Branded content - a sophisticated and subtle approach

Branded content isn’t uncommon in Chinese TV shows, particularly for reality TV shows, where audiences often find themselves seeing mechanised product placement like a brand’s logo or ad taglines on repeat in the midst of the show.

Taking the reality show “Come Sing With Me” (我想和你唱) as an example. While the host was speaking, guests of that episode speak out directly some feature of a particular product - this is one of many common examples.

Recently, during the dance-related TV show “Dance Smash 2020” (舞蹈风瀑), a Chinese dairy brand Telunsu Milk tried to engage more audiences with a sophisticated approach in branded content - promote their zero fat milk.

Having a straight diet is a must for professional dancers. While a lot of them are avoiding fatty food, dancers in the show are drinking the brand’s fat-free milk demonstrating how the product helps in maintaining their body and figure well.

This is a very restrained approach in product promotion - without even the need to mention the advertising slogan. Sometimes less is more, Telunsu Milk inadvertently interprets the branded content.

To maximise the effectiveness of branded content in TV shows, brands are required not only to integrate into the scene of the show, but also the programme content.

Engage Gen Z for success

Mainland toy company Pop Mart, founded by Ning Wang in 2010, planned to raise a max of USD 300 million (2.34 billion yuan) via an initial public offering (IPO) earlier this month. Being one of the largest art toy retailers in China, Wang is without doubt one of the successful entrepreneurs amongst Gen Z. Any reasons behind?

One of the reasons is that they caught up with the trend of Gen Z's pursuit ​​and help to turn their childhood dreams into reality. Pop Mart, dream to make many valuable IPs, such as the Labubu Love Me figures, to satisfy Gen Z’s dreamy fantasy.

Other examples include Xin Peng, founder of Naixuecha (奈雪の茶), established one of the most famous tea drinks brand in China to catch the “Milk Tea Trend” amongst the young generation. Ni Li, COO of Bilibili, transformed a fan club into a highly concentrated cultural community and video platform for Gen Z.

Above examples best illustrated the importance of understanding Gen Z’s preferences and motivation to help to deliver a successful business.

Big hit in education trend

In recent years, coding and programming for young kids have become one of the most popular tracks in the education industry. A China-based children programming platform Code Mao recently announced the completion of Series D funding of 1.3 billion yuan.

Code Mao, founded in 2015, provides programming education to children aged 4-16. Their core business includes online teaching courses for the C-side (customer), and education and training services for the B-side (public schools and local education). At present, Code Mao has more than 600 offline experience centres, cooperating with 17,000 public schools, and has accumulated more than 31.47 million students.

The main contributor to Code Mao’s success has been the government policy. In March 2019, Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China promoted the establishment of artificial intelligence-related courses in primary and secondary schools, and gradually promote programming education.

As Chinese parents have become more open-minded and realised the importance of technology, the demand for children's programming course has increased. Not only China’s two-child policy has contributed to the young population, but the rise of artificial intelligence industry has also ushered in great development. These factors will serve as catalysts to promote children's programming.

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