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Future Shock by Sharla A. Paul 
E-mail From the Edge by Maria Mallory Core Confidence by Jane Howell |
Removing the mystery from marketing in China
"We were in the absolute middle of nowhere, conducting a rural market study for a major American food and beverage producer," says Foster, director of finance and co-founder of China Link, a distribution consulting firm that helps American companies sell their products in China. "We needed to figure out . . . what the consumers were like, what kinds of stores there were. And word got out that there were these two crazy white guys who spoke Chinese walking around town asking questions about drinks." On their way out of town, Foster and his partner were stopped by ten men in uniform. After three hours of questioning, they were fined the equivalent of $60 each, were given a receipt, "and we were on our merry way." China Link gathers information for its clients the only way possible in a nation of 1.2 billion potential consumers-by traveling to the country's farthest reaches, where Westerners rarely go, and talking to shopkeepers, customers, and local government officials. The three launched China Link in 1994, spurred by their belief in China's potential as the world's largest consumer market, as well as their recognition that it is notoriously daunting because of bureaucratic entanglements and antiquated, disorganized distribution systems. China Link's client roster includes Bacardi-Martini, Coca-Cola China, Hershey Foods, J. M. Smucker, Nestlé, Reynolds Metals, and SmithKline Beecham. The company investigates each client's consumer retail market and develops a strategy to deliver goods to stores efficiently. China Link has grown from three guys living in and working out of a Shanghai apartment into a thriving business with three offices and seventy-five employees. As finance director, Foster oversees the company's administration. Fluent in Mandarin Chinese and experienced in navigating the country and its bureaucracy, this former Carter Center intern often works in the field, digging up market information and analyzing distribution problems. "We're so involved at the grassroots level that we . . . can provide down-to-earth advice on how to get control." A.O.A. |
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