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Holding Up Half the Sky

This is a research paper I wrote while pursuing my Master’s of Science degree in Integrated Marketing Communications at Northwestern University. In it, I analyze the female Chinese consumer and what factors I believe are important to consider when marketing to her. Heavily researched and written in conjunction with a trip to Shanghai, I outline consumer insights that were used to create various Chinese advertising campaigns to underscore my arguments.

Holding Up Half the Sky

An exploration of the factors that have influenced how marketers speak to Chinese women

 

By Erin Payton

Since the institution of China’s one-child policy 36 years ago, the balance of power between men and women has shifted more in women’s favor. Because males vastly outnumber females in China (700 million males to 667 million females), women are in a position to be more discriminating when it comes to choosing a mate (or not) and whether or not to have children and how many. These choices are also having an effect on how Chinese women behave as consumers. How have these changes affected the way women are marketed to in the country as consumers?

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Modern History of Women’s Rights in China

"Women hold half the sky."
- Mao Zedong

After 22 long years, in 1949, the hard-fought battle between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Nationalist Party in the Chinese Civil War ended in victory for the CCP. That year, the Chinese Communist Revolution was the culmination of the CCP’s triumph, wherein the party laid the foundation for its future governance. The CCP’s leader, Mao Zedong declared the creation of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). In the ensuing years, the PRC enacted numerous laws that helped to usher in gender equality for women.  For the first time, women had the right to marry voluntarily rather than being forced into the institution by parents or other senior family members. Chinese women also won the right to divorce for the first time in history. Furthermore, in 1954 the first National People’s Congress (NPC) approved the PRC’s Constitution, which explicitly endorsed gender equality and equal pay for women and men.

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Subsequently, this belief that women were a valuable resource not to be merely confined to the home led to a flood of women entering the workforce.  However, despite Zedong’s proclamation, the newly implemented laws supporting female emancipation were not readily accepted by businesses employing working-class women, because Confucianism was still firmly embedded in the minds of many working-class communities. The tradition of Confucianism was one of extreme patriarchy where Asian women are taught to obey and be subservient to the men in their lives, even including their sons.  Consequently, during the Cultural Revolution of 1966-1967, working-class women had to fight for rights their government had told them years earlier they deserved. In 1968, Zedong declared that “women hold up half the sky” which reiterated the government’s belief that women are integral to the country’s economic success. The message clearly resonated in the major cities, because by the end of the 1970s, over 90% of urban women of working age were employed.

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In 1980, in an effort to control the country’s explosive population, the PRC implemented its one-child policy, which restricted couples to having one child, and those who broke this law were faced with hefty fines, sterilization or forced abortions. Because parents were allowed just one child, many wanted their only child to be male because it was believed that an adult son would eventually be in a better financial position to take care of them than an adult daughter when they grew to advanced age. This led to unprecedented levels of abortions and infanticides of female babies. Mao Zedong’s words from 1968 were a distant memory in the face of concerned parents worrying about their prospective future with just a daughter to care for them in old age.


Since the implementation of the one-child policy, the perception of female offspring as a burden permeated throughout the culture and extended to other areas of society, which increased levels of gender inequality in China in the 1980s and 1990s. Daughters were considered “wasteful” and a “tax on their families”, which had a psychological effect on China’s female population.  Faced with this cultural bigotry of low expectations, many girls born under the one-child policy bucked these expectations and thrived. Chinese parents who did have one daughter put all of their hopes and expectations into her, and as a result, she is became more educated and increased her wage potential.

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Source: ACWF-2010 op. cit.

What affects Chinese women today?

 

There are several cultural circumstances to consider when approaching today’s Chinese female consumer. Viewing the Chinese market from a Western perspective can be detrimental when trying to speak to Chinese female consumers. There are several factors to be aware of and consider when tailoring marketing communications to this unique group.

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One-Child Policy

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In the 36 years since the implementation of the one-child policy, China has been forced to confront the growth of a stark gender imbalance between the number of males and females born in the country. Today, the country’s population is comprised of 700 million males and 667 million females.  Because the gender imbalance is so striking in China, Chinese men realize they are in an extremely competitive market for a potential mate. As a result, single men are working hard to make themselves marketable to an increasingly discriminating demographic of single women. Owning a home is a highly prized qualification for a potential husband, so research shows that single men are saving at a much higher rate than single women.  Meanwhile, single women are saving less and spending more, which is an important insight for marketers to consider. Millennial and younger Gen-X women born under the one-child policy have been raised as “little princesses” with the attitude they deserve the best of the best, and their spending reflects this insight.

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Many of the “little princesses” born in the wake of the one-child policy have become very successful entrepreneurs. Because they have the money to burn, luxury brands are especially keen on capturing the attention of young, urban females, as women make up half of all luxury purchases in China.  A particularly interesting area of luxury spending by Chinese women is in the high-performance sports car market. In 2013, 40% of Maserati buyers in China were women, with an average age of 37 years.   Luxury retail website Mei.com (aka Glamour Sales) honed in on this trend and decided to partner with Maserati to hold a flash sale on their site of their Gran Cabrio Fendi model. The retail price was around $486,000, for which the site received 20 applications.   The campaign quickly became viral as WeChat users shared the link with their friends.  The buzz created by the campaign was so successful that in 2016, Maserati partnered with Alibaba’s auto division T-Mall to sell their first SUV, the Levante 350hp. The Levante sold 100 cars in the first 18 seconds of the sale, which amounted to sales of nearly $15 million.

