China Tech Talk

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**China Tech Talk**

China Tech Talk is a weekly podcast about what’s happening on the ground in China’s tech and startup ecosystems.

It is hosted by John Artman, Editor-in-Chief of TechNode English, and Matthew Brennan, founder of ChinaChannel

Latest Episodes:

10: Influencers in China and the future of brands with Elijah Whaley Jun 23, 2017

Show notes

John and Matthew talk with Elijah Whaley, Chief Marketing Officer for ParkLU, about:

Why big ad agencies are failing to keep up
How content is being democratized
Why Taobao is dominating live streaming
How influencers are building the brands of the future
Why it's better not to focus on viral content (hint: being a successful influencer isn't easy)

Links

John Artman: Rules for Weibo KOLs shed light on Alibaba-Tencent tensions
Eva Yoo: Lessons from failed influencer campaigns in China
Eva Yoo: 3 ways Chinaccelerator Batch 11 startups monetize with KOL marketing
How to leave an iTunes review

Hosts

Podcast information

iTunes
RSS feed
Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

China Tech Talk is a TechNode x ChinaChannel co-production

09: Astroturfing, tipping, and how to become a live stream celebrity in China with Lauren Hallanan Jun 16, 2017

Show notes

John and Matthew talk with Lauren Hallanan, an internet celebrity in China about:

Differences in live streaming platforms
Gifting as a business model
How to make a live stream interesting
Agency practices (hint: it’s not always ethical)
Transition from streamer to KOL

Links

Lauren Hallanan: China Live
Emma Lee: Momo sees record revenue growth thanks to live streaming
Charles Custer: Fei Cheng Wu Rao: China's Hottest Dating Show
Tracey Xiang: Report: China's live streaming market grew 180% in 2016
How to leave an iTunes review

Hosts

Podcast information

iTunes
RSS feed
Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

China Tech Talk is a TechNode x ChinaChannel co-production

Episode 08: How Chinese internet celebrities are taking over e-commerce with Dannie Li Jun 08, 2017

Show notes

John and Matthew talk with Dannie Li, an analyst at China Tech Insights, about China's internet celebrities, including:

Differences between wanghong (网红) and KOLs/influencers
A brief history of the wanghong industry
Why they've become so popular (hint: Taobao ain't that easy)

Links

Hosts

Podcast information

iTunes
RSS feed
Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

China Tech Talk is a TechNode x ChinaChannel co-production

Episode 07: WeChat's pivot in-progress Jun 02, 2017

Show notes

John and Matthew talk about the future of Tencent and WeChat, including:

What a WeChat hardware device might be
Possible AR features and products
The role of mini-programs in the WeChat ecosystem
WeChat team learning how to make partnerships with big brands

Links

John Artman: WeChat feature shows Starbucks is no longer an international brand
Tracey Xiang: WeChat introduces gold hongbao to promote new financial product
Juro Osawa: WeChat Deal With Starbucks Points to Cultural Shift at Tencent (paywall)
Sheila Yu: On "I love you" day, WeChat continues to dominate hongbao
Matthew Brennan: Mobike White Paper Report Released
How to leave an iTunes review

Hosts

John Artman, @knowsnothing, TechNode
Matthew Brennan, @MattyBGoooner, ChinaChannel

Podcast information

iTunes
RSS feed
Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

China Tech Talk is a TechNode x ChinaChannel co-production

Episode 06: Smartphones in China - Apple's growing weakness May 26, 2017

Show notes

John and Matthew talk about Apple's challenges in China, including:

A brief history of the iPhone in China
A look at some strong competitors and their ability to appeal to Chinese customers
Apple's non-existent services ecosystem
Tensions between Apple and Tencent (hint: half of Apple's China app store revenue comes from Tencent's games)

Links

Emma Lee: One year on, Apple Pay finding little traction in the Middle Kingdom
Kayla Matthews:Why Apple is coming under fire for its Chinese app offerings
Matthew Brennan: WeChat is building an augment reality app store
Steven Millward: It's looking really grim for Apple in China
App Annie: Market Forecast 2016-2021
How to leave an iTunes review

Hosts

John Artman, @knowsnothing, TechNode
Matthew Brennan, @MattyBGoooner, ChinaChannel

Podcast information

iTunes
RSS feed
Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

China Tech Talk is a TechNode x ChinaChannel co-production

Episode 05: From the Valley to China, Shifting Gears with Steve Hoffman May 19, 2017

Show notes

John and Matthew talk with Steve Hoffman, Founder and Captain of Founders Space. Steve has tons of experience in the Valley and has been spending more and more time in China. We talk about a variety of things, including:

How does Chinese government policy give Chinese startups an advantage?
Why are business people so popular in China?
How is innovation different in China compared to the Valley?
Why is WeChat so much better than every other social network?

