First stop: Waipo Jia! If you end up in Hangzhou, DO NOT MISS this delectable culinary experience! Great food, great price, great, great, great. Tell them enovate sent you…

Satiated, we strolled alongside hordes of tourists and locals by the Westlake. Musicians lined the roads. Old men bowed their er hu’s while women belted into low-fi mics, with other brightly dressed women dancing rhythmic interpretations of traditional-Chinese-dance-meets-1920s-swing. Truly a site to behold.

A bit more walking, and we ended up at the day’s main event: The Xihu Music Festival. Blessed with perfect weather, we spent the day laying in grass, hopping in on drum circles, chatting to locals about Hangzhou’s hidden secrets, and of course, listening to music. The highlight for many was Taiwanese headliner, Soda Green, with other acts including 声音碎片 (Sheng Yin Sui Pian), Pitch Tuner, and Angie Hart.

The following day, our former intern / Hangzhou-extraordinaire, George, showed us around and introduced us to some friends, including the guys responsible for Charm Cafe. Read more about their efforts in promoting Hangzhou’s creative culture in today’s earlier post.

But rather than take you through a step-by-step narrative, I asked a couple people around the office to offer an anecdote, an observation, or something memorable. This has been our cooler-talk these past 3 days:

John

During our recent weekend visit to Hangzhou, there was one thing that really blew me away–the apparent level of government involvement in building the creative scene in Hangzhou. Speaking to Shu Chang, he indicated that it was the government who encouraged them to open up the cafe and creative space as the local government was interested in providing a space to support the various artists. Although funding and investment in the arts happens throughout China and also in the US, I was surprised that it was happening more at the grassroots level. I can see more of this happening in cities throughout China in the near future.

Joey

“Hangzhou is a place to live, Shanghai is a place for opportunities.” This was a statement from enovate’s Hangzhou street team leader, George, who is entering his senior year, majoring in Fashion Marketing and Engineering. “I will definitely be looking for work in Shanghai after I graduate,” George continued.

I love Shanghai. I live here, work here and the city’s energy keeps me focused and motivated like a higher power. However, I could not help but imagine living in Hangzhou, a wide-side-walked relaxing, creative hub where tourists come to frolic and over 7 million people reside. For George, Shanghai represents a city of opportunity, future possibilities and an escape for work. For me, Hangzhou also represents a city of opportunities and future possibilities, yet more of an escape from work. A world of difference.

Simon

One experience especially sticks out. I met a guy from Beijing at the festival who had just relocated to Hangzhou to work in the “Chinese culture business,” i.e. selling tea and Taichi to foreigners. I thought this is ironic since Beijing is widely considered as China’s cultural centre.

He said that he could enjoy his life much more in Hangzhou as he didn’t feel like he was working and spending all his time on public transport. He liked the weather and the more manageable size of the city. I wouldn’t exactly call this reverse migration, but maybe smart migration. I am not insinuating that Hangzhou will surpass Beijing in terms of culture. Rather, Hangzhou is a bit of an anomaly in China’s tiered ranking system. It does not qualify as a first tier city, but it stands apart from any other second tier city. Let’s call it a Tier 1.5.

Jermaine

I have found that Hangzhou is a city that cares for its travelers and citizens. For instance, during one of our taxi rides, Cola pointed out large awnings installed on intersections that were intended to keep cyclists protected from the elements while waiting for their lights to change. No more burning under the sun — no more getting drenched by torrential rain. It turns out these awnings were installed as advertising space. The local government cover their expenses by selling advertisement space. It is an action that benefits both the society and commerce. Hangzhou’s emphasis on environmental protection and a sustainable lifestyle has fueled a noteworthy biking culture. It’s great place to live, and a shinning example for other cities!

Leon

Hangzhou is defining itself as a main hub for China’s creative culture. Its relaxed, almost Bohemian, disposition makes it a perfect hotbed for the creatives. The yearly festivals like Xihu Music Festival, now have a nationwide reputation as a good event. More and more people are making the trip to see it for themselves. The city’s population is also becoming increasingly stylish. People everywhere were well dressed. Plus, as we learned from the guys over at Charm Cafe, the local government is taking bold steps to promote creativity in Hangzhou. The city surely holds a bright future.

