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What Chinese Want

Culture, Communism, and China's Modern Consumer

Tom Doctoroff

St. Martin's Griffin

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ISBN10: 1137278358
ISBN13: 9781137278357

Trade Paperback

272 Pages

$18.99

CA$24.99

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Today, most Americans take for granted that China will be the next global superpower. But despite the nation's growing influence, the average Chinese person is still a mystery to most of us—or, at best, a baffling set of seeming contradictions. Here, Tom Doctoroff, the guiding force of advertising giant J. Walter Thompson's (JWT) China operations, marshals his 20 years of experience navigating this fascinating intersection of commerce and culture to explain the mysteries of China. He explores the many cultural, political, and economic forces shaping the twenty-first-century Chinese and their implications for businesspeople, marketers, and entrepreneurs—or anyone else who wants to know what makes the Chinese tick. From the new generation's embrace of Christmas to the middle-class fixation with luxury brands; from the exploding senior demographic to what the Internet means for the government's hold on power, Doctoroff pulls back the curtain to reveal a complex and nuanced picture of a facinating people whose lives are becoming ever more entwined with our own.

Reviews

Praise for What Chinese Want

"Brilliantly written, colorful, witty and well signposted." —Financial Times

"I highly recommend the landmark and essential book What Chinese Want by Tom Doctoroff, to any business leaders, entrepreneurs, public officials, trade organizations, and members of the general public who are seeking a deeper and more profound understanding of the Chinese market and its consumers than is found anywhere else." —Business World

'Gaining familiarity with China's basic philosophies and culture will help businesspeople create new opportunities, offer competitive advantages, and avoid pitfalls. Doctoroff offers his readers practical advice as well as examples of successful marketing campaigns in China . . . An essential read."—Library Journal

"Do not go to China—with your product, your ideas, or yourself—without reading this book. Tom Doctoroff is a triple value interpreter; marketer, historian, and philosopher of all things China."— Charlotte Beers, former Chairman Ogilvy, J. Walter Thompson, and author of I'd Rather Be in Charge

"It takes decades for outsiders to begin to understand how China really works. In his latest book, Tom has distilled a career worth of professional and personal reflections into a potent cocktail of insights. This book is a must-read shortcut for any guest working in China trying to make sense of the overwhelming complexity and depth of China's consumer landscape."—Alan Jope, President, Unilever, North Asia

"Tom Doctoroff's insightful book What Chinese Want is a gem. It provides a unique perspective on why the Chinese think the way they do, history's role in China today - and unlocks mysteries one might have not even noticed. A must-read for those traveling to China—from the casual visitor to the corporate executive wrestling with the mechanics of Chinese society."—Stefan Halper, author of America Alone and The Beijing Consensus

'''What do Chinese Want?' It's a big question. But marketing guru Tom Doctoroff can handle it. He approaches rough business challenges not only strategically but also psychologically. He catches what numbers don't capture: the heart of a people and how it affects who succeeds and who fails on the mainland.'—Jing Ulrich, Managing Director & Chairman of Global Markets, China, J.P. Morgan

"Tom's unique experience and perspective is a boon to anyone who plans to address the Chinese consumer. In so far as it is possible to sum the sentiment and unique cultural underpinnings of this mammoth country, Tom has done it."—Kathleen Hall, Windows Global Campaigns and Product Marketing General Manager, Microsoft

"In explaining what Chinese consumers want, Doctoroff vividly shows us where China is headed as a society and a world power."—Garrick Utley, Senior Fellow SUNY Levin Institute

"What Chinese Want is required reading for any business person that deals with Chinese nationals or companies. It will help you quickly learn what was so hard for me to understand during my five years of living in China: China is very different from the West, and Tom Doctoroff will explain what you need to know to succeed there."—Miguel Patricio, President of Anheuser Busch Inbev for Asia Pacific

"The scale of potential opportunity in China is staggering. But business people who want to succeed in China often feel like they have landed on a different planet. Tom Doctoroff's book offers a very insightful, down-to-earth analysis of both what's driving growth in China as well as a nuanced analysis of the psychology of Chinese leaders and people. Anyone who wants to succeed big time in China will find his book very helpful and interesting."—Dr. Ramesh Tainwala, President Asia Pacific and Middle East, Samsonite Group

"Tom Doctoroff's What Chinese Want succeeds in linking the most dynamic facets of the modern Chinese commercial and consumer landscape with the unique and timeless characteristics of China's people and culture."—John Quelch, Distinguished Professor of International Management, Vice President and Dean, CEIBS (China Europe International Business School)

"This is a breakthrough work on the modern Chinese consumer. Rooted in a long and successful career in China, Tom Doctoroff's book gives a concrete, in-depth, and simple explanation about how this mysterious land really works that will begin to change the world's biased understanding of a great country."—Pierre Xiao Lu, author of Elite China, professor of marketing at Fudan University in Shanghai, and Founder of China Market Institute Consulting

"With insight and energy, Doctoroff . . . takes on the daunting task of explaining the Chinese character . . . This in-depth, lively précis of modern-day China is an invaluable guide to anyone hoping to do business in the fast-growing Eastern market."—Publishers Weekly

"A primer on Chinese consumers [with] each paragraph delivering a takeaway pearl of wisdom… A no-nonsense book by an enlightened capitalist."—Kirkus Reviews

Reviews from Goodreads

About the author

Tom Doctoroff

Tom Doctoroff is the North Asia Area Director and Greater China CEO for J. Walter Thompson (JWT), the author of Billions, and a leading authority on marketing in China and Chinese consumer culture. He has appeared regularly on CNBC, NBC, Bloomberg, and National Public Radio and has been featured in the Financial Times, Business Week, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times among others. He is also a columnist for the China Economic Review and the Chinese magazine Global Entrepreneur. Doctoroff is the recipient of the Magnolia Government Award, the highest honor given by the Shanghai municipal government to expatriates, and was selected to be an official torchbearer for the Beijing 2008 Olympics.

Read more in the Huffington Post