Steer the brand and sail to the other side of the world.

　　The ancient Greek playwright Plautus once said, "An experienced helmsman will tell his fellow sailors that different sails should be hoisted for different winds." As Chinese enterprises enter the era of brand globalization, how can they better navigate the vast and foggy overseas market is also a question that requires them to be accompanied by experienced helmsmen.

　　【Sailors and Sails】

　　Last November, I happened to meet a business delegation from Yiwu at Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport.

　　As they were about to board the plane, each person was still trying to cram as much as possible into their luggage. Their destination was the Indonesia International Stationery Exhibition, the first overseas self-organized exhibition for the stationery industry in Yiwu.

　　Packed inside the luggage were new stationery products designed and produced by local Yiwu brands.

　　These stationery items were not private-label products but original designs. One sales manager introduced that these were 20 new products developed by their company, and their only goal in Indonesia was to secure orders.

　　Such scenes of groups going overseas to compete for orders have become common in Yiwu, the "City of Foreign Trade," much like the line from the TV series "Feather Flying to the Sky": "Beyond Yiwu lies China, and beyond China lies the world. Only by harnessing the winds of the Pacific and Atlantic can feathers fly to the sky!"

　　This reminds me of the first private enterprise to go overseas, Hangzhou Universal Joint Factory, which loaded its automotive parts onto cargo ships and sold them to the United States across the ocean.

　　Facing the vast ocean, the overseas brands on Chinese cargo ships at that time must have been a bit apprehensive. Thirty years later, that apprehension has turned into determination.

　　In August this year, Amazon released the "2024 China Cross-Border E-commerce Export White Paper," which revealed that:

　　The annual sales volume of overseas retail e-commerce will exceed USD 3 trillion for the first time, accounting for 12% of total retail sales, much lower than China's 50%. With its large scale, low penetration rate, and stable growth, high-quality overseas expansion is in the golden period of "big waters, big fish."

　　Over the past two years, the number of Chinese sellers on Amazon with sales exceeding USD 1 million has increased by nearly 55%.

　　While determination is key, a steady and far-reaching approach is also necessary. The current overseas expansion track is on the eve of a qualitative change from quantitative growth. The era when having channels, products, and low prices was enough to make money is over, and the overseas market now favors brands with design and innovation.

　　This also raises several questions that overseas brands are most concerned about: How can they overcome the strangeness of language and culture to make overseas users aware of and recognize their brands? How can they achieve brand localization? How can they enhance user experience? What kind of product designs do overseas users prefer? Who should they turn to in case of unfair competition?

　　To explore these questions, Amazon Advertising and Amazon Global Selling have jointly launched a series of short videos called "The Sailor Project."

　　In the newly released Season 4, the camera explores categories not covered in the previous three seasons, such as auto accessories, cycling gear, portable printers, and toys, and visits domestic cities like Chongqing, Shanghai, Zhuhai, Yiwu, Changsha, Tianjin, and Foshan, as well as key overseas markets like Madrid, Frankfurt, and Los Angeles, showcasing the exciting stories of Chinese brands bravely venturing into the world from different regions, tracks, and stages of development.

　　【The Power of Collaboration】

　　The seas can be rough, and one moment of inattention can cause a deviation from course. For sailors, finding a good platform is crucial. Amazon is one of the most important platforms for Chinese brands going overseas.

　　Since entering China in 2017, Amazon Advertising has been committed to helping brands effectively connect with global consumers, grow their global business, and build international brands.

　　Amazon Advertising's touchpoints cover the global market, enabling brands to connect with users through their preferred channels. Through a series of continuously innovated products and tools, Amazon Advertising helps Chinese brands go further globally with more attractive presentations and localized marketing creativity.

　　When domestic strategies encounter unfamiliar foreign environments, policies, regulations, and user habits all need to be learned from scratch. However, when opportunities are fleeting, sailors need to work alongside helmsmen to navigate through storms.

　　As an experienced helmsman, Amazon Advertising can help brands at different growth stages and on different tracks hoist the most suitable sails:

　　Prime Video allows for advertising placement during TV shows, movies, and live sports events, bringing brands into the living rooms and bedrooms of potential users. The newly upgraded display ads precisely reach high-intent audiences on platforms like Twitch and Freevee. Audio ads plant a good impression of the brand in users' minds during commuting and leisure scenarios.

