The Negotiation

Topics Discussed and Key Points: ●      What it takes to become truly fluent in another language ●      All about Cheeky Monkey Theater and Star Theatre ●      Chinese versus Western cinema ●      The speed of Chinese business as both a blessing and a curse   Episode Summary: Today on The Negotiation, we talk with Elyse Ribbons, a startup founder, radio show host, actor, and writer in China, who i...

Topics Discussed and Key Points: ●      Liam’s work in Public Affairs and Communications at WPIC ●      Becoming involved with the Olympics ●      Looking back at the Beijing Olympics ●      The level of interest of the Chinese population in the Olympic games ●      The stars of the Olympics ●      The state of Chinese hockey post-Olympics ●      Lesser-known notable news stories in China that did...

Topics Discussed and Key Points: ●      Tmall’s International Women's Day ●      The most sought-after products among women in 2022 ●      Trends in the food & beverage space ●      Why there is more demand for sleep supplements ●      Health and wellness trends in the West that might make it to China very soon ●      UK and Nordic products that have captured the attention of Chinese consumers...

Topics Discussed and Key Points: ●      The Shanghai/Beijing rivalry ●      Companies that are finding success in China ●      The nature of legal risk in China versus North America ●      How Chinese law develop into its current framework ●      Data privacy considerations ●      China’s corporate laws ●      Common mistakes foreign companies make in negotiating and drafting contracts with Chines...

Topics Discussed and Key Points: ●      How the last 18 months changed the economy forever ●      How things have changed in Kimberly’s line of work in China ●      What happened to the global supply chain and its impact on the Chinese economy ●      Moving forward in 2022 and beyond ●      Maintaining business relationships in China ●      How the business landscape in the region has changed over...

Topics Discussed and Key Points: ●      The main thesis of The Politics of the Asia-Pacific ●      The biggest evolutions in the Asia-Pacific over the last 15 years ●      Relationships between countries in the Asia-Pacific ●      Major non-governmental actors in the Asia-Pacific region ●      How average citizens regard tensions in the region ●      How the pandemic impacted politics in the regio...

Topics Discussed and Key Points: ●      The dynamic between heritage brands and startups ●      How consumption patterns for Chinese consumers change when purchasing abroad versus within China ●      Comparing travelling Chinese consumers with travelling Western consumers ●      Whether most big beauty brands need to have a dedicated travelling consumer program ●      How COVID-19 has changed beau...

Topics Discussed and Key Points: ●      About Relay Video ●      The typical dynamics between creative agencies and their Chinese clients ●      How Relay aims to “create China’s first truly global brand” ●      How roadshow videos become an IPO marketing tool for companies ●      Monetizing your YouTube channel as a China vlogger in 2022 ●      About Jim’s upcoming app, Relay.club   Episode Summar...

Topics Discussed and Key Points: ●      China’s hockey culture versus that of America ●      How China’s youth is typically introduced to hockey ●      Hockey leagues and training programs available for adults in China ●      Active recreational rinks in China ●      A geographical layout of hockey in China ●      The business of sports development in China from a Westerner’s point of view ●     ...

Topics Discussed and Key Points: ●      China’s football landscape ●      Why football has a more active fanbase than basketball in China ●      Grassroots football in China ●      How prioritization of education over almost all else impacts sport culture in China ●      The biggest football teams in China and their dynamic with fans ●      Chinese football and the Chinese government ●      Where...

Topics Discussed and Key Points: ●      China’s consumer PC market in the early-to-mid-90s ●      Why many companies struggled in the 90s while Intel thrived ●      Building the Chinese social networking app Guanxi in the early-2010s ●      Co-founding mInfo, the official mobile search provider to the Beijing Olympics in 2008 ●      What internet marketing looked like 20 years ago and the impact o...

Topics Discussed and Key Points: ●      Major trends across China eCommerce and consumer behavior in the past year ●      Categories that are doing really well in China today ●      Non-traditional categories that are on the way up ●      The younger generation’s move “back to basics” and “materialism fatigue” ●      Finding the keys to finding purchase motivation amid China’s “post-consumer high”...