Fabio

First, some thoughts about the independent brand “odi et amo.” Seeing Chinese kids be proud of the ancient quote of Catullo, a major Latin poet, made me quite nostalgic. I’ve studied Latin literature and language for five years, and as I delve deeper into China, I’m finding many similarities between the two cultures. Yet I still believe there is a lot of room in China to import more Italian and Greek culture. For now, it’s limited to Sinicized Italian restaurants with an inauthentic feel (i.e. Saizeriya). Speaking of food, I loved the Xihu Music Festival, but found the total lack of food and beverages unfortunate. People were getting McDonalds delivered to the entrance and sneaking in beers!

Mike

For one shining weekend it seemed like Hangzhou was the place to be in all of China. The weather was perfect, the tunes were rocking, libations were plentiful… Finally I understood at least half the statement of old: “The sky has heaven, earth has Suzhou and Hangzhou.” I’m still not completely sold on Suzhou (although I am a fan of at least of I. M. Pei’s New Suzhou Museum). But Hangzhou? More than once our band of enovators wistfully pined: “can we move here?”, “what if our new office was in HZ?”, and “this is the LIFE”. The lake, the festival, the bicycle friendly city planning, and most of all the food conspired to trap us all in its net like Oz’s poppy fields…

Charm Café is a youth focused creative centre located in Zhongshan Bei Lu, the creative street of Hangzhou. They provide a platform for Chinese artists and designers to present and sell their artwork, as well as regularly hosting offline activities to encourage creative thinking amongst Chinese youth. Some of their main activities include monthly West Lake Idea Mart (DIY Mart) and weekly Charm Café creative class and exhibition. They also help with organizing China Hangzhou Cultural & Creative Industry Expo in every October and China International Cartoon and Animation Festival in every May.

Creative class in Charm Cafe

Shu Chang

Shu Chang is co-founder and manager of Chame café. He is 26 years old and studied Finance at Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics. He used to work for Hunan TV station as a TV host for one year, later he worked at a user generated content website for two years. Since he cannot give up his strong passion for youth cultural as well as design, in September 2009 he decided to start Charm café with the Hangzhou government’s support and investment from his partner. His dream is to promote creative culture and encourage creative thinking by educating Chinese youth and providing a platform for creatives from all around China to share and market their products.

Interview

During our weekend trip to Hangzhou, we sat down with Shu Chang and chatted over a few cups of joe. Here are some highlights from the conversation:

How do you describe the current youth culture in Hangzhou?

There is a phrase called “Hang’ Er Feng” which describes a trend following phenomenon in Hangzhou. A lot of young people are following and copying trends from outside of China, but I think it’s good, we can learn by following and copying, at the end we will discover our own style.
Hangzhou is more conservative than Shanghai in terms of accepting new things since we have a very deep and distinctive culture, but I think right now it’s the time for innovation and development based on our original culture.

What is the future outlook of youth culture in Hangzhou?

I think we will still be in the process of learning and copying within the next 3 to 5 years, but you can see there are more and more creative activities and parties in town amongst local youth. In 5 years, you will see much more youth focused indie brands as well as opinion leaders. Local culture will be the key influence and I think we will have our own and distinctive style by then.

We would like to thank our like-minded friends at Greennovate, the sustainability consultancy, for their support and dedication throughout the entire project. Look out for future enovate and Greennovate partnerships in the near future!

Recent Survey of Over 400 Chinese Youth Indicates a Desire for Healthier, More Environmentally-Conscious Lifestyle

Greennovate and enovate team up to conduct the first-ever youth-focused environmental study in China

SHANGHAI, March 2010: Two Shanghai-based organizations – the sustainability consultancy Greennovate and the youth-insights group enovate – cooperated to gather insights into the minds of China’s socially aware, progressive youth. This is the first nation-wide survey of youth attitudes towards Chinese environmental issues and awareness.