　　In Season 4 of "The Sailor Project," the automotive lifestyle brand AstroAI from Chongqing, known for its portable air pumps, tire pressure gauges, and car fridges, wanted to convey its brand philosophy of "For all the adventures of life" to more like-minded local users after successfully entering overseas markets.

　　To achieve this, AstroAI tried Amazon Advertising's Prime Video Ads service and specifically chose Los Angeles as the shooting location. The team's goal was clear: "People don't need to remember the ad, but they should have the feeling of having seen the brand somewhere before."

　　WYBOT Tianjin Wangyuan, a company based 1,300 kilometers away in Tianjin that has been deeply involved in the pool cleaning robot industry for 20 years, has reached a critical juncture in its brand transformation. Starting as an ODM, they are determined to build their own brand on Amazon.

　　When entering the European market, the WYBOT team actively integrated into local culture by collaborating with a Spanish Paralympic triathlon gold medalist to shoot a Sponsored TV ad.

　　The athlete's life motto of "never give up" aligns well with WYBOT's brand philosophy. In a foreign land, WYBOT Tianjin Wangyuan has found a new path to enhance brand awareness and deepen local recognition.

　　Speaking of new paths, in Zhuhai, the printer manufacturing hub, the portable printer brand Phomemo® Zhuhai Xiwen has found a new way to differentiate its products through portability. The team's goal is to "become a global brand": "When people think of portable printers, they should think of Xiwen first."

　　To achieve this goal, establishing a brand image that captures users' minds is essential. Through communication with Amazon account managers, Xiwen clarified the path to its goal. Product differentiation alone is not enough; they also need to actively connect with users during delivery, after-sales, and other stages.

　　Xiwen's sincerity and timely improvements in addressing product issues have successfully halved their return rate, giving the company room to develop new products and strategies.

　　Once you hoist your sail, don't fear rough seas. Amazon Advertising can help overseas brands better understand where their consumers are and what they need.

　　Through a series of tools, Amazon Advertising can identify user touchpoints, helping merchants shorten marketing funnels, reduce advertising waste, improve brand awareness efficiency, and optimize brand building results – quickly and steadily.

　　【Brand Days】

　　In overseas markets, without a brand, there are no users. Amazon Prime Day in July and Black Friday in November are significant days for overseas brands to connect with more users.

　　Season 4 of "The Sailor Project" showcases the choices, challenges, and highlights of some overseas brands preparing for Prime Day. When encountering turbulent waters, Amazon Advertising stands by their side.

　　For overseas brands, preparing for Amazon Prime Day is not just about boosting sales but also an excellent opportunity to correct their "course":

　　AstroAI deepened its understanding of Amazon Advertising DSP on top of product promotion, helping increase brand search volume by 300%. More importantly than sales, this strengthened the brand's perception by resonating with users through its adventurous spirit.

　　ROCKBROS collaborated closely with Amazon Advertising's key account managers to increase new customer reach by 100% and cultivate a user base through Amazon.

　　WYBOT Tianjin Wangyuan's choice and investment in Amazon Advertising's Sponsored TV brought significant brand exposure, and positive feedback from overseas users reinforced their determination to build their own brand.

　　Upon the suggestion of Amazon Advertising's key account managers, Phomemo® Zhuhai Xiwen added an environmentally friendly label to its products, opening up a new direction for branding.

　　Brands that achieved "good results" share a common trait: their commitment to long-termism, which is also the philosophy upheld by Amazon Advertising and consistently practiced in their collaboration with brands.

　　As the post-pandemic economy recovers, products with design and innovation will become increasingly popular among global consumers, and brands with helmsmen by their side will embark on new voyages.

　　After decades of overseas expansion, Chinese enterprises have gone through manufacturing exports (OEM), sales exports (white-label or low-brand products), and now, the core is brand exports.

　　Only by owning a brand can one have pricing power. Brand exports cannot be separated from marketing exports to achieve true localized marketing and connect people, products, and markets.

　　Speaking of which, recruitment for the new season of "The Sailor Project" has already begun. If your brand is expanding overseas and has a story to share, please apply. Amazon Advertising resonates with brands to create a global echo.

　　——END——

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