This episode is a look back at all of our podcast guests and the topics we covered in 2020, putting together some of our favorite moments for you into one single episode of goodness. The guests featured in this special episode are: Matt Sheehan, episode #75 John Pomfret, episode #78 Anne Stephensn-Yang, episode #82 James McGregor, episode #83 Chloé Goncalves, episode #85 Charles Lavoie, episode #9...

Topics Discussed and Key Points: ●      Snowsports culture in China versus Japan ●      Consumers in China’s snowsports industry versus the West’s ●      How Burton markets and localizes snowsports in China ●      Marketing snowsports as a lifestyle in China ●      The evolution of retail in China and how Burton has adapted ●      How to set goals and strategize for a market entry into China ●   ...

Topics Discussed and Key Points: ●      Contemporary China through the lens of fashion and culture ●      The new thinking around fashion and individuality among China’s younger generations ●      China’s fashion scene today and how it differs from that of New York ●      Does China have fashion icons? ●      China’s urban underground scene ●      The future of fashion in China   Episode Summary:...

Topics Discussed and Key Points: ●      The story behind Control Risks and how it expanded to other markets ●      Defining “political risk” and its relevance to businesses in China ●      Does the government move as fast as the economy and how do businesses adapt to changes in China’s regulatory landscape? ●      How to do due diligence in China versus other North Asian markets ●      How should...

Topics Discussed and Key Points: ●      How Singles’ Day performed relative to Jacob’s expectations ●      Platforms that will gain traction at next year’s 11.11 ●      Notable creative or marketing tactics used at this year’s festival ●      How this year’s GMV may compare to 2020s ●      Whether there is still room for foreign brands going forward ●      What to know about Pipl (Personal Informa...

Topics Discussed and Key Points: ●      Launching Founders Space in China ●      Why Steve wrote Make Elephants Fly ●      China’s unique (and commonly misrepresented) approach to innovation ●      Mentoring Chinese vs Western entrepreneurs ●      How evolving family dynamics and the Westernization of much of today’s Chinese youth influences the country’s perception towards entrepreneurship as a c...

Topics Discussed and Key Points: ●      Problems that Axis aims to solve ●      How Axis helps to develop resorts ●      How is China preparing for the 2022 Winter Olympics ●      How Axis is preparing for the 2022 Winter Olympics ●      Snowsports culture and the hospitality industry in China today ●      What Chinese consumers have taught Justin and the Axis team ●      Building ski resorts in C...

Topics Discussed and Key Points: ●      Trends that shaped consumer behaviour in 2021 ●      How different categories have fared over the past year ●      How consumer trends have evolved in the past 18 months ●      Sectors to lead the charge in China’s economic growth going forward ●      Which categories are predicted to be successful on Singles’ Day ●      New tactics brands will use aside fro...

Topics Discussed and Key Points: ●      The focus of the China Institute ●      How the Canada-China relationship has evolved since the 1950s ●      How China and Canada may recover from their strained relationship that reached a low point in December 2018 ●      How the relationship between Canada and China may look ten years from now ●      What lessons can Canada and other Western countries lea...

Topics Discussed and Key Points: ●      How Freddie is working with Burton Snowboards to create a network of snowboard academies in China ●      How technology is being used to improve and scale snowboarding in China ●      Will snow sports in China see more international instructors becoming involved in the future? ●      The rise of four seasons resorts in China, and considerations around operat...

Topics Discussed and Key Points: ●      Running snowsports schools in China compared to the West ●      Chinese parent-child dynamics at snow sports schools and how instructors can manage expectations ●      The economics of lift passes, equipment, logistics, and instruction in the world of snow sport in China ●      Removing the cost barrier that continues to prevent many Chinese from accessing s...

Topics Discussed and Key Points: ●      Trends taking place in China that may soon quickly spread to the rest of the world ●      Why offline retail continues to prevail in the West ●      How views toward entrepreneurship and working in the tech industry have evolved over the past decade in China ●      Emerging Chinese tech companies to keep an eye on ●      Why lookism has become “rampant in Ch...

Topics Discussed and Key Points: ●      Rui speaks on her work with the Tech Buzz China podcast and community ●      How accurate is the data we are getting today from the fundraising world in China? ●      What is it like to do due diligence on Chinese tech companies looking for investors? ●      Rui describes the trip she conducted in 2019 to bring foreign investors into China ●      Trends in C...