Sriram@Searchlight

Opportunities and hurdles in China’s vast e-commerce market

At first sight, the China e-commerce market looks like a marvelous gateway to the land of 1.3 billion consumers. However, there are some key differences between the e-commerce world here and elsewhere. Brands are not in control of their online commerce in China the way they can be elsewhere. There is room in most marketsContinue reading “Opportunities and hurdles in China’s vast e-commerce market”

What kind of agency do you need? (Thoughts on eliminating the middlemen in media)

Over the last 3 years I’ve been involved in about 18 agency selection projects with clients – where we help them evaluate and select an agency to manage their media. (By the end of this year I’ll have seen a few more of these projects). Across all these projects I’ve noticed one very consistent patternContinue reading “What kind of agency do you need? (Thoughts on eliminating the middlemen in media)”

Little Ondine – the start-up cosmetics brand that made it big in China

Challenge: After an initial successful launch, many copycats launched cheap products on EC forcing Little Ondine to reduce prices. The business dropped in the absence of tactical price promotions. Offline stores lost revenue and became unprofitable. The consumer profile on Tmall is students or girls from T2 cities who can’t afford regular visits to theContinue reading “Little Ondine – the start-up cosmetics brand that made it big in China”

China’s Advertiser-Unfriendly Digital Media Ecosystem

There is one profound difference between the digital media landscape in China and everywhere else. The two key players who control most desirable digital advertising inventory / publishers in China do not depend on advertising for their revenue.This simple fact makes it easy to understand why, unlike Google, Facebook, Twitter or ad-exchanges elsewhere in theContinue reading “China’s Advertiser-Unfriendly Digital Media Ecosystem”