Links

Steve Hoffman: Making Elephants Fly: The Process of Radical Innovation
Yuval Noah Harari: Homo Deus: A brief history of tomorrow
Emma Lee: Tencent reports 58% profit surge on strong Q1 driven by WeChat and gaming

Matthew Brennan: 2017 WeChat User Report Is Out!
Eva Xiao: WeChat just launched a search engine. Baidu should worry.
How to leave an iTunes review

Hosts

John Artman, @knowsnothing, TechNode
Matthew Brennan, @MattyBGoooner, ChinaChannel

Podcast information

iTunes
RSS feed
Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

China Tech Talk is a TechNode x ChinaChannel co-production

Episode 04: Exclusive interview with Florian Bohnert, Mobike's Head of International Expansion May 12, 2017

Show notes

This week we switch up the format a bit to do our very first interview! Continuing our discussion of bike sharing, we invited Florian Bohnert, Head of International Expansion at Mobike, to talk about Mobike, bike sharing, and their plans inside and outside China. Questions

How did you come to China/start working at Mobike?
How do you keep up with everything and stay sane at the same time?
How does Mobike view its own brand?
Why isn't Mobike a bike share company?
How is Mobike like Tesla?
How do you explain the early traction of Mobike and bike sharing?
How many millions of bikes is Foxconn building for Mobike?
Why do you think the sector has gotten so hot? What do investors expect?
What are your expansion plans inside and outside China?
How does Mobike see mini-programs? Strategic or just another entry point?

Links

Sheila Yu: Mobike announces "Magic Cube," an AI made from its mountains of user data
Sheila Yu:Mobike bike-rental feature added to Wechat Wallet
Emma Lee: Mobike joins ofo in Singapore with official launch
Matthew Brennan: Mobike & Ofo: Bike Sharing Industry Report (Nov 2016)
Matthew Brennan: China Bike Sharing Report: March 2017

Guest

Florian Bohnert, LinkedIn

Hosts

John Artman, @knowsnothing, TechNode
Matthew Brennan, @MattyBGoooner, ChinaChannel

Podcast information

iTunes
RSS feed
Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

China Tech Talk is a TechNode x ChinaChannel co-production

Episode 03: Bike sharing business models - Mobike and ofo May 05, 2017

Show notes

John and Matthew go deeper on bike sharing and respond to some listener feedback. Questions they answer:

How many bikes are on the streets?
How many users do Mobike and ofo have?
How much are these two companies worth?
How do they generate revenue?
What are some potential monetization strategies?
How do Mobike and ofo fit in with Tencent and Alibaba's broader strategy?
How has the government responded? What will future regulation look like?

Links

TechNode's coverage of bike sharing
Sheila Yu: Mobike announces "Magic Cube," an AI made from its mountains of user data
John Artman: Mobike jumps on hongbao bandwagon with “Mobike, mo’ money”
Matthew Brennan: Mobike & Ofo: Bike Sharing Industry Report (Nov 2016)
Matthew Brennan: China Bike Sharing Report: March 2017
ReportLinker: China Bicycle Sharing Industry Report, 2017-2021
iResearch: 2017年中国共享单车行业研究报告

Hosts

John Artman, @knowsnothing, TechNode
Matthew Brennan, @MattyBGoooner, ChinaChannel

Podcast information

iTunes
RSS feed
Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

China Tech Talk is a TechNode x ChinaChannel co-production

Episode 02: Mini-programs - WeChat's killer feature Apr 28, 2017

Show notes

John and Matthew talk about WeChat's mini-programs. Introduced earlier this year, the full potential of mini-programs were not apparent at launch, leading some to speculate that they would never be useful. Matt is pretty bullish while John has a wait-and-see attitude. Questions they answer:

What are mini-programs?
Are these mini-apps or mini-programs?
How are they different from apps? How are they different from WeChat official accounts?
What are the advantages to users of using mini-programs? What are the advantages to businesses of using mini-programs?
What are the drawbacks of using mini-programs?
How do users find mini-programs?

Links

TechNode: Panel: WeChat mini-apps have promise, but fail to deliver
John Artman: Data from Cheetah Global Lab reinforces that WeChat IS the Chinese internet
China Tech Insights: WeChat User & Business Ecosystem Report 2017 | Exclusive
Matthew Brennan: Wechat Podcast Mini Programs
Matthew Brennan: List of 100 WeChat Mini Programs
Matthew Brennan: WeChat launches new style QR codes For Mini Programs
Matthew Brennan: How To Use WeChat Mini Programs

Hosts

John Artman, @knowsnothing, TechNode
Matthew Brennan, @MattyBGoooner, ChinaChannel

Podcast information

iTunes
RSS feed
Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

China Tech Talk is a TechNode x ChinaChannel co-production.

Episode 1: An introduction to China's bike sharing Apr 21, 2017

Show notes

John and Matthew talk about bike sharing. Since the middle of 2016, China's streets have explosions of yellow, orange, blue, and green as the bike sharing wars take off. Who are the big players? Why is it taking off in China? Will the Chinese government intervene like they have with ride-hailing?

Links