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The implications of Maserati’s strategy are important. By recognizing the purchasing power of their female customers, Maserati created a successful online campaign tailored to the acquisition of more successful female customers born in the one-child policy era. Because they were so successful in speaking to these female customers, Maserati has subsequently enjoyed success using the same strategy in their newest campaign.

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Attitudes Towards Marriage
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In 2007, the All-China Women’s Federation (ACWF), an organization responsible for promoting the Chinese government’s policies on women, declared that unmarried women over the age of 27 were considered to be “sheng nu,” which translates to “leftover women.”    Recognizing that young, single women were feeling more liberated and had less desire to settle down and get married as early as previous generations, the Chinese government worried about the long-term economic consequences of slower population growth and resorted to stigmatizing young women who were choosing to delay or even forgo marriage. The ACWF aggressively promoted a misogynistic agenda of shaming women into marriage or else face deleterious effects for their future. This campaign also included heavy criticisms of women who chose to prioritize education over picking a marital partner.       

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"Pretty girls don't need a lot of education to marry into a rich and powerful family, but girls with an average or ugly appearance will find it difficult. These kinds of girls hope to further their education in order to increase their competitiveness. The tragedy is, they don't realize that as women age, they are worth less and less, so by the time they get their M.A. or Ph.D, they are already old, like yellowed pearls."
   - ACWF website, March 2011

In April 2016, Japanese skincare brand SK-II decided to challenge this notion of the “leftover woman” through a highly successful video, the “Marriage Market Takeover” that highlighted the stories of four “leftover women” whose parents had taken to advertising their daughters as bachelorettes available for matrimony at a public marriage market. It showed the women’s emotional dissonance between enjoying and celebrating their independence while also feeling a tremendous sadness over disappointing their parents by remaining unmarried. Ultimately, the video concludes with the parents coming to accept their daughters’ single status and celebrating who they are and the choices they’ve made in their lives that have made them happy.

Swedish agency Forsman & Bodenfors was hired by the Japanese skincare brand to produce a video that would create buzz and strengthen emotional connections with their target audience. Based on extensive market research, including many in-depth interviews in the homes of members of their target demographic. Their diligent attention to gathering consumer insights paid off. In the first month, the video was viewed 37 million times worldwide and was covered by more than 2,000 media outlets.   As is fairly typical for Japanese companies, SK-II is guarded when asked about the sales that have generated since the campaign, but My Troedsson, Planner at Forsman & Bodenfors, maintains that SK-II has, “seen great results following the campaign in China with a clear increase in sales both in-store and online and an increase in the inflow of new customers.”    The fact that neither company is Chinese, yet were able to successfully penetrate the Chinese female market, is a critical lesson for international brands looking to capture this important, growing market that they must fully understand their consumer before trying to communicate with her.

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Attitudes Towards Motherhood

 

While Chinese women are enjoying financial independence and choosing to live their lives more autonomously than previous generations, traditional values still have a strong foothold in China. The idea that motherhood is the ultimate goal for women is one that permeates throughout the culture, due in no small part to the government’s strong promotion of its importance. The recent relaxation of the one-child policy is a reflection of the government’s desire to reignite population growth, ensuring more economic stability for an aging populous. However, most parents who are eligible to have a second child were themselves born under the one-child policy, so they are slow to adapt to the idea of having more than one child.

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So, who is the Chinese mother? Not only is she most likely to have one child, but chances are she is also a working mother. 72% of mothers with children under age six are in the workforce, and that number jumps to 89% for the total population of mothers in China.  That is significantly higher workforce participation than their counterparts in the U.S.

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Source: Employment Characteristics of Families Summary. (2015 April 22). US Bureau of Labor Statistics

Source: OMD Rhythm: Moving with Modern Chinese Mothers. (2015)

In 2015, Holiday Inn created an ad that captured the struggle common to so many working mothers, the oft-discussed “work-life balance.” In the ad, a mother is seen frequently traveling away from home for work, while her crestfallen daughter anxiously awaits her return each time. When the mother finally comes home, she discovers a drawing her daughter created that shows her daughter holding hands with her father and while the mother is depicted as half-drawn looking at the two of them from a distance. The mother decides to take action and decides that her next trip will be to take her daughter to a Holiday Inn, where they create lasting memories that cause the daughter to update her drawing to a happy family of three holding hands.

This ad could have been produced in many markets around the world and enjoyed the same emotional resonance this ad produced in the Chinese market. However, because China has a uniquely high percentage of mothers participating in the workforce, the message of this ad has a broader relatability than it might in other markets with a lesser percentage of working mothers. The ad was inspired by a working mother within InterContinental Hotels Group (parent company of Holiday Inn), Chief Commercial Officer of Greater China, Emily Chang. She tapped into her own experience as a Chinese working mother and the effect her frequent travel had on her own daughter.   She chose to strengthen the bond with her daughter by making the association of travel an experience her daughter could enjoy rather than a negative one where it takes her mother away from her. Holiday Inn helped her do that, and as a marketer she helped Holiday Inn spread the message to other Chinese mothers that it could do the same for them.