Through an online survey of over 400 students and young employees from around China (72% of whom live outside Shanghai) and additional in-depth interviews in Shanghai, Greennovate and enovate sought to discover what defines a modern quality of life for Chinese youth in 2010 as well as attitudes and perceptions towards green products and brands.

The survey was conducted as a part of MaGiC (Made GREEN in China – www.joinmagic.org), an open initiative of Greennovate to encourage the development of greener products and lifestyles in China. MaGiC, which is also supported by enovate, includes a Chinese youth green design competition and public green events at major Chinese universities, helping to build public awareness on Chinese sustainability. MaGiC has reached over 700 university students from 3 cities around China so far.

When asked to select the quality of life factors that are most important in their lives, personal health and education were most often chosen by Chinese youth. This represents a shift in the values of Chinese youth to a more idealistic, attainable, and personally beneficial lifestyle, rather than one that is fast-paced and spendthrift with the goal of improving material wealth. Owning a personal automobile and living a big city – though common goals of China’s mass youth population – were ranked the least important among China’s leading progressive and socially aware youth.

Enovate founder and director John Solomon commented, “This shift in values amongst Chinese youth was one of our top Chinese youth trends in 2009 based on this survey and other client related projects. Brands will continue to be under pressure to align with relevant youth causes, especially those that address China’s ongoing environmental issues.

The survey also revealed a demand from Chinese youth for “green” brands to prove their “greenism” through products, not just marketing – with 58% of participants verifying green product claims online and expressing a lack of easy indicators for consumers of which products are truly “green.”

Building trust through transparency is essential for brands. Greennovate director Mihela Hladin explains, “The survey supports our efforts and positive approach towards green momentum in China. It has revealed a market share potential for businesses and products with a lower environmental impact. Consumer expectations and perceptions will raise the bar on brand transparency and honesty, with social media playing a crucial role in building consumer understanding of sustainability and providing resources for additional information.”

The survey indicated that Chinese youth reward green brands through word-of-mouth (both online and in person), involvement in community initiatives, and increased sales. Brands and companies can look to these results as leading indicators for more popular social trends in years to come.

To download a full PDF version of the report, please click here.

CHINA CONSUMER INSIGHTS AND STRATEGY FIRM, ENOVATE, RELEASES TOP 2010 CHINA EMERGING CONSUMER TRENDS IN THE YEAR OF THE TIGER

Over 60% of Emerging Consumers Prefer International Brands that Localize their Products to the China Market

enovate, a China focused consumer insights and strategy firm, released its 2010 China Emerging Consumer Trends report today, which includes over 30 trends.

80% of rich Chinese consumers are under the age of 45, compared with 30% in the US and 19% in Japan. The sheer size and spending power of this consumer group in China, combined with the relatively mild impact of the global recession on the country, is causing foreign brands to salivate over the potential upsides of this market.

enovate’s report reveals specific China youth trend insights that were gained through enovate’s close interactions (direct market research, social media participation, trend analyses) in China. with China’s emerging consumer (15-30 years old) segment.

As many brands and businesses already know, China’s youth consumer group is different than any other in the world. In order to win over this groups’ hearts and command attention, brands need a deep understanding of this groups’ hopes, habits, dreams and desires.

enovate’s 2010 trend report highlight key trends affecting China’s emerging consumer class in areas related to China technology, China society, China’s regions, China media, China marketing and branding preferences and habits that provide guidance for any brand or business targeting this growing market.

The report includes three key emerging Chinese consumer trends:

Youth Still Crave International Brands but Want It Their Way — Will This Be Exported Back Out of China?

The emerging consumer is still hungry for foreign brands, but this consumer is becoming deferential to global brands that develop products to local tastes and preferences. In a recent enovate survey, a majority of Chinese emerging consumer respondents (over 60%) indicated that they preferred foreign brands with localized designs over local brands or foreign brands with no localization. This is driving an interesting phenomenon–brand innovation within the China market.

Brands like Pizza Hut, New Balance, and Buick are all taking measures to differentiate their brands in the China market. New Balance, as a late entrant into the game, needed to make a quick impact with its target consumer and so invested in product and retail innovations specifically for the China market. These developments are now being rolled out globally by New Balance headquarters back in Boston. Could the strength of the emerging Chinese market in China affect global trends?

