Chengdu: A Case Study for Localising by City in China

If you were peddling your products in Los Angeles and Chicago, there's a good chance that you'd need to tweak the marketing strategy to account for differing lifestyles, varying tastes, disparate climates, different sales channels and varied cultural and emotional needs. In China, variations between cities are typically even greater. Many Chinese cities' characteristics have been evolving since long before Columbus was leading expeditions to the Americas. These historic differences have helped shape regionalised consumer behaviour. More recent Beijing policies have further moulded differing consumer profiles. For example, residents in first tier cities have been able to travel abroad with more flexibility for longer than their lower tier peers, impacting their sophistication and maturity when travelling abroad, and their exposure to foreign lifestyles and products.

There's no city that better illustrates the diversity of China's megalopolis' than the boomtown of Chengdu in China's southwest. On the surface, it could be any Mainland city; thousands of grey apartment blocks sprawled across a flat grid of streets, dotted with adventurous modern commercial towers and restored ancient constructions, dissected by a winding river and heaving highways, obscured by a soupy smog more days that it isn't. But filling those towers are a population arguably more independently-minded than consumers in other parts of China - with personalities as spirited as the peppers that are such as big part of the local Sichuan cuisine.

Chengdu is located some distance from Beijing's policy makers. The mountains that encircle the city have provided a natural barrier for traders, invaders and legislators for centuries, isolating the city from the outside influences that have impacted other Chinese cities. Chengdu's fertile soil and natural resources have seen it stay isolated for much of its history, allowing it to stay largely self-sufficient, with an attitude that’s both "mind your own business" and "anything goes."

With the wealthy, sophisticated city of 16 million people increasingly on brand's radars, China Skinny has delivered a number of research projects that include the Chengdu market. Their tastes and preferences are often the most disparate from other consumers in other cities we have investigated. One of our recent studies into the customer journeys of consumers in six mainland cities found the research and sales channels used in Chendgu were by far the most distinct.

Chengdu's relatively lower rents have lured young, independently-minded migrants from across China, cultivating a hip, progressive culture that’s spawned San Francisco-style cafes filled with millennials. The many miles and mountains between Chengdu and Beijing has seen regressive policies about homosexuality hold less clout in the city, which has become a haven for the LGBT community, whose members are drawn to the relaxed, open vibe. Chengdu was voted the gay capital of China in a recent poll by gay dating app Blued.

Beyond sexual liberation, Chengdu also leads China for many genres of music, its underground scene and youth culture. Much of China's Hiphop and Trap has spawned from the city, with many of China's biggest hiphop hits dispersed with the Sichuan dialect.

For brands hoping to connect with independently-minded consumers in the city, you'd by wise to ensure that your product, messaging, channels, KOLs and most importantly, your brand's purpose, are resonant with the target market in the city because just transposing a successful strategy from Shanghai or Beijing won't always work.

For most brands in China, it can be impractical to have an independent marketing strategy for each target city, however there can be consistent elements by city tier and/or regional city clusters which can be incorporated to make marketing more targeted and resonant. We've found that understanding the consumers in a specific city usually highlights some quick wins that can make your brand and product connect with local consumers and break through the clutter. China Skinny has a lot of knowledge and experience to help you with that.

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