing video games. The importance of friends
and peers also has another result: this generation is
extremely competitive and pays attention to status
symbols, since they perceive themselves as being
in a context where they are constantly ranked in
comparison with others.
Topics concerning careers or career advice stood out
as being of particular interest to this generation.

The computer is a social hub

In stark contrast to their 70s brothers and sisters,
the 80s generation grew up with computers and
the internet. The computer is therefore their social
and information hub. When they come home, they
will immediately turn on the computer to chat with
friends and look for current trends and news. They
rely on print media for information, however; much
like the 70s generation, TV is only for entertainment
purposes and they dont see it as a major information
source.

Tongs quotation about Lady Gaga illustrates another

important topic in understanding the differences
between the three generations: language. Tongs slang
word , lei, literally means thunder, but is a common
expression for unbelievable in the 80s generation.
You would seldom hear anyone born before 1975 using
this word. Each generation has a distinctive jargon,
conditioned by media consumption and societal
change; in order to communicate effectively, marketers
need to be sensitive to using the right words as well
as finding the right tone of voice. This is particularly
important online, where the chat room jargon of the
90s generation can actually be difficult to understand
for readers of other age groups.

MSL China Executive Whitepaper

Marketing to the Chinese 70s, 80s and 90s generations

The 1990s: My Idol is Myself

No financial pressure
The 90s generation does not yet have time for financial
worries. They are still supported by their parents, and due
to the one-child policy they seldom have siblings.

My idol is myself. I am my own person

The 90s generation is inspired by a spirit for adventure
and the notion that nothing is impossible.

Want to be seen as individuals

For the group born in the 90s, the focus is self. As
opposed to the mass individualism of the 80s crowd,
the 90s generation is truly individualistic, having grown up
with internet access in an open and cosmopolitan China.

The 90s do not want to be identified as belonging to a
generation; they prefer to be seen as individuals. When
asked about idols, they claim not having any or as Zhao,
19, puts it:

I want to do bungee-jumping. The most exciting bungee

jumps are in New Zealand I heard, and Im dying to go there
and try it out! - Zhou, 19
Despite this, they also admit to being inspired by opinion
leaders in their own close circle of acquaintances.
The 90s generation strive to be original and unique.
Creativity is best when its your own. They try to create

their own blend of arts, music, fashion and technology to

arrive at interesting ideas:
I think Lady GAGA and her dress designer are super
creative! How can she dress like that?! The clothing and
make-up are so individual and avant-garde.- An, 19
They are therefore more bold and provocative in the way
they talk, think and dress than previous generations.

interests. The internet is simply a place where this

group hang out with friends, surf and express themselves
through blogging or social networks. As mentioned
above, the 90s reject the concept of idols. This is not to
be confused with a lack of interest. Instead of idolizing
celebrities, they tend to see them as people to gossip
about. This generation is therefore very up to date when
it comes to celebrity affairs and the lives of the famous.
They are also more interested in sensational news
compared to world news.

Interests and media are one and the same

For this age group, interests and media merge into one
and the same; interactive media have become fully
integrated into the daily lives of the post 90s generation,
and is non-separable from the traditional form of

When they look for specific, credible information, this

generation still turns to traditional print media or books.

Sprite VIS launch campaign

In late 2009, MSL China was tasked with the rebranding launch of Sprite. When targeting the teenage
opinion leaders of the 90s generation, we knew that they needed to be personally engaged. For this
generation, it is not enough to watch things far away on a stage. They want to create their own style and
express their own creativity, not just look on and admire someone elses. We designed an online Sprite
photo campaign, where consumers could upload pictures of themselves while creatively expressing the
promises of the Sprite brand. These pictures were shared among their friends, allowing opinion leaders
to engage and play with the brand and make it their own while spreading it through peer-to-peer
communication.

1970s

1980s

1990s

Outlook on
trends

Follow trends

Choose trends

Create trends

Discussion
topics

Topics that relate to

everyday life:
Seasonal fashion
Property prices

Topics that make

one get ahead:
Career
Trends

Exciting topics to
be shared:
Sensations
Gossip

The 1990s: My Idol is Myself

MSL China Executive Whitepaper

Marketing to the Chinese 70s, 80s and 90s generations

Implications for the communications professional

1970s
Communication
strategy

Simple happiness
Nothing overwhelming,
gradual change preferred

1980s
Accessible and trendy
Respect need for
relaxation
Peer involvement

1990s
High level of
interaction
Provide opportunity
for self-expression

To treat Chinese consumers as one, homogenous audience is a waste of money. Every campaign must
carefully consider the gulf of differences between the different age groups. MSL Chinas marketing
communications team provides five operational pieces of advice for marketing and communications
professionals.

1. Dont try too hard to be trendy just because you are communicating with young people.
- The post 90s are less interested in trends created by others. They want to create the trends themselves.
Many companies put too much effort into picking up trends rather than creating arenas for young
people to express themselves. Also, tightly intertwined with the aim to be unique is the aim to showcase
this uniqueness. This is a golden opportunity for marketing and communications specialists. With a
professionally executed campaign, they can enjoy the benefits of true peer-to-peer marketing. This means
that the target group voluntarily spreads the companys messages to their friends. Not only is it efficient, it is
also considered as having high credibility.

2. Never underestimate the subtle nuances in peoples aim to be different.

- Being different doesnt mean the same thing for people born in the 70s, 80s and 90s. This is something
marketers need to consider when tailoring a campaign based around the uniqueness of their offerings.
While the post-70s generation doesnt want anything to create too much change, the post-80s are willing
to be different as long as they are the same as their peers, whilst the post 90s strive to be truly unique and
break the rules. For the marketer, this provides a good framework on how to better position companies and
services.

3. Make family fun!

- The responsible and stressed out post 70s dont have as much free time as the younger age groups. Given
that their first priority will always be their family, this presents marketers with the opportunity to create fun
and exciting campaigns where everyone in the household can be involved. For the post 70s, this will provide
much needed relaxation while at the same time tapping in to the core values for this group. IKEA has been
extremely successful in this approach.

4. Make use of the inborn competitiveness of the post 80s.

- The concept of getting ahead is big among the post 80s. They still have not defined themselves in terms
of career and other signs of social standing. They live their lives among their peers and compare themselves
with them. For the marketer, this is the perfect basis for all sorts of consumer competitions such as online
campaigns and contests, marketing through games or features as well as collecting points on social
network sites applications. Everything where the results will be visible and comparable to peers will make
this group engage in the game and therefore also with your brand.

5. Less respect for traditional authorities creates new opinion leaders. Target them and make them
your ambassadors.
- The younger the target audience, the less influenced they will be by so called celebrity endorsers.
Instead, they will turn to the opinion leaders amongst their peers. This creates some challenges for
marketers, since the new leaders of opinion may be harder to identify than the traditional celebrities. On the
other hand, it creates opportunities in terms of credibility, closeness to the brand and creativity. It is possible
to target the new opinion leaders by studying their communication patterns online or through focus group
interviews. Our recommendation is to identify them and to build long term relationships with them. A good
example is the well-known sports company which, in addition to sponsoring professional athletes, also
supports the best aerobic instructors at local gyms in every strategic city.

Key words

1970s

1980s

1990s

Responsibility

Fun

Excitement

11

MSL China regularly publishes Executive Whitepapers with insights

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whitepapers, as well as to contact us for any other matter, please send
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MSL China Executive Whitepaper
January 2011
Copyright MSL China