Online and Offline Interactions Amongst Chinese Youth Expanding While Also Fragmenting.

For 2010′s Chinese youth, there is a proliferation of technology that continues to bridge the gap between China’s online and offline social networks. China Social networks such as Douban establish online pages that promote offline social gatherings. These are categorized by cities and are a popular way for young Chinese to make new friends and expand their social network. Offline groups are also gathering in China to participate in group shopping, or in Chinese “Tuan Gou”. It is also important to keep an eye on up and coming players such as P1.cn and moko.cc.

Multi-versatile and Integrated Companies, Technology and Media.

Online Chinese youth consumers are extremely turned off to advertising that is “e-su”, instead preferring advertisements that are fully integrated engaging, creative, and displayed across both traditional and online channels. Technologies such as cell-phones and PSP’s are becoming increasingly versatile and multi-functional for youth users as well, due to an “always online and in touch” virtual generation. Chinese youth must be able to communicate, play games, read books, shop, etc. all from the convenience of their cell phones or PSP’s. The key to success in 2010 and onwards will be how well brands use an integrated approach to their campaigns and brand touch points.

enovate Director John Solomon commented,

“We are actively following brand innovation in China. We believe the outcomes of brand differentiation in China will lead to China exporting innovation. I predict in the near future a China trend could become your markets’ next trend.”

Solomon continued,

“On the online front, we predict that we will see a proliferation of niche social networks in 2010, with networks and Chinese youth cultures becoming more fragmented and specialized. Websites like P1 and 360Quan cater to sects of niche cultures, yet are highly influential online communities to target.”

enovate collaborated with global trend agencies as a founding member of the recently launched global Youth Research Partners to undertake this report. This report, while China focused, is also applicable to emerging consumers worldwide.

For a sample of our report, feel free to view the following teaser slideshare. The full report contains over 30 Chinese emerging consumer trends and insights.

Enter your information here to receive a copy of the full enovate 2010 China Emerging Consumer Trends Report! For any additional questions or business inquiries please contact info@enovatechina.com

From a recent youth survey conducted by enoVate, family values are a high quality of life indicator. Quality of life represents the ideals that Chinese youth strive for, things they may not necessarily have right now. However, the topics of relationships and dating are the forefront of Chinese youth interests. We’ve pulled out three key areas centering on relationships and dating in Chinese youth society:

• The formative single life
• The building of their personal relationships
• Maintenance of these relationships and their portrayal in popular culture

Formative Single Lfe

It is a common conclusion that a young Chinese person has certain “relationship cut-off ages” that are symbolic in their lives. In a recent article on Sina, these ages are broken down in a more humorous manner. Between the ages of 25 to 27 are symbolic as a “must be dating by or married” age. If you cross the 27 year-old age barrier, the slope is slippery into the throes of bachelorism.

However, this viewpoint is typically hammered into the minds of Chinese youth by overbearing parents or societal norms. As an 80’s Generation Chinese youth states, “the 80’s generation enjoys their single lives, because they’ve grown up in a single family household…they also prefer to share their feelings with a computer rather than with their friends.” This comment may seem contradictory but in this modern age in China, feelings are shared online, friendships are found online, and individualism is expressed. This means that a single life in China is not a lonely life anymore. The following is a quote from a Chinese female netizen providing insightful commentary to this notion:

“Yes! I am single, I can do whatever I want, whenever I want, and do not need to worry about my significant other cheating on me, or take care of daily life errands, and can blog away at anytime I want without worrying about affecting the other person’s schedule.”

But being single is not an ideal shared by all Chinese youth. A recent phenomenon that is also about connecting friendships online is known as “Flash Play” (闪玩), coined by IWOM Company CIC as “offline events organized by netizens online.” These meet-ups can be casual in nature, ranging from travel to KTV, but can also result in limited relationships that do not offer the same long-term benefits as normal relationships.