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Globalization

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In recent years, China has stumbled in its efforts in becoming a more fully integrated member of the global community. Its biggest attempt to date was the country’s role as host to the 2008 Olympics. From a lip-syncing controversy during the Opening Ceremonies to allegations that the country’s gymnastics team did not meet the age requirements, China struggled to improve its reputation on the world’s biggest stage.

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However, one significant positive result from China’s role hosting the 2008 Olympics is the country’s change in attitude towards participation in sports. In 2007, the percentage of Chinese citizens who exercised at least three times a week was 28.2%, which jumped to 33.9% in 2014.   Since the 2008 Beijing Olympics, exercise has been more broadly perceived as necessary to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Women, however, were more reticent to embrace an active lifestyle due to the masculine images that dominated the messaging around sports brands.

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In 2013, creative agency TBWA took on the challenge of engaging Chinese women with their client, Adidas. They discovered that for young women, their level of interest in sports participation increased if it became an opportunity to bond and socialize with their friends. Consequently, TBWA created the “all in for #mygirls” campaign, which showed groups of young women coming together in various athletic endeavors. As a result of this campaign, Adidas has “seen significant growth in the women’s category,” and the company claims that it is “one of our fastest-growing categories in China.”                

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As the Adidas example illustrates, timing is very essential for brands when crafting a message to consumers. It’s possible that the “all in for #mygirls” campaign might have been a success had it launched prior to 2008, but it seems clear that because the idea of sports participation grew in popularity after the Beijing Olympics, Adidas’ campaign was primed for greater success. It is important for marketers to realize that even the best ideas can get lost if their timing isn’t executed properly.

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Conclusion

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China is a unique, diverse country with a specific set of marketing opportunities and challenges. To address the question “how is it different here” while drawing a comparison to the U.S. as a baseline is the wrong approach for Western marketers to take when crafting their message to a Chinese female audience. The more appropriate question for marketers to answer is “what is it like here?” When Western marketers take the time to get a sense of who their customer is and what she needs and wants from life, only then will they achieve success in communicating with the Chinese female consumer.

Sources:

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  1. “China Focus: Holding up half the sky?” People’s Daily. (2009, October 09). Retrieved from http://en.people.cn/

  2. Cairns, R., “CCP social reforms”, Alpha History, (2015). Retrieved from http://alphahistory.com/chineserevolution/ccp-social-reforms/

  3. Li, Yuhui (2000). “Women’s Movement and Change of Women’s Status in China.” Journal of International Women's Studies, 1(1), 30-40.

  4. Yun, S.H., “A Critical Perspective on Confucianism: From Yin-Yang Harmony with Nature to Oppression Toward Women.” University of Windsor. (2012 March 21).

  5. Fincher, L.H. “China’s Entrenched Gender Gap.” New York Times. (2013, May 20).

  6. Scutti, S. “One-Child Policy is One Big Problem for China.” Newsweek. (2014 January 23).

  7. Ping, L. “Chinese Men Outnumber Women by 33 Million After Decades of Gender Bias.” Radio Free Asia. (2015, January 22).

  8. Powell, B. Gender Imbalance: “How China’s One-Child Law Backfired on Men.” Newsweek. (2015, May 28).

  9. Burkitt, L. “In China, Women Begin Splurging.” Wall Street Journal. (2011, June 13).

  10. Ciferri, L. “Maserati Quattroporte sales boosted by young female executives in China.” Automotive News Europe. (2013, November 18)

  11. Gervasi, M. “Flash sales site in China looks for a luxury boost from a rare Maserati” (2014, June 5) Retrieved from http://techinasia.com

  12. Gentlemen Marketing Agency. “T-Mall has sold 100 new Maserati SUVs… in 18 seconds!” (2016, March 26) Retrieved from http://marketingtochina.com

  13. Fincher, L.H. “China’s ‘Leftover’ Women.” New York Times. (2012, October 11).

  14. Aitken, L. “SK-II Marriage Takeover: How a Japanese skin care brand cut through China.” WARC. (2016, October). Retrieved from http://warc.com

  15. Aitken, L. “SK-II Marriage Takeover: How a Japanese skin care brand cut through China.” WARC. (2016, October). Retrieved from http://warc.com

  16. OMD. “Rhythm: Moving with Modern Chinese Mothers.” (2015)

  17. Doland, A. “The Sweet Story Behind Holiday Inn’s Chinese Campaign About a Mother and Daughter.” (2015, October 22). Retrieved from http://adage.com

  18. Xiaochen, S. Chinese embrace exercise as lifestyle choice. China Daily USA (2015, December 31). pg. 7.

  19. Cheung, S., “China’s first women’s only store.” (2015 January 9). Adidas Group Blog. Retrieved from http://adidas-group.com

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© 2025 by Erin Payton | Chicago, IL

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