Building of Personal Relationships

But what is a normal relationship for Chinese youth? Often, the premise of normalcy, or the way things should be is presented in popular television shows in China. One example is the TV show “i-Partment”. “i-Partment” details the lives of 7 single 80’s Generation Chinese youth all living under one roof. Their relationships and love life reflect many traditional values, but it is also noted that some of the plot lines are un-realistic and overtly idealistic. However, the show leaves off many of the youth aspects related to sex, an area, that according to conversations with Chinese girls, about half are indifferent towards before marriage.

Maintenance of these relationships and their portrayal in popular culture

The pressure to date, marry, and be happy is a strong ideal for Chinese youth. The online landscape provides an escape for many Chinese youth, however as noted it’s not always something that is permanent. In the future of relationships and dating in China, it’s hard to predict a trend, but even though popular culture and government stances will promote traditional values, it’s likely new generations will be exposed to new thoughts and ideas, transcending into sex, relationships and dating amongst Chinese youth.

We’re proud to be mentioned in this article and excited about all of our existing and future projects. Read below for the paragraph about enoVate.

Meanwhile, Eno is growing another revenue stream through a separate consulting business, Enovate. Launched earlier this year with five employees, Enovate has already been hired by the likes of Ticketmaster (TKTM) and shoemaker New Balance to provide youth market research, as well as to help design and develop products for the Chinese market. Not bad for a company that has grown by trial and error.

Yup, not bad at all.

Yup. Harbin beer, a smooth lager, is China’s oldest brew. It beat out Tsingtao by three years! A quick surview of enoVate’s Chinese staff suggests that this tidbit is common knowledge in the Middle Kingdom. Regardless, this beer is worth learning about.

Harbin Brewery was founded in 1900 by Russians in the northeastern city of Harbin to supply beer to Russians working on the Trans-Manchurian Railway Project. Later, a group of Chinese and Czech’s took it over. During WW2, the brewery again reverted back to Russian hands when Soviets took it over. Eventually, in 1950, the brewery was taken over by the Chinese State.

Earlier this decade, after a prolonged battle with SAB Miller, Anheuser-Busch (now ABinBEV) finally bought the company and now controls it outright.

Despite its long history, Harbin beer isn’t, in fact, a major player on the China domestic scene. It is not in the top 10 of beers in China and so doesn’t control even 1.5 percent of the beer market. Even in Shanghai, it can be hard to find a bottle of Harbin.

But ABinBev is looking to change that. The company hopes to reach 187 different markets in the Mainland this year (most outside of the North, it’s traditional power market) and 200 by 2010, up from 157 markets in 2008. The beer is now available in the US and many other markets and, as new reports flowing out of the company affirm, they are looking to make a national Chinese brand to compete with Tsingtao.

Good luck Harbin beer!

We know you’ve been reading a lot of great content about celebrities on our blog this past week, but just in case you missed anything, check out our broadcast and get up to date! Click on the above picture to download.

Our friends over at Greennovate are launching a new environmental initiative called MaGiC, Made GREEN in China on September 27th, 2009 @ 139‐23 Changle Road, Shanghai. The event starts at 6PM.

MaGiC was developed to bring together Chinese youth and responsible businesses in finding a common path towards a sustainable future. This is an open initiative where university students can learn about sustainability through hands‐on experiences and best practices. Companies have a unique opportunity to explore evolving responsible talent in China, contribute their expertise, and show their commitment to sustainability.

As one of the sponsors of this event, enoVate will of course be there – don’t forget your plastic bottles!!

I am studying visual communication at University…
Sometimes when I was working on design, I couldn’t think of any good ideas,then I will listen to music and eat snacks…
Actually this is a good way to relax, eat snacks just as same as listening to music to relax …
When I was thinking about a problem for long time, my brain is like a wind-tight room, eating snacks is like opening a window so I can get some fresh air…

我叫Win,是一个视觉传达设计专业的学生…
有时候做设计,但脑袋空空,想不到东西,,就会听些轻松的音乐,找些零食咬一下..
其实算是给大脑一个放松的机会,吃零食,吃糖果,就跟听音乐放松道理一样…
想问题想了很久,脑袋就像一个缺氧的房间密不透风,来点零食,就像打开一个窗户,让新鲜的空气投入进来…